The Challenges

ERP INTEGRATION

Optimizing Operational Processes Both the product security solution and the ERP require involvement at the operational level, in the form of personnel scanning each product or batch produced. For a high-volume manufacturing operation, however, a single extra step in the process can have a significant impact on aggregate production. It is therefore critical that a single scan be capable of serving multiple purposes at once, including communicating critical information about a product to the product security and traceability solution while also conveying logistical details to the ERP. By setting up the appropriate workflows and harnessing a single edge scanning device to convey all relevant product data, manufacturers can streamline processes while also achieving the universal insight they desire.

Standardizing Serialization Across Systems In addition to streamlining the scanning process, it is also critical that manufacturers have but one serialized identity per product. Too often, the ERP and the product security solution create their own disparate codes, leading to confusion that impedes visibility. Through an intelligent integration effort, manufacturers can associate serialized identities with UPC and lot numbers in the ERP system to ensure one unique identity per product. This single, serialized identity empowers manufacturers to establish one true data record while associating insights in both systems with specific goods to ensure production planning and production execution remain always aligned.

Unleashing Contextual Cross-System Insights The insights housed in the product security solution and ERP are most powerful together. But pulling these insights together requires effective integration between the two systems. Using APIs, manufacturers can collect product security and traceability data on the shop floor and convey that information to the top floor where it can make an impact on the entire enterprise. Specifically, general ledger data from the ERP can be contextualized with usage data from the product security and traceability solution to lay the groundwork for data-driven decision making. As a result, activities like demand planning, product costing, and recall management are fundamentally transformed with greater efficiency and effectiveness than ever before.

Achieving Integration Rapidly & Effectively More than ever, manufacturers are under heightened pressure to cut costs, improve agility, maximize output, and continually improve operational outcomes. Therefore, the modern manufacturing operation can’t afford to engage in cost or time prohibitive integration efforts. At the same time, it also can’t afford to forego valuable functionality that is required in order to secure competitive advantage. Instead, manufacturers must opt for a product security and traceability solution that offers nimble configurability alongside robust capabilities. Equally critical is the identification of an integration partner that understands the manufacturing operation and is capable of rapidly executing the appropriate integration steps.

When it comes to the integration of ERP and product security, manufacturers face several challenges, some of which include:

The SituationThe ERP is a pillar of the modern manufacturing operation—key to optimizing and automating a myriad of operational functions. But the intense product security and traceability demands of today’s global supply chain cannot be solved by a standard ERP solution alone. A specialized product security and traceability solution plays a critical role in upholding universal quality and safety standards. However, ensuring these two symbiotic systems work together requires a robust yet efficient approach to ERP integration.

Integrating the Way to New Efficiency and Insight

USE CASE

The SolutionFor nearly a century, Ashton Potter has served complex and compliance—driven businesses around the world. Today, we own the entire product supply chain security process—ranging from the serialized, tamper-proof label, to the forensic traceability technology, to the data management system—and leverage partnerships with our Gold Integration Partners to cost-effectively augment and extend existing enterprise systems and processes.

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The ResultsThrough seamless ERP integration, ProLincTM delivers rapid and measurable value, including:

Greater operational efficiency through integrated scanning workflows to communicate product security and ERP-related data.

Complete visibility and data integrity, made possible by shared product-level serialization across systems.

More proactive, data-driven decision making, supported by comprehensive, contextualized insights from the shop floor to the top floor.

Accelerated time to ROI, achieved through white glove integration services and a nimble, adaptive solution.

Forensic Traceability for High-Volume Operations Our ProLinc™ forensic traceability technology empowers high-volume manufacturers to ensure the safety, quality, and integrity of every product in the supply chain, while also providing valuable insights to maximize operational efficiency and streamline compliance efforts. ProLincTM is designed to act as a natural extension of the ERP by providing a high-value and nimble layer of product security and traceability capabilities that are required in today’s complex manufacturing landscape.

Serialization, Scalable to the Billions ProLinc™ works in partnership with tamper-proof, serialized labels to record valuable information from edge operations, which is transmitted to the ERP using APIs and housed in a secure, Blockchain-enabled database. With a single scan, approved stakeholders can trace every product in production, at every stage of the manufacturing process. In aggregate, these valuable insights create a powerful link between production planning and production execution that improves efficiency and output. Highly scalable to billions of records, Ashton Potter empowers global companies to achieve complete visibility by providing granular traceability on a global scale.

White Glove Integration Services & Process Optimization As a proven partner serving companies of all sizes and sectors, Ashton Potter augments its technology and serialized labeling solutions with a suite of services that streamline implementation, optimize operational processes, establish an intelligent bi-directional link with the ERP, and accelerate time-to-ROI. Working with its network of skilled partners, Ashton Potter provides end-to-end project management, process design, on-site and remote training services, and technology integration to its automated manufacturing customers.

By working seamlessly with existing enterprise resource planning systems, factory equipment, and business intelligence tools, ProLincTM contextualizes product insights with other data sources and makes these insights actionable throughout the enterprise.