In the vast majority of cases, the Microsoft Office package (Word, Excel and Access) is the preferred tool for small industrial companies to manage their production, stocks, deliveries, customers, etc. This statement is even more true for young people whose means are often limited. In fact, using Excel and other tools from the Office suite is especially inexpensive compared to a true ERP solution. However, using Excel can quickly become complex and time consuming and can negatively affect its performance. In this case, it is better to invest in ERP software, a dedicated tool that will help you save time, improve your production and make your business prosper in the long term.
MAINTENANCE
Excel is a simple tool that will undoubtedly require custom-developed functions or macros. If the person who created the files is unavailable or has left the company, evolving or fixing it risks quickly becoming a problem. The ERP, for its part, will probably be accompanied by a maintenance contract, which will guarantee continuity of service and rapid assistance in case of problems.
LIMITATION OF HUMAN ERRORS
The automation of data collection offered by an ERP helps limit the risk of error. For companies whose management depends on Excel, data will be collected manually or automatically through macros but from different sources, which can multiply potential problems.
Also, in Excel, the formulas and macros that will process your data will have been created manually, which can lead to errors. The ERP, for its part, will have benefited from a dedicated development team whose mission is to continually enrich the software, thus ensuring a certain level of reliability.
DATA PROCESSING
With an ERP software, it is no longer necessary to manually process the data, unlike Excel. Business Intelligence or an integrated query will process the data to provide you with relevant performance indicators. In this way, you can easily analyze customer behavior and trends.
EXPLOITATION OF DATA IN REAL TIME
With an ERP, the data is updated in real time and the history of changes is recorded. This allows you to follow your production minute by minute and correct the shot more quickly.
Excel reports must be updated, reformatted, saved, and emailed before they can be exploited, wasting time and potentially information.
Using ERP software, you are able to respond to market demands with up-to-date information. If the sales of a product are declining significantly, the ERP will let you know when the trend is felt, while Excel will wait for you to process the data entered to deduce for itself that there is a decline.