Implementing ERP within a company also comes with a need for a cultural change.

Recently there appears to be an increased amount of- Facilitate day to day management.
interest in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).- Eliminate data silos by creating a single, centralized
Originally adopted by manufacturing organizations, itsrepository of timely, accurate business data.
main focus was for the management and control of- Enable more effective resource allocation and
inventory. Since then the functional scope of ERPmanagement.
solutions has grown, and as a result so have theWhilst these benefits mentioned are significant they
benefits and adoption by other industry verticals withinare only true benefits to a business if the ERP model
the wholesale and distribution segment, including thoseis a good fit for the company. A particularly good fit is
within small and medium enterprises (SMEs).for companies that need to formalize their business
Typically organizations juggle several different businessprocesses and activates across multiple departments.
applications to manage the intricacies of their business.These companies are generally trying to deal with
But now businesses understand that they need tomultiple versions of the truth across the business due
stop wasting resources managing these multiple "silo"to their disparate systems. This prevents managers
systems and improve visibility for better decisionfrom making good business decisions. An ERP solution
making via a single centralized seamless system.can help enforce good business processes and
Most ERP solutions contain a range of modules toconsolidate the information to provide an accurate
improve a variety of back-office functions, including:cross departmental picture of the "state of the nation".
- Financials & Accounting: includes functionality such asWhen considering an ERP solution it is advisable to
general ledger, cash management, accounts payableconsider a single vendor solution that provides the
and receivable, and fixed asset management.flexibility and modularity of adopting the different ERP
- Time & billing: includes features for billing/invoicing, timefunctional areas. Implementing ERP within a company
and expense management, and Project/Job monitoring.also comes with a need for a cultural change within
- Supply Chain Management: includes managementthe organization. A 'lets do it all now', otherwise known
around Inventory and Order Fulfillment.as a 'big bag' approach can be a far too overwhelming
- Employee Management and Productivity: Humantransition and difficult to manage. Just like any
Resource Management, Employee Activitysoftware implementation the solution will only be as
Management and Administration.good as the people that use it so user adoption is
At a high-level some benefits that can be expectedcritical. When evaluating ERP solutions it is just as
from implementing an ERP system includes:important to consider the quality of professional
- Improve decision making & strategic planning.services provided by the vendor just as much as the
- Improve productivity with greater visibility and morecore solution capabilities. The successful delivery and
automated back-office processes.adoption of an ERP into a company will enable the
- Ensure accountability and compliance with auditablesolution to perform to its full potential and provide great
accounting.results.
- Reduce Operating Cost.