ERP Systems Maximize Medical Device Manufacturing Supply Chain Efficiency and Compliance
Maintaining a lead over medical device manufacturing competitors is a complicated endeavor, especially when you factor in industry standards and compliance. Yet new technology advances continue to help companies accelerate improvements and productivity. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have revolutionized the way businesses achieve continued growth by integrating operational efficiencies and managing their supply chain with reliable performance and adaptability.
The supply chain has increasingly become an area of risk for manufacturers due to old school manufacturing habits – but the right modern ERP system can minimize potential errors and give your company the edge it needs to accelerate cost reductions, eliminate redundancies and more. Let’s explore how ERP systems can improve these with a specific focus on three key areas: vendor/supplier management, incoming inspections of raw materials, and sourcing components across complex bills of materials (BOMs).
Vendor/supplier management
In the medical device industry, meeting compliance and regulatory requirements is a must. One such requirement is maintaining a list of approved vendors, particularly those who require ISO and FDA certifications. ERP systems can streamline this process by allowing companies to store detailed vendor records – complete with relevant documents and certifications. They can also track the expiration dates of these documents, negating manual efforts that used to be necessary to stay on top of them.
One significant advantage of ERP systems is the ability to grade and evaluate vendor performance. They can provide insights into vendor reliability by monitoring factors such as on-time delivery of materials. For example, comparing expected purchase order dock dates to actual receipt dates is one way to gain insight into different suppliers and their consistency (or lack thereof).
Additionally, ERP systems aid in tracking material non-conformances. Companies have the functionality to run reports on non-conformance (NCRs) across various vendors, allowing them to identify and address quality issues promptly. Meanwhile, intuitive dashboards provide easy access to this data and simplify the auditing process. The result is not just improved compliance but also significant time and accuracy savings, as all this information is consolidated into one central location – eliminating the antiquated need to manually compile data from various spreadsheets – and ultimately simplifies audit processes.
Incoming inspections of raw materials
Incoming inspections of raw materials are vital in maintaining product quality and compliance. ERP systems complement vendor management by creating structured workflows for these inspections. They can require vendors or parts to undergo an incoming inspection process before materials are released to the warehouse or production.
ERP system customizable inspection forms allow the recording and logging of data, including documents and images. Failures during inspections trigger non-conformance reports (NCRs), which include all the source data from the PO line receipt. This integration ensures that the entire process is well-documented and that any issues can be addressed promptly.
Moreover, ERP systems generate barcoded receiving labels, which track the receipt and lot of materials. This simple and repeatable process ensures that the right materials are moved to the quality/inspection location and stores all the data needed for easy retrieval and reporting. It ties into automated inventory control, making the process even more efficient and less prone to human error.
Sourcing components across complex BOMs
Medical device companies often deal with complex bills of materials (BOMs), which can change rapidly due to engineering change orders (ECOs). ERP systems play a crucial role in managing such intricacies. They track BOM revisions, how they impact inventory, purchase orders, and work orders – and verify the correct revisions are purchased or released to production. This is vital for maintaining compliance and making sure that products are built to the latest standards.
ERP systems compile and organize the top-level item, subassemblies, and purchased parts/raw materials, creating a succinct and flexible list that can be filtered according to project-specific orders, or for all orders. This feature is particularly beneficial for medical device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as it helps manage cash flow based on what is required to purchase the remaining parts for a project or order. Batch purchasing across multiple jobs or orders becomes a cost-effective strategy for the long term. One of the most significant pain points for small medical device businesses is cash flow management. ERP systems help optimize cash flow by consolidating, organizing, and simplifying complex medical product requirements and rapid BOM revisions.
Today’s ERP systems have become indispensable for medical device companies looking to enhance their business operations, ensure compliance, and maximize efficiency in their supply chain. By streamlining vendor/supplier management, enabling incoming inspections of raw materials, and simplifying sourcing components across complex BOMs, ERP systems empower companies to elevate operations and meet regulatory requirements while improving their bottom line.
Learn more about the Cetec ERP system and how it can improve your supply chain efforts to cut costs, eliminate redundancies, and meet compliance requirements.
Looking for more information on ERP functionality? Read Choosing Your ERP and Finding the Right ERP for Medical Device.