ERP Advantages for Apparel Manufacturers: Key Benefits for Success
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software makes it much easier to run an apparel business. It combines finance, supply chain management, and manufacturing into a single tool, which can save lots of time and energy. Want to know other ERP advantages and what makes it so important? Read on to discover how every apparel company can increase its profits and efficiency by switching to an ERP.
Why ERP Systems Matter for Apparel Manufacturers
Launching an apparel business comes with tons of industry-specific challenges. For example, complex supply chains, production management, and inventory control. Fortunately, an ERP can simplify these challenges through automation and centralization. In fact, automating some of your daily tasks will make everyone’s job easier.
N41’s ERP is the leading apparel-focused solution in the United States. It’s innovative, scalable, and efficient, and it’s been available for 16+ years. N41 also has an unprecedented 99% client retention rate.
Key Advantages of ERP Systems for Apparel Businesses
An ERP comes with a wide number of advantages for your apparel business. If you want to ensure you stay on track with your goals, you’ll love using N41’s ERP. Benefits include:
1. Streamlined Operations: An ERP provides centralized data management to enhance your team’s collaboration. Features such as real-time production and inventory tracking are included, which means you can manage everything from one central location.
2. Improved Inventory Management: Using an ERP gives you automatic stock tracking. For instance, it keeps track of how each item is doing across the nation. That way, if you notice that an item isn’t popular in one location but is a big hit in another, you can move your stock around to prevent stockouts and overstocks.
3. Enhanced Supply Chain Coordination: An ERP integrates your suppliers and production management. The end result is increased visibility across the entire production cycle. You’ll be able to check your recent orders with a single click. No more having to call your suppliers to get answers!
4. Cost Efficiency and Profitability: With an ERP on your side, you’ll be able to reduce your operational costs through the process of automation. This reduces your odds of manual mistakes, plus it ensures you’ll always have the necessary materials on hand. Add to this the cost-savings of not having an employee ordering everything individually, and you’ll have the roadmap to increase your profits.
5. Data-Driven Decision Making: ERP’s advanced reporting tools make it simple to find actionable insights. Plus, the ERP’s predictive analytics make scaling upward a breeze. Typically, a human would have to do forecasting. However, an ERP relies on hard data to decide what items to stock, where to send them, etc.
6. Better Customer Service: An ERP can ensure better customer service through real-time tracking and faster order fulfillment. After all, getting your merchandise into the hands of your customers more quickly is always a good thing. You’ll also experience improved client communication and satisfaction.
The Benefits of ERP in Manufacturing for Apparel Businesses
There are many benefits of ERP systems for the apparel industry, such as:
- Production cycles are streamlined, which leads to a reduction in lead times.
- An ERP can improve production planning and resource allocation.
- It makes it much easier to stay on top of the ever-changing industry demand.
Other benefits of ERP in manufacturing were revealed by three companies that N41 has worked with:
- PaperCrane loves how easy it is to take orders via iPod.
- BlueBlush takes advantage of the in-depth reporting to get a daily snapshot of their inventory.
- Honey Punch said that having N41’s ERP made their point of sale much quicker, including processing and shipping their items.
ERP System Advantages and Disadvantages for the Apparel Industry
To recap, the advantages of ERP include scalability, operational efficiency, business transparency, improved inventory management, data-driven decision-making, improved customer service, enhanced supply chain coordination, and increased profitability. Of course, even with all these ERP advantages, there are a couple of potential disadvantages to consider:
- Initial Investment Cost: The initial investment cost could be challenging for some small businesses. Thankfully, N41 creates specialized packages and can work with any budget.
- Staff Training Hurdles: Adopting N41’s ERP could come with some staff training hurdles. The good news is that N41 designs a training program based on your specific company’s needs.
Why ERP is Important for Growing Apparel Businesses
Remaining competitive in a quickly evolving market requires you to utilize an ERP. It has the ability to support your company’s expansion with scalable technology. In other words, it can expand—or contract—as needed. It’ll make your company more efficient, improve your customer service, and put you in a position to increase your overall profits.
Choosing the Right ERP System for Apparel Manufacturers
There are three must-have features for any ERP system: inventory management, production tracking, and order processing. Although you can adopt any ERP, it’s definitely best to choose an industry-specific ERP, such as N41, for apparel businesses. Being made for apparel means you’ll have everything you need built out of the gate. There will be less of a training curve, and you won’t have to customize it to make it work for you.
Are you ready to streamline your apparel manufacturing operations? N41’s ERP system simplifies production tracking, inventory management, and supply chain coordination. Request your demo today and experience how our industry-specific ERP solution can drive your business forward.
