Every article on this topic.
6 articles, newest first
SAP for manufacturingERP vs MES in manufacturing: who owns what
An ERP plans, costs and accounts for production; an MES runs it on the shop floor and reports back. What each one owns, where SAP Digital Manufacturing, Siemens Opcenter and Kinexon tracking fit, and the integration mistakes to avoid.
· 10 min read
ERP selectionERP for defence manufacturing: what decides it
A defence manufacturer needs an ERP that costs and bills by contract, runs work as projects, traces every serialised part and screens every export. Contract costing and project systems mattered most in the defence work I have done, and an unagreed finance design is the usual reason these programmes fail.
· 9 min read
SAP for manufacturingManufacturing ERP cost: what you pay and where it goes
What an ERP costs a manufacturer by company size, where the money goes in a plant (shop-floor integration, master data, testing and finance design) and the hidden costs that land after the contract is signed.
· 10 min read
MRPMRP Live vs PP/DS vs IBP: which SAP planning tool
MRP Live plans materials at infinite capacity, embedded PP/DS schedules bottleneck resources at finite capacity, and SAP IBP plans the network and the months ahead. What each one plans, and when a manufacturer should step up.
· 10 min read
SAP for manufacturingSAP discrete vs process manufacturing: what changes
In SAP, discrete manufacturing runs on production orders, BOMs and routings, process manufacturing (PP-PI) on process orders and master recipes, and repetitive manufacturing on period-based planning. What each one changes in master data, batches, quality and costing, and how mixed-mode plants such as plastics and steel combine them.
· 10 min read
RISE with SAPBest ERP for manufacturing in 2026: by size and type
SAP S/4HANA for large, complex and regulated manufacturers; Epicor Kinetic for most mid-sized manufacturers of about 200 to 1,000 staff; Acumatica for smaller plants. A comparison table, recommendations by size and type, and when you need an MES on top of the ERP.
· 14 min read
Written by Noel D'Costa
25 years in ERP delivery across SAP, Oracle and Microsoft, now a chief technology officer. I write from the programmes I have run, for the people making these decisions.
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