With Industry 4.0 already impacting manufacturers, cutting-edge technologies (AI, machine learning, and IoT devices) are becoming increasingly prevalent. So, with multiple processes running consecutively, manufacturers need a way of streamlining core responsibilities. The best manufacturing business apps provide manufacturers with elegant solutions to common challenges. They help employers and employees to focus their efforts, aggregate technologies and ultimately accelerate their organizations.
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Best Business Apps for Manufacturers
Although hundreds of relevant apps are available, we have narrowed down the list to the top five, covering strategic development, data analysis, ERP/MRP, auditing, and compliance.
Best for Strategic Development: Manufacturing 360
Manufacturing 360 is a powerful app developed by Siemens to simulate advanced manufacturing techniques in a virtual environment. The app enables users to experience modern manufacturing techniques, such as robotics and next-gen CAD software, in an interactive factory setting.
The app is a learning aid that manufacturers can use to increase their competitive advantage by developing new strategies based on the most up-to-date developments. With Manufacturing 360, businesses don’t have to physically trial and test expensive technologies to benefit from them. Furthermore, as well as ‘virtual’ hands-on experiences using the apps VR and AR tools, Manufacturing 360 also provides users with hints, tips, and the latest news.
Best for Data Analysis: Braincube
Data is driving innovation in many industries, and manufacturing is no different. Using data, manufacturers can streamline processes to save time and money. They can ensure that product development fits with customer requirements. It also predicts any potential faults or failures.
Braincube is an Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) platform that supports a suite of data analysis and visualization apps. Optimized for the manufacturing industry, Braincube leverages real-time and historical data, making it available to everyone in an organization.
With this functionality, businesses can utilize Braincube’s fleet of integrated apps that use the organization’s collected and cleaned data to provide particular insights. These apps cover areas such as predictive maintenance, modeling, advanced analytics, and more.
Best for ERP/MRP: MRPeasy
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) are essential processes in manufacturing. However, manufacturers need a highly capable tool to streamline these responsibilities with so many resources to manage.
MRPeasy is an ERP/MRP app developed by and integrated with QuickBooks, which takes care of the accountancy and finance side. The app is easy to use and designed for self-service. Using MRPeasy, users can manage critical production processes, stock, customer-focused issues, and more.
The app enables users to optionally automate many things that would have previously been completed manually, such as reporting schedules. Beyond this, MRPeasy also manages inventory, flagging purchasing requirements and signaling when inventory is low.
Best for Auditing: GoAudits
Quality and safety management is crucial in the manufacturing sector. The best way to ensure that both are up to standard is through regular audits. These audits also help manufacturers gain a competitive advantage and accelerate their operations to see where they must resolve issues.
An auditing app makes this process far simpler and more effective. GoAudits provides users with a comprehensive solution covering inspections, reporting and analytics, and issue tracking.
The app enables auditors to go paperless and create complex reports, including photos and videos, both on and offline. Auditors can email reports directly to interested parties, and analytics enable users to identify persistent issues. Finally, an interactive dashboard provides a user-friendly space to track issues, provide evidence, and more.
Ensuring a safe working environment and controlling the quality of your output are crucial tasks in manufacturing made infinitely easier by this smart, concise app.
Best for Regulatory Compliance: EHS Mobile App
To ensure that you don’t fall foul of regulatory compliance, you need to ensure that all of your facilities operate within certain guidelines. However, when you have a large manufacturing space or multiple facilities, this can be particularly difficult.
The trouble is, compliance violations are not only costly, but they will hold your organization back. Compliance is a somewhat underrated aspect of the acceleration economy, but staying on point with the latest regulations not only enables you to avoid potential fines, but it gives you a clear insight into the direction your industry is headed.
The EHS Mobile App is part of KPA’s software suite, a fleet of solutions designed to improve safety and facilitate regulatory compliance in multiple sectors. The app enables users to record and monitor incidents and track outcomes, perform detailed inspections and record results remotely, provide training documentation, sign-off business-critical tasks, and more.
Final Thoughts
Business apps span sectors and industries, but in manufacturing, they are taking a particularly interesting role. With the advent of mass digitization, automation at scale, and a constant introduction of rules and regulations growing in complexity, businesses need a way to evaluate their positions.
Business apps provide this functionality while giving users a deeper insight into these processes and innovations. With the right business apps operational, manufacturers will experience considerable growth as they race ahead in an era of rapid technological developments.
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