Process Manufacturing Software
ERP software can boost productivity and efficiencies for process manufacturing companies, plus enable them to operate compliantly and across borders with ease.
At ERP Research we provide independent advice and analysis for top process manufacturing ERP systems, helping you find the best software, faster.
Top 10 ERP Systems For Process Manufacturing
Learn everything you need to know about the best ERP solutions for manufacturers in our detailed solution comparison report. We compare top manufacturing ERP software such as SAP, Microsoft, Oracle and more.
Top ERP for Small Process Manufacturers (SMB & SME)
Small and medium sized (SME) manufacturing firms need ERP systems which are cost effective, fast to implement and scalable.
Many manufacturing organizations have adopted ERP solutions such as these to handle their growth efficiently:
SAP Business ByDesign
SAP Business ByDesign is a Cloud ERP solution that serves as a stable solution with over 30 out of the box processes for manufacturing firms.
Microsoft Dynamics Business Central
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is used by SMB & SME manufacturers.
Oracle Netsuite
Netsuite has become a popular ERP system choice for small and medium manufacturers that are looking for a Cloud based ERP system to manage growth across sales, production, supply chain, inventory and financials.
Odoo
Odoo is an open source ERP platform which has been used by small and fast growing manufacturing organizations looking to unify their processes.
Infor CloudSuite Industrial (Syteline)
Infor CSI is a popular ERP solution for small and medium sized manufacturing companies in discrete and process manufacturing industries. See how Infor compares.
SAP Business One
SAP Business One has developed many manufacturing specific add-ons for various manufacturing sub-verticals including textiles, food and beverage production, making it a strong choice for small manufacturers.
SYSPRO
SYSPRO is a strong ERP solution for process manufacturers in the small and medium-sized business space and is used by worldwide brands.
QAD Systems
QAD Systems is a popular ERP solution for small business process manufacturers in multiple industries, with a variety of process and discrete manufacturing capabilities.
IFS Applications
IFS Applications is a strong ERP solution for manufacturers in the small and medium sized business space and is used by worldwide brands.
Epicor
Epicor is a powerful Cloud based ERP system which is used by SMB and small business process manufacturers around the world and provides deep manufacturing ERP capabilities.
Acumatica
Acumatica is a powerful Cloud based ERP system which is used by SMB and small business process manufacturers around the world and provides deep process manufacturing ERP capabilities.
SYSPRO ERP
SYSPRO is a popular ERP solution for small business process manufacturers in multiple industries, with a variety of process and discrete manufacturing capabilities.
Top Manufacturing ERP for Large Enterprises
What are some of the best ERP systems for large manufacturers? See our highlighted best ERP software solutions for large manufacturing companies below:
SAP S/4 HANA
SAP S/4 HANA for many is the gold standard ERP solution for large manufacturers. It provides deep industry capabilities for manufacturing and offers the largest customer base of global manufacturing organizations.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 has become extremely popular with manufacturing organizations that need a greater degree of flexibility in their ERP system. Microsoft has also heavily invested in AI & ML capabilities to improve automation and efficiencies.
Oracle ERP Cloud
Oracle ERP Cloud is a popular ERP solution amongst manufacturers, particularly in process industries. ERP Cloud offers integrated functionality across large enterprises including supply chain, production, HCM, financials and more.
Best Cloud ERP for Manufacturing
What are some of the best Cloud ERP systems for manufacturers? See our highlighted best ERP software solutions for manufacturing that are Cloud based:
SAP S/4 HANA
SAP S/4 HANA is one of the best Cloud ERP for manufacturing and is used by many manufacturing companies in the food, discrete, automotive and other manufacturing industries. This Cloud ERP solution is available in private or public Cloud deployments.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a robust Cloud ERP for manufacturing system which comes in several editions built for small and large businesses alike. Dynamics is one of the best Cloud ERP for manufacturing, available in both private and public Cloud.
Oracle ERP Cloud
Oracle ERP Cloud is a popular ERP solution amongst manufacturers, particularly in process industries. ERP Cloud offers integrated functionality across large enterprises including supply chain, production, HCM, financials and more.
SAP Business ByDesign
SAP Business ByDesign is a fully SaaS Cloud ERP for manufacturing solution that serves as a stable solution with over 30 out of the box processes for manufacturing firms.
Oracle Netsuite
Netsuite has become a popular ERP system choice for small and medium manufacturers that are looking for a Cloud based ERP system to manage growth across sales, production, supply chain, inventory and financials.
Infor CloudSuite Industrial (Syteline)
Infor CSI is a popular Cloud ERP solution for small and medium sized manufacturing companies in discrete and process manufacturing industries. See how Infor compares.
SAP Business One
SAP Business One is a comprehensive ERP solution that can be configured to support process manufacturing operations. Process manufacturing typically involves the use of recipes or formulas to produce goods, often in large quantities, where the input materials are transformed into a final product through a series of chemical or physical reactions.
Here are some ways SAP Business One can be used as a process manufacturing ERP:
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Recipe and Formula Management: SAP Business One can manage complex recipe and formula structures with multiple levels of sub-components, and the ability to handle batch and lot control. The solution can help automate the creation of production orders, calculate the required quantities of raw materials and packaging materials based on the recipe, and track the usage of each ingredient.
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Production Planning and Scheduling: With SAP Business One, you can plan and schedule production runs based on customer demand and available raw materials, and monitor the progress of each batch in real-time. You can also track production costs and compare them to budgets and standard costs.
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Quality Control: SAP Business One offers a range of quality control tools to ensure that your products meet customer and regulatory requirements. You can set up quality control tests to be performed at various stages of the production process, and track test results for each batch.
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Inventory Management: SAP Business One offers advanced inventory management capabilities, including the ability to track inventory levels in real-time, manage multiple warehouses and bins, and use barcodes and RFID tags for accurate tracking of raw materials, finished goods, and packaging materials.
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Compliance Management: For process manufacturers in regulated industries, SAP Business One can help ensure compliance with regulatory requirements by providing the ability to track and trace products throughout the supply chain, maintain lot and batch control, and generate reports for compliance audits.
Infor CloudSuite Industrial
Infor CloudSuite Industrial is a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system designed to meet the unique needs of process manufacturers. Here are some ways in which it can be used:
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Recipe Management: Process manufacturers need to manage complex recipes for their products. Infor CloudSuite Industrial allows users to create and manage recipes, and track ingredients and their sources. It can also manage batch sizes, yield calculations, and conversion factors.
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Quality Control: Infor CloudSuite Industrial includes a robust quality control module that helps manufacturers ensure that their products meet the required quality standards. It allows users to define quality parameters, set up tests and inspections, and generate reports.
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Production Planning and Scheduling: Process manufacturers need to optimize their production schedules to minimize downtime and ensure timely delivery of products. Infor CloudSuite Industrial includes production planning and scheduling tools that help users plan production, manage work orders, and track progress.
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Inventory Management: Process manufacturers need to manage large volumes of raw materials and finished products. Infor CloudSuite Industrial provides inventory management features that allow users to track inventory levels, manage inventory transfers, and generate inventory reports.
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Traceability: Process manufacturers need to be able to trace their products through every stage of production and distribution. Infor CloudSuite Industrial includes traceability features that allow users to track products from raw materials to finished goods and beyond.
Epicor ERP
Epicor ERP is a robust enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solution that can be effectively used by process manufacturers to streamline their operations and improve their overall efficiency. Here are some of the ways that Epicor ERP can be used by process manufacturers:
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Recipe and Formula Management: Epicor ERP allows process manufacturers to manage their recipe and formula data centrally, enabling them to keep track of their product formulations, ingredients, and production steps. This feature helps to ensure consistency and accuracy in the manufacturing process, while also providing real-time visibility into inventory levels and production costs.
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Batch Processing: Epicor ERP enables process manufacturers to manage batch processing activities, including scheduling, tracking, and reporting. This feature helps to ensure that each batch is produced according to specifications, and that any deviations or quality issues can be quickly identified and addressed.
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Quality Management: Epicor ERP provides a robust quality management system that enables process manufacturers to track quality issues from inception through resolution. This feature helps to ensure that any quality problems are identified and corrected quickly, thereby reducing waste and improving customer satisfaction.
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Inventory Management: Epicor ERP provides comprehensive inventory management capabilities that enable process manufacturers to optimize their inventory levels and reduce carrying costs. This feature includes real-time inventory tracking, demand forecasting, and automatic replenishment, which helps to ensure that raw materials and finished goods are always available when needed.
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Regulatory Compliance: Epicor ERP provides built-in compliance tools that enable process manufacturers to comply with regulatory requirements, such as those set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This feature helps to ensure that products are produced in compliance with applicable regulations, thereby reducing the risk of fines or penalties.
QAD ERP
QAD ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) can be used in the process manufacturing industry to help businesses streamline and optimize their operations. Here are some ways in which QAD ERP can be used in this industry:
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Batch management: QAD ERP provides batch management functionality that can help process manufacturers manage their production runs, including scheduling, materials tracking, quality control, and documentation.
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Formula management: Process manufacturers rely on precise formulas to produce their products. QAD ERP has advanced formula management capabilities that enable businesses to create, revise, and track formulas throughout their lifecycle.
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Inventory management: QAD ERP helps process manufacturers manage their inventory levels, including raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods. This helps to ensure that the right materials are available at the right time to keep production running smoothly.
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Quality control: Quality control is critical in the process manufacturing industry. QAD ERP offers robust quality control functionality that enables businesses to track and manage quality metrics, conduct inspections, and perform root cause analysis.
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Regulatory compliance: The process manufacturing industry is subject to a wide range of regulatory requirements. QAD ERP provides features and functions to help businesses comply with these regulations, including tracking compliance-related documentation and generating compliance reports.
QAD ERP
Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a comprehensive software solution that can be used by process manufacturing companies to streamline their operations and improve overall efficiency. Here are some of the ways in which Dynamics 365 can be used by process manufacturing companies:
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Batch management: Process manufacturing companies often deal with products that are produced in batches, such as food and beverage, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. With Dynamics 365 ERP, companies can easily manage their batch production processes, from planning and scheduling to production and quality control.
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Inventory management: Process manufacturing companies typically have complex inventory management requirements, such as managing multiple units of measure, tracking raw materials and finished products by lot or batch number, and managing shelf life and expiration dates. Dynamics 365 ERP provides advanced inventory management capabilities, including inventory tracking, inventory forecasting, and real-time inventory visibility.
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Recipe and formula management: Process manufacturing companies rely heavily on recipes and formulas to produce their products. With Dynamics 365 ERP, companies can manage their recipes and formulas in a centralized location, including ingredient lists, production instructions, and quality control parameters.
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Quality control: Quality control is critical in process manufacturing, as even small variations in ingredients or processes can have significant impacts on the final product. Dynamics 365 ERP provides tools for managing quality control processes, including sampling, testing, and inspection, and can help companies maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.
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Financial management: Dynamics 365 ERP provides robust financial management capabilities, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, and financial reporting. Process manufacturing companies can use these tools to manage their financial operations more efficiently, reducing errors and improving accuracy.
What is the best ERP for manufacturing in 2021?
We review the best ERP software for manufacturing? We compare and rank the best ERP software for manufacturers in 2021 including SAP Business One, Netsuite, Infor & more.
ERP Requirements Gathering (RFI, RFP) Template Excel
Start your ERP evaluation process with our RFI & RFP Excel template for the engineering industry.
ERP Project Budget Calculator Template
Calculate the costs of your manufacturing ERP project with our prebuilt budget calculator.
Top Process Manufacturing ERP Modules & Functionality
The top ERP software for manufacturers can include a variety of modules and functionalities that allow manufacturing companies to scale and be more efficient. We review some of the key functionality for the best manufacturing ERP software below:
Accounting and Financials
The best ERP for manufacturing has to include accounting and financials capabilities across multiple geographies and business units.
Purchasing
Purchasing needs to be controlled and the best ERP software for manufacturing allows you to do just this.
Production
Plan your supply chain and manage your manufacturing process in one wholistic ERP system including bill of materials management and kits.
Engineering Management
Manufacturing ERP software needs tight engineering capabilities to quickly iterate products whilst maintaining efficiencies.
Inventory Management
ERP systems for manufacturing allow for real time insights into inventory levels across your organization to drive efficiency.
Asset Management
Manage business assets with ERP for manufacturing to easily capitalise and monitor your assets.
Reporting and dashboards
Develop a single view of your manufacturing business in order to increase transparency, decision-making and ultimately drive results.
Expenses Management
Automate expenses requisitions and approvals for your sales team or manufacturing within your ERP system.
Customer Service
Customer service is a crucial part of top ERP software for manufacturing. Tie in data across production, sales and more with manufacturing ERP.
Sales management
Track & plan sales pipeline, score leads, prospects and forecast opportunities in real-time across territories, accounts and teams.
Customisation
Flexible ERP software that's built on an open and extensible foundation, allowing you to choose the features that suit your business needs.
Mobility
Access your ERP data at any time so you're more available to customers and take advantage of unexpected opportunities as they surface.
Development tools
ERP software for the manufacturing industry features all of the tailored solutions an organization needs to design, build and document their projects faster.
Updates and maintenance
Backed by the consistency of market-leading vendors, ERP software regularly updates to ensure an optimal user experience.
Versatile deployments
Connects customers, partners, and employees through real-time digital relationships to improve the way you do business.
Unlimited support
ERP implementation is a longterm strategic partnership and vendors provide free unlimited technical support for clients.
Start Your ERP Journey With ERP Research
We help manufacturing firms to prepare for ERP change by guiding them through each stage of the process:
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Build An ERP Business Case 2-3 weeksA solid business case is a foundation you need if you are going to persuade your organization to consider enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. Download Business Case Template
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Compare ERP Vendors 2-3 weeksIt’s critical to understand which ERP vendor is right for your business. Before you decide on the vendor for your company, take a look at our solution pages to find out which vendor would be best. Compare ERP Vendors
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Get Pricing Estimates 1-2 weeksOur exclusive process removes all the salesmen from the equation and gets you real pricing estimates from every qualified vendor. Contact Us For Pricing
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Organize A Solution Demo 1-2 weeksDuring a demo, you will learn about how large corporations are making use of ERP software and how they are improving their business practices. Book A Demo
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Build ERP Requirements 3-4 weeksIf you're looking to buy an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or upgrade your internal systems you will need a clear definition of all the functions, features and capabilities that you expect. You can approach this challenge by building what's called an ERP requirements document. Download ERP Requirements Template
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Shortlist 4-8 Vendors 1 weekOne of the most important phases in the ERP project lifecycle is selecting the right software vendor. Ideally, you should shortlist 4-8 vendors - based on their credentials and your requirements. Contact Us To Shortlist Vendors
Manufacturing Industry ERP Guide
When considering ERP software for manufacturing, savvy ERP buyers tend to have a lot of questions. Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions around manufacturing ERP:
What is process manufacturing ERP software?
ERP for process manufacturing enables food and consumer products manufacturers and more to centralise data and business processes into one ERP platform to support faster transfer of data between departments and decision making.
ERP software for process manufacturing typically includes modules for sales, production, quality management, accounting and financials and often warehouse management, stock and procurement.
Which process manufacturers use ERP software?
We see process manufacturers of all sizes and in multiple industries using ERP software, ranging from startups to small businesses (SMB) and small and medium enterprises (SME) through to large multinationals with hundreds of thousands of employees.
Although almost all process manufacturers will or intend to implement ERP software at some point in their journey, many process manufacturers will use different ERP software or adopt different IT strategies according to their needs.
Some larger process manufacturing companies choose to run large single instance ERP systems that manage multiple brands, legal entities and business units in one suite. Other, more federated process manufacturers may choose to run multiple ERP solutions within their group.
What is the best ERP software for process manufacturing?
There are many ERP solutions for process manufacturers available and each is designed for companies in different industries and manufacturing sub-sectors and to suit companies of different sizes.
The best possible process manufacturing ERP software on the market may not be cost effective for your business and may do more to hinder than help you. We therefore recommend evaluating multiple potential process manufacturing ERP solutions to work out which one suits you best. You can check our recommended process manufacturing ERP solutions for businesses of different sizes above or use our ERP comparison tool to find ERP solutions based on your industry, business size or choice of deployment.
What is the best process manufacturing ERP software for SMB and small businesses?
There are dozens of ERP systems available for small business process manufacturers. Some of the most popular ERP software for SMB process manufacturers is SAP Business One, Odoo, NetSuite, Acumatica, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, SAP Business ByDesign and Syspro.
What is the best ERP for process manufacturing?
Process manufacturing ERP software has different needs to discrete manufacturing software. In particular, the yield management and measurement capabilities need to be geared towards your particular use case.
Some of the best process manufacturing ERP software solutions are supplied by vendors such as SAP, Infor & Microsoft. Check our solution briefs above to find out more.
What are the benefits of process manufacturing ERP software?
ERP software for process manufacturers can provide many benefits including:
- Reducing stock holdings by optimising supply chains.
- Better visibility and reporting across your business.
- Less quality management issues.
- Faster product recall and fault detection processes.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction.
- Lower administrative and accounting costs.
- Higher adherence to compliance across accounting, quality and more.
- Lower IT and systems integration costs.
How much does process manufacturing ERP cost?
Process manufacturing ERP software can vary in cost depending on the size of your business, the complexity of your business processes and the manufacturing ERP system that you choose to implement. Generally speaking, the cost of a manufacturing ERP cost can be broken into manufacturing ERP software licensing costs, implementation fees and support costs.
How do I choose ERP for process manufacturing?
Its highly recommended that you begin your ERP evaluation process by building an ERP requirements document when choosing process manufacturing ERP software. You can use a prebuilt ERP requirements document to do this, or create one from scratch.
Once you've completed this, we then recommend evaluating 4-8 ERP solutions and vendors. You can reach out to ERP vendors and implementation partners yourself, however this can be time consuming which is why many companies use a comparison service like ERP Research to help them shortlist the best process manufacturing ERP software for their needs. You can compare over 100+ ERP solutions for process manufacturing as well as other industries in under 15 minutes by talking to one of our experts here.
How do I implement ERP for process manufacturing?
Typically most process manufacturers will select a third party ERP partner or systems integrator to implement their process manufacturing ERP software. You will need to have your own internal team dedicated to steering the project. By using a third party implementation company specialized in your chosen process manufacturing ERP software, your chances of success are much higher and will prevent ERP failure.
Compare ERP Software for Process Manufacturing Industry
At ERP Research we are specialised in comparing ERP software for process manufacturing companies. We provide in depth comparisons of ERP systems for the manufacturing industry.
Our experts have dealt with hundreds of CXO's and IT leaders in the process manufacturing industry. Our first. focus is to understand the goals of your process manufacturing business before recommending the best ERP software for your needs. Once we understand your goals and challenges, we compare dozens of ERP software for manufacturing to find the best fit.
We have worked with thousands of businesses in multiple industries and commonly work with those looking for ERP for small process business manufacturing as well as larger organizations too.
Can process manufacturers use Cloud ERP?
Cloud ERP software for process manufacturing is becoming increasingly popular and in short, yes, manufacturers can use Cloud ERP solutions. Cloud ERP can come in many guises including hosting On-Premise licenses in the Cloud, as well as Private Cloud hosted ERP solutions as well as fully managed SaaS Cloud ERP solutions for process manufacturing.
What is the best Cloud ERP software for process manufacturing?
Cloud ERP software for process manufacturing is becoming increasingly popular as more and more process manufacturers look to migrate their enterprise resource planning software into a software as a service model. Process manufacturing Cloud ERP allows organizations to harness the benefits of the Cloud and hyperscalers such as Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, whilst also improving their day to day processes.
We recommend reviewing popular Cloud ERP systems for process manufacturing such as SAP Business ByDesign, Netsuite and Infor Cloudsuite Industrial as well as Odoo if you are a small business.
If your organization is larger, we recommend evaluating Oracle ERP Cloud, SAP S/4 HANA or Microsoft Dynamics.
Key Features of ERP for Manufacturing
ERP for manufacturing can cover a variety of features and modules, including:
- Bill of materials (BOM)
- Engineering change management
- Material Resource Planning (MRP)
- Production Management
- Variant and Configuration Change Management
- Available to Promise (ATP)
- Supply Chain Management
- Supply Chain Forecasting
- Sales & Demand Forecasting
- Plant Maintenance
- Field Service Maintenance
- Work Order Management
- Production Orders
- Quality Management
- Quality Inspection
- Traceability
- Lot Management
- Batch Management
- Inventory Management
- Sales Order Management
- Product Lifecycle Management
Find & Compare ERP Software for Manufacturing
Use our free tool to find and compare the market leading ERP software and solutions for manufacturing. See how ERP system solutions including Oracle NetSuite, Epicor, Infor & SAP Business One stack up against the competition.