Acumatica ERP Consultant Blog

Manufacturing ERP Software Selection Whitepaper

Written by Nancy Phillippi | 6:48 PM on May 9, 2022

How to Select the Best Manufacturing ERP Software for Your Unique Manufacturing Requirements

Selecting a modern manufacturing ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution is a unique challenge. Once you know there's a need for change, it is important to define the process of manufacturing ERP software selection.  After the best fit solution is selected it is critical to create an implementation plan for a successful deployment. You will most likely gather a lot of advice. Since switching ERP solutions is a major investment combined with a high risk of failure, it's important to get it right from the start.

Download "What do Manufacturers Look for in ERP Software"

You can read this entire guide, "What do Manufacturers Look for in ERP Software. It takes a much deeper look into the needs and preferences of the firms studied and should be an important starting point in your journey to new ERP software. It was written by the Aberdeen Group and provided to you free of charge courtesy of Acumatica, you can download the entire guide here:

There are few places better to get software selection advice than the Aberdeen Group, a leading analyst firm and advisor in the ERP space. In this recent whitepaper on the ERP selection process for manufacturers, they explored what ERP means to the manufacturing community and how to find the best possible solution for your unique needs.

This free report, “What Do Manufacturers Look for in an ERP,” discusses some of the features needed by manufacturers, giving advice on how to accurately document and discuss your needs with potential vendors and implementation partners. The study looked at the way 130 manufacturers operate, polling leaders to find out what criteria they used in selecting their ERP solution.

Modern Manufacturing ERP Software Selection

The Aberdeen Group asked a group of manufacturing companies about the top needs, wants, and expectations in this whitepaper. The respondents of the survey answered that these three components were critical:

  1. Ease of use easily topped the chart with 50% of the respondents citing it as their first condition for their MRP (Material Requirements Planning) ERP. Easily among the top concerns, people need to be able to learn the software quickly in order to use it effectively.
  2. Functionality saw a close second with 46% citing it among their top concerns. An understandable need, manufacturers need business-friendly software as much as they need user-friendly software.
  3. Cost of Ownership came in third, as manufacturers need something they can not only use, but afford, as well. In today’s hyper-competitive ERP environment, there are numerous price points and pricing structures available that need to be accounted for in the decision-making process.

Trust an Experienced Industry and ERP Partner

Adopting modern business technology will require automated connections between multiple cloud services with seamless cloud ERP integrations. We have experts ready to help guide you on your digital transformation journey and ensure your integrations support your company’s growth and automate manual processes for your teams.

Industry expertise and experience – Clients First consultants have direct experience in the industries we support.  The Clients First Texas office is known for vertical expertise in manufacturing, job shop maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for aviation or heavy equipment organizations. We have customers in other industries too including make to order/engineering job shops, project manufacturing, field services and wholesale distribution.

We’re a Microsoft Gold ERP Partner, a Certified Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and an Acumatica Gold Partner.

Contact Us: Email: Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas or call us at 800.331.8382. We're located in Dallas, Texas and service companies worldwide.

Nothing replaces a live presentation so please reach out to us to schedule a demonstration for your business. 

Another version of this blog was published on Clients First website:

WHAT MANUFACTURERS NEED FROM MANUFACTURING ERP SOFTWARE