Manufacturing
Mid-Market Manufacturing ERP Software Selection Guide 2026
How should a mid‑market manufacturer actually choose ERP? This 2026 field guide starts on the plant floor, turning routings, WIP, quality, and costing into clear selection criteria. Then it shows how to run scripted demos with your own jobs and items, use objective fit‑gap scoring, and avoid pitfalls like bad labor reporting, UoM conversions, and fragile scheduling. The goal is simple – pick a manufacturing ERP system that holds up under real load.
John Hannan
9 min read
ERP software selection and implementation challenges for growing manufacturers and distributors
Growing manufacturers and distributors often discover that ERP risk is created long before go-live. This article breaks down the most common failure points in ERP software selection and implementation and explains how leaders can pressure-test assumptions, protect scope, and build a system foundation that supports scalable operations.
John Hannan
4 min read
ERP selection for mid‑market manufacturers (200–1,000 employees): how to make a defensible shortlist and lead it to go‑live
If you run a 200–1,000‑person manufacturing company, this guide shows how to pick a defensible ERP: capture requirements, issue an RFP, score vendors with an objective fit/gap model, and run conference‑room‑pilot demos. We cover PLM/MES/QMS integration, multi‑site inventory, serial/lot traceability, PPAP/APQP, and MRP—so you can phase the rollout without disrupting production. Vendor‑neutral, practical, and built from real selections and client‑side implementations.
John Hannan
5 min read
Small Manufacturing ERP: how to choose the best fit (not “the best system”)
Searching “best ERP for small manufacturing” won’t give you the right answer—your routing, BOM, costing, scheduling, and compliance drive the fit. This guide shows a practical path: define requirements by industry process, build a focused shortlist (general‑purpose and industry‑specific), script demos against your data, and negotiate contract guardrails. We’ve used this playbook for small manufacturers to land cleaner implementations and lower total cost.
John Hannan
6 min read
Manufacturing ERP Selection: There’s no “best ERP”, only the best fit for your factory
Searching “best manufacturing ERP” won’t pick your system—your requirements will. We help SMB manufacturers define needs (MTO/ETO/discrete/process), run a vendor‑neutral RFP, script apples‑to‑apples demos, score gaps and TCO, and negotiate contract guardrails. Short‑list configurable suites (Acumatica, Epicor, Infor, Microsoft, IFS, NetSuite, Sage) and the right industry ERPs (e.g., metal, apparel, food, DSD). The result: a defensible choice and a cleaner start to implementat
John Hannan
6 min read
ERP selection and validation in FDA‑regulated companies (CSV & 21 CFR Part 11)
Most teams treat validation after vendor choice—backwards. This guide shows how to bake CSV and 21 CFR Part 11 into ERP selection: translate URS into measurable criteria, compare vendors on audit trails, e‑signatures, and role security, and outline a pragmatic VMP with risk‑based IQ/OQ/PQ. The goal is selection that stands up in audit and in operations—no bolt‑on validation scramble later.
John Hannan
6 min read
Steel & Metal Service Center ERP Training That Actually Works
Training that moves the needle in a service center is built on the realities of coil and sheet. This playbook outlines a role‑based curriculum and hands‑on labs—actual vs theoretical weight, attribute‑driven quoting, label regeneration, intercompany and milk‑run flows, outside processing, COD, and credit/rebill—and shows how to tie that training to ERP selection and implementation so Day One runs clean.
John Hannan
4 min read
FDA ERP Validation Checklist & Templates for 21 CFR Part 11
Learn how to validate an ERP system for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP without bloating scope. This guide shows a risk‑based path through IQ/OQ/PQ, the exact Part 11 controls to prove (e‑signatures, audit trails, timeouts, lockouts), and the evidence auditors expect for backup and restore. Includes concise test snippets you can copy and a downloadable checklist, risk traceability matrix, and test‑case template to accelerate your project. Useful for NetSuite, SAP, and D365 in regu
John Hannan
5 min read
Tracking RAM Licensing Limits - Why “Good Enough” Software Isn’t Good Enough for Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Manufacturing
Radiopharmaceutical therapy manufacturers must track radioactive material (RAM) possession in real time—by nuclide, form, location, and time—to stay within NRC/Agreement State license limits. This post shows where generic ERP fails, what purpose-built RAM tracking must do (decay math, location gates, Part 37 aggregation, 10 CFR 30.51 records), and how to evaluate software and partners.
John Hannan
6 min read
ERP Selection for Make-to-Order manufacturers - What actually matters
As a make-to-order leader, you can’t buy ERP by brochure. I outline the essentials I test in every selection: a clean CPQ→ERP handshake that explodes a manufacturable variant BOM/routing, revision control and ECOs from CAD/PLM, finite capacity scheduling, long-lead pegging, real job costing, and quality/traceability. Many systems fit; the right partner with industry IP and a scripted, hands-on selection makes the difference.
John Hannan
4 min read
ERP Selection Considerations for a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO)
Selecting ERP for a CDMO requires proof, not promises. Use these CDMO demo tests and implementation watch outs to choose a platform that holds up in execution, audit, and program profitability.
John Hannan
4 min read
Implementing MPS in a live ERP for contract manufacturers (the phase-2 playbook I actually use)
For contract manufacturers, MPS is a phase-2 project that turns OEM forecasts, long-lead metals, and outside processing into one weekly, believable plan. I lead your team to evaluate native ERP MPS, wire forecast consumption, time fences, RCCP/finite constraints, subcontract ops, and long-lead pegging. If native planning won’t bend, we prove and implement a third-party engine—same cadence, measurable OTTP and stability gains.
John Hannan
6 min read
Transforming Manufacturing Efficiency with Integrated MRP Solutions
In today’s complex manufacturing environment, efficiency starts with how you plan materials and production. This article explores how integrating MRP into your ERP system improves production planning, optimizes inventory, and uses real-time IoT and analytics to reduce downtime and costs—plus what to look for when selecting the right MRP solution for your plant.
John Hannan
3 min read
Future-Ready: How ERP Systems Navigate Changing Industry Dynamics
In the dynamic world of distribution and manufacturing, businesses are continually challenged by shifting market demands and evolving...
John Hannan
3 min read
Enhancing Manufacturing Efficiency with ERP Solutions
Achieving efficiency is essential in the fast-paced manufacturing environment of today. Businesses are turning to Enterprise Resource...
John Hannan
3 min read
Comprehensive ERP Solutions for Life Sciences Companies Meeting Needs and Regulatory Requirements
Life sciences organizations, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies, benefit from ERP platforms that are designed and implemented for regulated operations. The right ERP helps teams run core workflows such as purchasing, inventory, production scheduling, quality, and compliance with consistent controls, reliable traceability, and decision ready visibility.
John Hannan
5 min read
Integrating your ERP Software with a 3rd Party Logistical (3PL) Firm
Are you utilizing a 3PL firm and looking to improve the performance and profitability of your business? If so, integrating your ERP...
John Hannan
3 min read
Aligning ERP Design to Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) Serialization and Traceability
The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) is pushing the industry toward an interoperable, electronic way to identify and trace certain prescription drugs at the package level as they move through the supply chain.
John Hannan
4 min read
Understanding 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance when selecting a new ERP System
21 CFR Part 11 must provide complete documentation of process controls, record and data integrity safeguards, accuracy assurances, and user authentication and authorization processes.
John Hannan
4 min read
How to Accomplish FDA Validation for ERP Software
Implementing ERP software for GxP processes into an FDA-regulated business or organization requires FDA validation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that certain technologies used in the manufacturing and storing of products, such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, be validated before they are released to the market. Whether you are implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) , Oracle NetSuite or another capable ERP system, the principles of FDA Validatio
John Hannan
5 min read