September 21, 2020 Optimize Manufacturing with Low-Code ERP

Low-code ERP from Rootstock is a cloud-based solution to make manufacturers more agile in responding to ever-accelerating business change.

Ever feel as though your existing ERP solution is holding you back? That’s probably because it is. There have been a lot of changes in how manufacturers do business—new technologies and processes on the factory floor, more complex supply chain management, emerging customer needs in a demanding global marketplace. And this was all before COVID-19 further complicated matters as to how to make and deliver products cost-efficiently.

Unfortunately, yesterday’s ERP systems simply weren’t built to address evolving new business conditions. “You need your ERP to react to all these changes that are happening, but unfortunately, upgrading existing ERP systems is clunky at best,” notes Tom Brennan, Chief Marketing Officer of Rootstock® Software, a worldwide provider of Cloud ERP on the Salesforce Cloud Platform. “In fact, in the old days, the idea of ‘customizing’ your ERP was just something you didn’t want to do. It was too expensive and too difficult. Like it or not, you were forced to make do with old releases.”

Problem is, these days, you can’t afford to just make do. Older systems simply aren’t flexible enough to quickly change product lines in response to customer demand, lack the KPIs essential to assessing manufacturing and business performance and are incapable of tailoring information to the needs of specific audiences.

So, what’s a manufacturer with a legacy ERP from 30 years ago supposed to do?

The answer is not to invest in a new on-premise ERP solution that is going to come with the same issues your old one has.

The answer is to invest in a new cloud-based ERP solution using low-code technology that allows business users to make changes quickly and without relying on IT resources.

“Low-code is an orientation shift,” Brennan explains.  “It is moving from something highly technical that requires dedicated resources to implement changes within a highly systematic, expensive and slow process to enabling business users to quickly make changes themselves without the need of any technical expertise or tools. ERP users just need to make a few clicks in an app. No coding expertise required.”

According to Brennan, “The beauty of building a system in the cloud using low-code is that you can easily set up a complete ERP system and CRM information all in one place and have it up and running in no time. Equally easy is the ability to quickly set up communities to access, update and share information with customers and suppliers. Add to your existing apps, customize your own apps or integrate third-party apps, and do it all effortlessly.”

Brennan warns that while some on-premise ERP vendors are now offering hosted solutions, they aren’t true cloud systems and they come with many of the same disadvantages of legacy systems. Hosted solutions lack the ability to achieve a high level of resource pooling, require vendor/partner intervention to configure the system and make changes/updates, are typically fixed priced rather than based on a measured pay-as-you-go service, and cannot always accommodate a choice of end-user devices in a world where “BYOD to work” is the norm.

Four Benefits of the Cloud

Rootstock’s low-code, cloud-based ERP solution offers four key benefits:

• Flexible:  Improve operational agility to adapt quickly to customer needs and business changes.
• Modern: Experience a modern, customer-centric cloud platform that evolves with your business and provides powerful analytics to drive innovation in real-time.
• Connected: Effectively communicate with customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders using embedded social media and custom features, accessible by any kind of device from anywhere in the world, 24/7.
• 360o View: Know everything about your customers and your business across ERP and CRM.

The Salesforce Advantage

Rootstock Cloud ERP is built on the Salesforce Cloud Platform, a recognized leader in cloud computing.   “Salesforce was one of the first vendors to employ cloud technology and continue to be leaders in the field today,” Brennan says. “You get the advantages of Salesforce CRM combined with Rootstock’s ERP solution. Plus, you can rest assured that your company’s  data and customer’s privacy is protected by one of the most secure and trusted cloud platforms.”

Want to learn more? Download the webinar to hear from Tom Brennan, CMO at Rootstock and Peter Coffee, Salesforce VP for Strategic Research about what high expectations there are for low-code ERP.

Click Here to Download the Webinar

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