Marketing - Manufactures are realizing that existing and future customers have more information than ever available at their fingertips to research, find, and make decisions on brands and products. The Secret that Breaking Bad Showed Manufacturing Companies About Content Marketing
Automation - Your systems and services should make it an intuitvely easy process to find the information needed! Manufacturers will be automating self-service tools for customer service & support, order status inquiries, configure-price-quote (CPQ) and communities.
New Product Development and Introduction (NPDI) - With 3D Printing, More Agile Design Phases, and Better Collaboration manufacturers are taking advantage of these strategies to meet their time-to-market objectives in this increasingly competitive marketplace.
Usability - Green-screens are a thing of the past. New employees entering the workforce want modern, intuitive and functional systems that can be seamlessly used across all their devices. IT Can No Longer Afford to Ignore Its Users.
Flexibility - Large monolithic ERP systems cannot easily be modified without intensive programming and customization. Manufacturer's smaller operational needs in distributed geographic regions are demanding more flexible ERP systems that can easily be tweaked and adapted to client needs.
Acquisitions - One trend of particular interest to Mountain Point is how cloud technologies are helping in the acquisition process. A great example of this is the Kenandy Del Monte Foods Case Study.
Cloud - Gartner Says By 2016, the Impact of Cloud and Emergence of Postmodern ERP Will Relegate Highly Customized ERP Systems to "Legacy" Status.
Talent - IBM recently announced a new program to retrain veteran employees for cloud, data and mobile skills. While some may view this as a means to get employees to move-on, retire, etc... I think this is a reality all established organizations are facing - creating an innovative culture.
Using Data / Big Data - Massive amounts of operational data are coming online. Gleaning intelligence from large volumes of industrial data and analyzing it for competitive advantage and turning industrial trends and patterns from noise into action is only the beginning for Industrial Big Data and Analytics.
Re-shoring - A growing number of manufacturing companies are bringing their operations back to the United States and they are discovering that cloud based ERP software can help their core functions become more efficient and cost-effective, ultimately driving greater revenue. The Role Of Cloud-Based ERP In Reshoring Manufacturing
Integrations - Many manufacturing organizations are looking into implementing a vast array of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business apps available today like Salesforce.com for Sales, Service or Marketing or Workday.com for Human Capital Management. Check out Business Impacts of Integrating Salesforce.com CRM with ERP
Networked Devices / Industrial Internet - More and more devices are now connected and capturing data providing companies with valuable data. Learn more about the Industrial Internet
Growth - “On National Manufacturing Day, more than 1,600 American manufacturers will open their doors and take up the important work of inspiring our young people to pursue careers in manufacturing and engineering. Today's science, technology, engineering, and math graduates will power the next chapter of American production and innovation, and harnessing their potential is an economic imperative."