Is Your Manufacturing ERP Software Letting You Down? Your Data Could Be to Blame.

Your Manufacturing ERP Software Letting You Down? Your Data Could Be to Blame.

Clean data is critical for manufacturing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. When messy data is ported to misconfigured modules, left isolated on old computers and Excel spreadsheets, or mapped incorrectly, you get issues.

Your ERP software starts reporting inventory that doesn’t exist, work centers get overbooked, and deadlines keep getting missed. The thousands you’ve just spent on your brand-new software suddenly feel like a hole burned right through your pocket.

What gives?

In this post, we’re going to cover where small to medium-sized businesses go wrong when implementing their new ERP software, specifically how data plays a massive role during setup, and how a managed service provider (MSP) can help them get back on track.

Key Takeaways

• Clean data is the foundation of a successful ERP system.
• Data silos can leave critical information behind during an ERP migration.
• Poor data quality can cause serious operational problems for manufacturers.
• Manufacturers should clean, organize, and prioritize their data before migrating it.
• Data migration requires more than just transferring files.
• An MSP can help manufacturers prepare their data and keep their ERP running smoothly.

It’s Not the Software’s Fault

The good news is that your expensive new software probably isn’t to blame. The bad news? You likely set up your ERP wrong in the first place.

Don’t panic. You aren’t alone. According to Gardner, 70% of ERP implementations will fail to meet their goals by 2027.

Upgrading from older mainframes, endless Excel spreadsheets, and smaller MRP systems to a robust ERP platform is a massive change, bordering on digital culture shock.

If your original data wasn’t well-organized during setup, your new software will struggle.

A Mess Goes In, a Mess Comes Out

Let’s be honest. There’s a good chance your legacy records were a tad…messy.

Maybe your naming conventions for your financial records varied, your inventory sheets were saved in half a dozen different formats, or old client files were outright corrupted. A bit of disorganized data isn’t abnormal after ten, twenty, or even thirty years of doing business, but your ERP software relies on clean, consistent data to function properly.

Without clean data, your software can produce inaccurate reports or fail to communicate properly between its modules and the different departments across your business. Your software won’t know the difference between outdated customer information, incorrect financial data, or other data inconsistencies. Instead, you end up with a massive system making decisions based on inaccurate or incomplete information.

Dirty Disconnected Data

There’s also all the data that never actually made it over to your new system. We call this data siloing. It’s when data becomes isolated from the rest of your company. It’s a major roadblock for manufacturers adopting ERP software. Just look at Salesforce’s study, where 80% of surveyed IT leaders pointed to data silos as a barrier to digital transformation, including ERP integration.

If critical inventory or operations data stays trapped on disconnected servers or local drives, your ERP software won’t be able to access it. And even if that data didn’t seem “critical” during your initial migration, missing operational context can easily trigger hiccups, slowdowns, or outright system failure.

This shows why, when you transfer your data over to your ERP software, you need to make sure you’re not leaving anything important behind.

The Time to Fix Your Data Is NOW

Companies chronically underestimate data hygiene and governance when moving to ERP platforms. And for discrete manufacturers, ERP projects see an average budget overrun of 215%. Poor data migration is also cited as a root cause in 38% of ERP implementation failures.

But don’t panic. It’s never too late to start cleaning things up. And you don’t have to tackle that massive data cleanup alone.

That’s what an MSP is for.

How an MSP Gets Your ERP Back on Track

Managed service providers (MSPs) are experts when it comes to data cleanliness. MSPs, like The 20 MSP, have been helping their partners organize and manage their data for years, from compliance assistance and cloud migrations to, more recently, AI readiness.

If you’re looking for help cleaning your data for ERP use, an MSP can help you get everything organized.

Here’s how.

Uncovering Isolated Data

An MSP can help you locate isolated and siloed data across your company by auditing your systems and tracing how data moves through your organization. Whether that data is stuck on local servers, desktop spreadsheets, or isolated databases, an MSP can uncover even the most hidden data.

Improved Data Hygiene

Data mapping is a tedious, intimidating undertaking for any business. You’ll need to understand how your old files are organized and named, identify duplicates and inconsistencies, and figure out how that data should map to your new ERP system.

An MSP can systematically map your data, remove duplicates, and resolve conflicting formats so everything aligns with your new system – without you having to sort through every file yourself.

Data Migration Prioritization

Not all of your data needs to be moved at once.

Your MSP can help determine what needs to be moved first, such as customer information and financial data, while identifying critical dependencies so you don’t run into issues like those caused by our supervisor’s spreadsheets.

From there, an MSP can help you plan a phased migration strategy so your data moves over a set period of time, instead of rushing it all in one small window.

Module Reconfigurations and Audits

If you’ve already built your ERP and are calling in the experts for help, your underlying modules (like scheduling, shipping, finance, or CRM) may need some attention.

An MSP can audit your existing systems and configurations to identify potential issues, then help adjust and optimize as needed.

Third-party integrations and Customization

While a step beyond data governance, your MSP can help you integrate third-party systems with your ERP for better performance. This could mean connecting Salesforce to your CRM, or adding improved supply chain tracking tools. If your MSP already helped clean and organize your data, integrating these systems can strengthen your ERP’s functionality.

Testing and Ongoing Maintenance

Before rolling out any changes to your ERP software, your MSP will make sure everything works as intended. That means running stress tests to identify bottlenecks, isolating and sanitizing new data so it works in your environment, and more.
From there, they can continue monitoring your ERP software and data, updating and maintaining your systems as your business grows to make sure everything keeps running smoothly – and most importantly, taking that responsibility off your shoulders.

Clean Your Data. Fix Your ERP. With The 20 MSP

Data hygiene can be a massive undertaking for small to medium-sized manufacturing businesses – especially when you’re dealing with an ERP system that isn’t living up to expectations.

That’s where The 20 MSP comes in.

Whether you’re using Epicor, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, NetSuite ERP, or any other ERP platform – or you’re just starting – we can help clean up your data, prioritize your migration, and make sure everything works before the rollout.

And with our flat-rate monthly fee, you get access to 24/7/365 U.S.-based help desk support, rapid onsite support, cybersecurity expertise, compliance assistance, and more.

If that sounds like a whole lot of work you’d rather leave to the experts, reach out today. We’d love to see how we can help your manufacturing business.

FAQ

Why is data quality important for ERP implementation?

Because ERP software requires clean data to function properly. If your data is outdated or messy, your ERP software may report incorrect information or stall out altogether.

What is data siloing?

Data siloing is when data becomes isolated and is not easily accessible across your company. This ranges from a disconnected legacy server to an old binder full of important forms.

What should manufacturers do before migrating data to an ERP?

Manufacturers should make sure their data is mapped correctly, duplicates are deleted, and, in general, their data is as clean as possible. That way, after your migration, your data will be usable by your ERP software.

How does an MSP help with an ERP data migration?

An MSP can help audit your data to locate silos, map your data for you, and support the migration process. They can also help you determine how to prioritize your data while creating a phased migration plan that can be executed over the course of weeks.

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About The 20 MSP

As a leading provider of managed IT services, The 20 MSP serves thousands of businesses nationwide, providing each one with white-glove service, secure and streamlined IT infrastructure, and 24/7/365 dedicated IT support. We believe in building lasting relationships with clients founded on trust, communication, and the delivery of high-value services for a fair and predictable price. Our clients’ success is our success, and we are committed to helping each and every organization we serve leverage technology to secure a competitive advantage and achieve new growth.</p.