Shopping for software for your company, as well as hardware or any other type of technology, is certainly getting harder and harder as the competition in the market increases. From free apps to complex and complete systems with a significant upfront investment, there are a lot of different choices for each goal you want to achieve.

Start by making a quick introspection into what you need from a manufacturing software, your main goals, and what you would want to achieve with this investment. If necessary, write a checklist where you can cover general information, security issues, software capabilities, and even feedback from current customers. 

Here are some aspects that you can take into consideration:

Usability

To be ‘as simple as it can be’ must be a major factor for decision-making, since you will need to have your employees using the software and getting adjusted to a new working method – and that is not always as easy as it seems. Look for a simple interface that can manage complex tasks, such as multilevel BOM’s or detailed stock control. 

Flexibility

Try to find a solution  that can be adapted to your current process and set up  which is also flexible enough to adjust to possible changes. The scope of the company might change, the size, the products that are made, or any other aspects that might invalidate the usage of the recently bought software. To grant the maximization of your investment, look for a very flexible software that grows and changes  with your company. 

Expertise

Software is rarely  only software. It has a team behind it – a team of engineers, who developed the product, team of experts in the field who establish priorities and help customers. Try to choose a software that brings you a wide and easily accessible  team to reinforce your knowledge and capabilities. 

Functionality

Look for software that can accomplish your goals, working without disrupting your current workflow. The purpose of software must be to help you to reduce your efforts, making information more reliable and easily accessible, so if the solution needs a lot of engineering or setup time, take a second thought. 

In this matter, try to look for solutions with a pilot program or a free trial, which will allow you to use the solution without a large upfront investment, and check how feasible the solution is for your environment and business processes. 

Price

The cost of the solution compared to the current solution you have in place, if you have any, and how much it will allow you to save, can help you to make a cost-benefit analysis. 

If you are currently looking for a Manufacturing Software and want to know how Prodsmart can help you, sign up now and request a free Demo.