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Why Your ERP System Needs Offline Capabilities For Modern Manufacturing

Find Out How Offline Mobile Inspection Apps Can Solve the Challenges of Traditional ERP Systems and Boost Your Efficiency

Manufacturing is as fast-paced as ever before, and quality managers play bigger and more roles to make sure products meet high standards. You’re in charge of checking production, doing inspections, and setting up quality checks to keep things running smoothly.

You want to do your job well, but do you have the right tools?

manufacturing factory production lineManufacturing downtime usually results in a 5%-20% reduction in productivity every year. As manufacturing gets more complicated, new solutions are becoming more important. Mobile inspection apps are now essential for quality managers, helping you do your job quickly, even when the going gets tough. These apps let teams gather the information in real time and improve communication and teamwork.

One perk of mobile inspection apps is that they can be used offline, or when an internet connection isn't available. Businesses can improve their quality control process by using mobile apps with offline capabilities. This also leads to more efficiency and fewer disruptions. In the long run, these tools help keep your operations running smoothly and open your business to success.

Uninterrupted Workflows

Manufacturing plants are often large and spread out. Poor to no internet coverage can happen in some sections, especially in older buildings with outdated systems. Traditional ERP systems depend on a steady internet connection. Therefore, any drop in connectivity can prevent quality managers from accessing important information.

Offline-capable mobile inspection apps solve these issues. These innovation solutions let you keep working without interruptions, even when the network is down or unavailable. You can record inspection results, take pictures of defects, and document compliance.

limitations of ERPs headacheLimitations of Traditional ERP Systems

Traditional ERP systems (and their built-in tools) need a constant internet connection to work properly because they’re always syncing data with central servers. The problem is that they don’t store anything locally on your device, so if the connection drops, everything stops. You can’t track, log, or update anything until you’re back online. This makes these systems less flexible, and if your team is working in an area with bad reception, it can slow things down, lead to mistakes, and cause you to miss deadlines.

Mobile inspection apps save data right on the device, allowing you to continue working even without an internet connection. While ERP systems freeze up when the network is down, these apps can maintain productivity, save data, and then update critical information once the connection is established or re-established.

security-1Data Integrity and Security

Traditional ERP systems are good at handling broad processes but can be risky when it comes to data safety. If your network acts up, you might lose or corrupt data during transfers. This could lead to incomplete records, mistakes, issues with quality management, compliance problems, and costly corrections. All of these factors can impact product quality and customer satisfaction. If you’re still using paper in any part of your business, the risks only increase for lost, inaccurate, or outdated data.

Mobile inspection apps are better at handling data security issues. Your data is intact because they keep your information on the device. The app syncs everything to the main system when the internet is secure.

productive manufacturing factory workerIncreased Productivity and Flexibility

Traditional ERP systems usually require fixed workstations. This can slow things down in large manufacturing setups. In some parts of the facility, where the signal is weak or absent, you might struggle to get the information they need or update records in real time. Fixed systems can cause delays in inspections and slow down reaction times. Your workers need to move back to connected areas to finish their tasks.

Mobile inspection apps let you work from anywhere. Whether on the manufacturing floor or at a remote location, you can make quick decisions immediately. You can handle audits on-site and record results instantly, so you don’t have to deal with paperwork or data entry later. By speeding up tasks and using resources more efficiently, mobile apps save you time and let your team tackle quality issues faster, making everything run smoother.

reliability manufacturing warehouseEnhanced Reliability and Real-Time Responsiveness

Making quick decisions is essential in quality management, especially when dealing with urgent issues. Old-school ERP systems can be a hassle because they need a stable internet connection and central data access to work properly. If you hit a network snag and can’t get real-time data, you might face delays, higher costs, and compliance problems.

Mobile inspection apps with offline functionality are a game-changer here. They let you enter and access data right away, even if you’re offline. You can take notes and record your findings even without a connection. When a quality issue arises during an inspection, you can log it and act quickly.

Transform Your Operations Today with Alpha Software

While great for handling big-picture processes, traditional ERP systems may not be what you need in fast-moving environments or in areas with workers moving around on their feet all day. Traditional ERPs rely on a stable internet connection, which can slow you down. When dealing with urgent quality issues, not having real-time data can lead to delays and affect product quality.

You want your teams to stay productive, no matter where they are. Adding mobile inspection apps with strong offline capabilities to your ERP system gives it a serious boost:

  • Local Data Storage: Save data directly on the device so you can still access and input information even when offline.
  • Offline Functionality: Perform key tasks like inspections, data entry, and photo capturing without being connected to the internet.
  • Automatic Syncing: Once back online, the central system will automatically be updated with the stored data.
  • Pre-loaded Information: Critical information, such as checklists or guidelines, is available offline.
  • Real-Time Data Access: Access previously synced data right away.

These apps let your team keep working, even in spots with bad reception. Instead of getting stuck when the internet’s down, your team keeps rolling and gets things done without any hiccups. You’re not just fixing the connection problem; you’re improving your entire quality control process.

With powerful features and amazing adaptability, Alpha Software leads the market in mobile inspection apps with robust offline functionality. Alpha TransForm solutions offer a major upgrade from traditional systems, helping you manage quality better and work more efficiently. Switching to these apps isn’t just a tech upgrade; it’s a smart move to improve your operations and keep up with industry changes.manufacturing solutions gemba app

Increase Data Accuracy and Worker Productivity Alpha TransForm Solutions

While other solutions require you to adapt to their format, Alpha TransForm data collection solutions fit your exact business processes and integrate with your existing systems and databases seamlessly. Our solutions add value to these data investments by better serving your front-line employees with smartphone and tablet apps that collect more accurate data easily and quickly. These iIntelligent apps complete more work for users and make it easy for them to enter data with one hand on mobile devices. In turn, you'll be making decisions with more accurate, timely data. Our apps improve ERPs by improving the quality of the data they use and speeding training and technology adoption. If you don’t have an ERP, our solutions can still add value by helping your organization eliminate paper clipboards, digitize data, and modernize data analysis.

Book a meeting with us around your schedule. In 10 minutes, our solution expert will assess your needs and help determine if we fit your organization.

Learn more about our Solution for Quality Teams. Contact us today.

TransForm 2022

 

Continue reading how to improve or augment your ERP deployment:

Don’t Settle for Basic: Your ERP’s Built-in Data Collection Isn’t Enough

Hidden ERP Costs: Data Collection Modules Are Overpriced, What to Use Instead

 

Sources:

https://www.alphasoftware.com/alpha-transform-case-study-construction

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/going-off-grid-how-offline-mobile-inspection-apps-of3sc

https://truecontext.com/blog/top-4-benefits-of-mobile-inspection-software

https://itchronicles.com/manufacturing/mobile-inspection-apps-the-future-of-manufacturing

https://www.aspentech.com/en/cp/manufacturing-downtime

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About Author

Amy Groden-Morrison
Amy Groden-Morrison

Amy Groden-Morrison has served more than 15 years in marketing communications leadership roles at companies such as TIBCO Software, RSA Security and Ziff-Davis. Most recently she was responsible for developing marketing programs that helped achieve 30%+ annual growth rate for analytics products at a $1Bil, NASDAQ-listed business integration Software Company. Her past accomplishments include establishing the first co-branded technology program with CNN, launching an events company on the NYSE, rebranding a NASDAQ-listed company amid a crisis, and positioning and marketing a Boston-area startup for successful acquisition. Amy currently serves as a Healthbox Accelerator Program Mentor, Marketing Committee Lead for the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Launch Smart Clinics, and on the organizing team for Boston TechJam. She holds an MBA from Northeastern University.

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The Alpha platform is the only unified mobile and web app development and deployment environment with distinct “no-code” and “low-code” components. Using the Alpha TransForm no-code product, business users and developers can take full advantage of all the capabilities of the smartphone to turn any form into a mobile app in minutes, and power users can add advanced app functionality with Alpha TransForm's built-in programming language. IT developers can use the Alpha Anywhere low-code environment to develop complex web or mobile business apps from scratch, integrate data with existing systems of record and workflows (including data collected via Alpha TransForm), and add additional security or authentication requirements to protect corporate data.

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