Failure to recognize this causes ERP implementers to favor accounting and finance needs at the expense of manufacturing, so what is seen as a tool at the corporate office is seen as a burden on the shop floor. One consumer products manufacturer installed an ERP system with a component that collected machine down-time from the shop floor. Operators were required to input data describing the nature of all down-time. The system then took this data and transmitted it to the corporate accounting department three states away instead of providing feedback to the shop. Worse still, this information was later used to attack unarmed manufacturing supervisors.
Most systems capture the information needed to support both or can be modified to do so.
The key is to understand what data is required where and when to drive operations, then providing systems to supply this data. The shop floor requires a lower level of operational data at a higher frequency than the front office. Using the ERP system to support manufacturing operations requires three things. First, a thorough understanding of the manufacturing operations and shop floor data needs should precede the selection of an ERP package. Manufacturing will need quick operational feedback and visual controls to improve efficiency.