3 ERP Advantages for Building Material Formers and Fabricators

Everyone in the steel and metals industry knows to use the right tool for job, though it’s easy to overlook one important tool – your software. In today’s fast-paced marketplace, businesses must be focused on customer demands while controlling profit margins. As discussed in our eBook, “How Building Material Formers and Fabricators Can Thrive in the Digital Age,” the right ERP solution will optimize and modernize your business, giving you full control from end to end.

Are You Losing Track of Data?

Most building material formers and fabricators aren’t just delivering raw material anymore. Customers expect added processing, subassembly and other value-added services. Multi-step processing is a challenge to control internally and even more so when using outsourced processing. Data needs to be collected for each job in real time and delivered to the people that need it.

Disparate business software and manual processes slow everything down. Gaps cause data to fall between the cracks causing all sorts of issues. Outdated software just isn’t cutting it anymore and ordinary ERP software can’t support these detailed processes.

3 Reasons the Steel and Metals Industry Chooses RealSTEEL™

The rules have changed in the steel and metals industry. RealSTEEL™ is the fully integrated ERP solution powered by Microsoft Dynamics NAV and designed for the unique processes and challenges you face every day.  As described in our eBook, ERP is one of the most powerful tools you can use to build profits, drive growth and keep up with changing customer demands.

Here are 3 transformations you can make quickly with RealSTEEL™:

• Capture more sales: There simply are no more simple jobs. Customers have unique product specifications and require an assortment of finishing services. Quoting these complex jobs is more complicated and time-consuming, but with the right ERP system in place, sales reps have the tools to sell more in less time. ERP offers access to real-time inventory, production schedules and known outsourced processing costs. Automatically calculate nesting, costing and pricing at the line item, populate customer-specific information and highlight profit margins to ensure more profitable sales. With data at their fingertips 24x7x365, sales reps will be able to negotiate a sale and close deals much faster.

• Gain visibility across production: Modern ERP will support your business through periods of growth and as customer demands grow more complex. Manage production schedules, automate material usage calculations, including shortages or drops, and allow operators to directly input actuals from the shop floor. Schedules can be adjusted as change orders or unplanned machine downtime impact jobs, before they impact key deadlines. By letting the data flow into the right hands at the right time, you gain total visibility throughout the production process.

• Use data to boost profits and drive growth: A successful business must be able to make timely financial decisions that lead to strong profits. There is no more room for instinct and, in this modern digital world, data is what makes the difference between profit and loss. Real-time reporting is necessary for managers to stay ahead of the challenges in production and customer demands. RealSTEEL™ offers personalized, role-specific information through user-friendly dashboards. A fully integrated suite of analytic tools delivers detailed insights or big-picture views of production activities, customer trends and other business operations. Armed with accurate and real-time costing information, you will be able to identify the true costs and profit margins at the line item level. Monitor KPIs, follow more than just AR/AP and use data to boost profits and drive growth.

Learn More About the Integrated ERP Designed for Building Material Formers and Fabricators

As you choose the best tools and machines for production, you also need the right tools for running your business. Learn more about how RealSTEEL™ transforms operations and profit for building material formers and fabricators in our eBook. Then, contact The Wolcott Group for to discuss how RealSTEEL will support your business as you grow and thrive in the digital age.