28 WESTERN PALLET
He stressed that it is critical to have "buy in" from the whole team at all organizational levels, which comes through user engagement and strong support along the way.
“Another common misconception,” Grinwis noted, “is that it will be too difficult to get the right inputs and outputs to provide accurate data that will be usable. Yet, at the end of the day, many businesses are already working way harder to get lesser data from antiquated systems and processes, double fingerprinting information, communicating on multiple platforms, and using systems that they’ve long since outgrown.”
“It’s really a fear of change and when pallet companies are so busy day to day, it can seem very counterintuitive to spend so much time at the start setting up an ERP with no immediate benefits,” Varley said. But once introduced to ERP software and having enjoyed the benefits, most companies stick with it. In his experience, training can take from a few weeks to a few months. It really comes down to the commitment of management to ensuring successful implementation by providing the resolve and the necessary resources.
According to Pallet Connect, 95% of customers using Pallet Connect past 3 months or longer are still using it to run their businesses two years later. “They would never go back to the old way of working and no ERP,” he said.
“With us in particular, it's very economical to run an ERP system, especially for a recycler if they don't want to have any kind of plant floor data collection,” Miceli noted. “So that misconception of it being expensive, and difficult to implement, we overcome that.”
6 Your employees expect it
“There is no consensus on whether or not employees increasingly expect ERP solutions,” said Zesch when asked. “Some employees may be familiar with ERP systems and appreciate the benefits they offer, while others may not be familiar with them. All workers appreciate tools and technologies that help them do their jobs efficiently, however, and that work properly without error.”
He noted that Pallet Insights is user-friendly and easy to learn, so no matter what stage of knowledge employees have about ERPs, everyone can be integrated into the process. An ERP system can help with employee skill development and readiness for company growth.
Bottom line, the pallet industry is changing every day. While it might seem like the time isn’t right, adopting an ERP system can be an important step in preparing your business for years ahead. If you are still sitting on the sidelines, it might be time to reach out to vendors, ask questions, and explore your options.