It’s impossible to streamline your operations when your ERP, CRM, and supply chain processes are siloed.

Ageing infrastructure, high costs, reduced lead times and a need for improved visibility continue to make the environment a tricky one for process manufacturers. Add into the mix the introduction of environmental and safety standards that require additional management and controls, not to mention pressure to improve customer satisfaction, and suddenly the story looks different.

Your process manufacturing business faces four key challenges.

1. Operations are affected by out-of-date infrastructure

A major concern for many manufacturers. You need software that can help you raise the productivity bar, break new ground, and ensure compliance, if you want to stay ahead of the competition.

2. There’s increasing pressure to develop and launch new products

In recent years, it’s become normal for large sections of the food and beverage industry to launch products every year, while pharmaceutical companies are often pushed to accelerate the development of new antibiotics as outbreaks of drug-resistant ‘superbugs’ continue to rise. 

This means that manufacturers need to be lean and highly flexible in order to keep pace - those encumbered by rigid processes and inefficient systems will be left behind.

3. You must keep tight control over costs

In a Global CEO Survey on manufacturing competitiveness, Deloitte identified “cost, availability of labor, materials, cost competitiveness of materials, and availability of raw materials” as the third most competitive driver for manufacturers. So it's crucial you understand how much your process manufacturing is spending each week, month, or quarter.

4. It’s essential to maintain quality and meet safety standards

A crucial requirement for all process manufacturers is the ability to keep up with new environmental and safety standards and successfully achieve compliance with new regulations, such as the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). 

Navigating this maze of global laws and restrictions can be a huge challenge, and failure to comply can be extremely costly in financial and reputational terms. The good news is many UK process manufacturing businesses are overcoming these types of challenges with the right enterprise solution.