Development of CRM for automating manufacturing processes

Every manufacturing enterprise is a complex mechanism where inconsistencies in planning, supply disruptions, raw material overruns, unfinished orders, and the human factor can slow down even the most promising project. In the age of digitalization, manual management of production processes makes an enterprise inefficient and uncompetitive. That is why a CRM system for production is not just a convenient tool, but a necessity for effective growth and scaling.

With AVADA MEDIA, you will get a reliable partner for the growth and development of your company. You can order the development of an individual CRM for production from us, which will become a key element in managing the entire production cycle.

What is CRM for production and sales?

CRM for enterprises is a powerful ecosystem for managing orders, logistics and warehouse accounting, quality control, human resources, and even production capacity analytics. It is a comprehensive software solution that allows you to digitize data, reduce costs, automate and make core processes more transparent. Unlike classic ERP systems, CRM for enterprise focuses not only on internal processes but also on relationships with customers, suppliers, and contractors.

Automation is needed by every enterprise that is developing, increasing volumes, and planning to scale. There are also a number of factors that point to the critical need to develop CRM for production management, for example:

• due to the rapid growth in the number of orders, it is difficult to control the status of their execution, there are delays and confusion in priorities;
• frequent errors and production failures caused by the human factor, which leads to the loss of documents, forgetting tasks, and failure to meet deadlines;
• lack of an up-to-date picture of the warehouse condition leads to an overabundance of some materials and a shortage of others;
• difficulties with quality control and rejects – when there is no transparent accounting, it is difficult to understand where deviations occur;
• problems with coordination between departments – planning, procurement, production and logistics do not work in a coordinated manner;
• lack of analytics – it is difficult to quickly obtain accurate data on production, utilization, and profit.

Any of these factors hinders the growth of a manufacturing company. Therefore, the development of an individual management system is not an expense, but a long-term investment in the company’s development.

In the face of global competition, companies that operate using outdated management methods risk losing both profits and market positions. Therefore, modern production requires accuracy, efficiency, and speed. Full automation of production helps to eliminate chaos in business processes, minimize errors, and create a transparent and manageable system. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of using a CRM system for an enterprise.

Optimization of production cycles

After the implementation of CRM, the company can record and analyze each stage of the production cycle – from receiving raw materials to shipping finished products. This allows you to see the real picture of the company’s work, identify bottlenecks in time, and eliminate delays. For example, automation of industrial production helps to

• reduce equipment downtime through forecasting and timely maintenance;
• speed up order fulfillment by automating production planning and resource allocation;
• make production more flexible to quickly reconfigure equipment for new orders;
• avoid material overruns and efficiently allocate production capacity thanks to modules for controlling raw materials, labor, and equipment.

Automation of document flow

Applications, invoices, contracts, specifications, and other documentation are generated automatically in CRM. This helps to eliminate human errors, combine all documents in an electronic archive, simplify processes such as auditing and certification.

Intelligent planning

Comprehensive automation of production processes helps to predict production line utilization, take into account seasonality of demand, adjust supply plans, and ensure that orders are fulfilled on time. This is especially important for companies with a long supply chain.

Effective interaction with suppliers, customers, and partners

CRM automates communication with customers, data exchange with suppliers and contractors, tracks order statuses, sends notifications, and allows you to keep a history of interactions to personalize the service. Automation of the company’s production simplifies procurement and supply management, and increases customer satisfaction.

Integration with other systems, equipment, and IoT

Modern production management systems can be connected to sensors on production lines to monitor the status of machines, assess their utilization, and prevent the need for maintenance, reducing the likelihood of unplanned breakdowns. And thanks to the ability to integrate with other systems (ERP, MES, WMS), you can create a single information space.

Optimization of materials and inventory costs

Implementation of CRM at the enterprise allows you to keep accurate records of materials and components, avoiding unnecessary purchases and reducing warehouse stocks. Automation of production and logistics for the delivery of materials reduces transportation costs, and control over the shelf life of materials avoids writing off unspoiled goods.

Increase staff efficiency

Automation of manufacturing enterprises frees up employees’ time from routine processes for the most important and creative tasks, facilitates decision-making through access to the necessary information in real time. CRM also allows you to evaluate employee productivity.

Developing CRM for manufacturing has several key goals, each of which is aimed at increasing business efficiency and sustainability.

1. Reduce operating costs and eliminate unnecessary links in the supply chain by automating routine processes such as order management, logistics, and data management.
2. Improve control at all stages of the company’s operation by receiving up-to-date information on the movement of raw materials, order fulfillment, equipment utilization, and staff performance.
3. Combine all departments of the enterprise into a single ecosystem, creating a single information environment and providing instant access to data. CRM for a manufacturing company reduces the risk of uncoordinated actions between departments and increases management accuracy.
4. Make informed strategic decisions based on reports on equipment productivity, costs, order fulfillment times, and other key indicators.
5. Manage staff effectively – track employee workload and assign tasks, automate payroll and bonus calculations, and evaluate KPIs.
6. Minimize the human factor. Automation of production processes reduces the likelihood of errors associated with manual data entry, verbal agreements, or lack of coordination between departments.
7. Increase the level of service and trust in the company. CRM for a manufacturing company integrates with mail, messengers, and call centers, allowing you to respond quickly to customer requests.

Automation of production processes is relevant for companies in various industries. Let’s take a look at which ones benefit the most from developing their own management system:

• CRM for garment production is needed to optimize warehouse stocks, manage fabric supply, control product quality, and forecast demand based on historical data;
• automation of metallurgical production provides control over all stages of raw material processing, accounting for consumables, and integration with ERP systems for accurate planning and management of supply logistics;
• CRM for machine building is needed to manage complex production chains, monitor compliance with technical standards, and automate work with contractors and suppliers;
• automation of the food industry helps to control the shelf life of raw materials and finished products, temperature conditions, manage distribution and interact with sales networks, and monitor compliance with sanitary standards;
• the management system in the pharmaceutical industry provides full control over the production and certification of products, compliance with regulatory requirements, and integration with warehouse and logistics management systems;
• in the manufacture of building materials, automation of the production process helps to optimize delivery routes and ensure quality control at all stages of production;
• CRM for furniture production takes over the management of material supply chains, accounting for finished products, automates assembly processes, controls quality and delivery, synchronizes work with suppliers, tracks material balances in the warehouse, and allows you to forecast demand for various categories of furniture.

Any manufacturing enterprise that seeks to reduce paperwork and accelerate data exchange needs to order the development of CRM for production.

Customized CRM for a manufacturing company covers all stages – from order receipt to shipment to the customer. It can have modules to perform the following functions.

Management of production orders:

• creation of order cards based on customer requests;
• linking to the nomenclature, technical documentation, and route maps;
• control of deadlines, statuses, responsible persons and stages;
• visualization of production line utilization;
• integration with an ERP system or accounting (for example, 1C, BAS).

For example, a furniture factory receives an order for a kitchen set. The system generates an order, assigns it a unique number, attaches drawings, and monitors its progress through the stages: cutting, assembly, and packaging.

Planning and control:

• calendar and network planning (for example, using the Gantt chart);
• flexible distribution of orders by shifts and sites;
• availability of personnel, equipment, and raw materials;
• possibility of manual adjustment and automatic recalculation;
• support for multi-level production (semi-finished products, processing).

For example, CRM for a printing house generates a plan for the week, distributing tasks between shifts depending on the availability of machines. If one of the lines breaks down, the system automatically rebuilds the schedule and notifies the foreman.

Quality control:

• built-in checklists and templates of control operations;
• photo and video recording of defects, their classification;
• logs of internal defects and complaints;
• reports on deviations and their causes;
• feedback from the technology department.

For example, when a packaging defect is detected, CRM for the food industry captures it in a photo, automatically creates an internal complaint, and notifies the technologist.

Warehouse and raw material management:

• accounting of warehouse balances within batches, expiration dates, and suppliers;
• automatic calculation of the need for raw materials and materials for orders;
• reservation of raw materials for specific planned tasks;
• support for barcoding and mobile TSDs;
• integration with procurement and suppliers.

For example, if a large order for the manufacture of pipes is received at a production facility, CRM for a steel company checks the availability of the required diameters in the warehouse and automatically generates a purchase order for the missing materials.

Personnel management in production:

• formation of shift schedules and monitoring of their compliance;
• distribution of tasks to employees and sections;
• control of workload, productivity, and output;
• motivational modules and KPI calculation;
• recording violations of discipline and safety.

For example, a foreman sets a sewing plan for a shift. At the end of the shift, the CRM for sewing production calculates the output of each seamstress, taking into account the complexity of the product.

Financial module:

• calculation of the cost of each order;
• control of costs for raw materials, salaries, depreciation;
• comparison of planned and actual profit;
• formation of acts, invoices, TTN;
• synchronization with accounting, bank, tax reporting.

For example, as part of the analysis of the cost of a batch of drugs, CRM for a pharmaceutical company will show an overspend of packages by 10%, help analyze all possible causes and suggest ways to eliminate them.

Logistics and shipment:

• management of internal and external logistics tasks;
• formation of shipping documents;
• optimization of delivery routes and integration with TMS;
• integration with courier services, transport companies;
• control of the implementation of logistics KPIs.

For example, when a manufacturer of window structures forms a shipment for a client in another city, CRM for the window business automatically distributes orders for flights, prints invoices and calculates the optimal route.

BI and production analytics:

• dashboards for management and line managers;
• in-depth statistics for each shop, shift, employee;
• AI/ML modules for forecasting based on historical data;
• analysis of bottlenecks and inefficiencies;
• reports on profit, defects, equipment utilization.

For example, in a CRM system for foundry production, on a dashboard with defect indicators for a month, management notices an increase in defects in one of the sections and initiates an audit.

The choice of the necessary program modules for production depends on:

• the specifics of the production process – serial, non-order, continuous production;
• the size of the enterprise – small, medium, large;
• the industry – mechanical engineering, food industry, light industry, etc.;
• current problems and automation goals.

Implementing a CRM system for production is a complex and sequential process. Each stage plays an important role in creating a functional and reliable product.

Business and goal analysis

At the first stage, an analysis of the enterprise’s business processes is carried out. Problem areas, bottlenecks, production needs are identified: which processes can be automated, what data needs to be collected and what tasks the system should cover. The analysis also includes market research, competitor research and identification of necessary integrations with other systems.

Technical specifications

Based on the analysis, a technical specification is created – a document that describes the requirements for the future CRM for an industrial enterprise: functions, integration, security and scalability. The technical specifications are the basis for further development and help create a program that fully meets the client’s request.

Design and prototyping

At this stage, a logical structure of the system is created, user scenario diagrams are developed, modules and their interaction are designed. Next, interactive prototypes of interfaces are formed, which allow you to visually assess the convenience of working with the system. Integrated production management systems will operate under high load conditions, so it is important for users to quickly navigate the system.

UX/UI design development

A convenient and intuitive interface is an important element of CRM. Here, designers need to take into account the specifics of work in production: operators, managers, logisticians and other employees should easily find the necessary functions and work without delays. UX/UI designers use modern tools – Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, which allow them to create adaptive interfaces.

Creating software code

At this stage, programmers bring the project to life. For the client part (frontend), they use React, Angular or Vue.js, providing a convenient and fast interface. The server part is implemented using Python, Node.js or PHP, which allow them to process large amounts of information and effectively interact with databases. They implement integration with the necessary services via API.

Testing

QA engineers conduct multi-stage testing to identify errors, verify the correct operation of all modules and data security. It is important to check the stability of the system under high loads, since production CRMs must process large amounts of data in real time.

Release and user training

After successful testing, the system is transferred to the customer’s server or placed in a cloud storage and implemented in the working environment. At this stage, personnel training is carried out, data transfer from existing systems is carried out, integrations are configured, and reporting is initially configured. Our specialists ensure a phased implementation of the CRM system at the enterprise so as not to slow down current processes.

Project support and development

After implementation, CRM requires support and development. Technical support of the production management system includes analysis of software efficiency, regular updates, functionality improvements, and integration of new technologies – for example, AI and machine learning for demand forecasting and resource optimization.

Ready-made production management programs are universal, but cannot fully meet the specifics of a manufacturing business. Only by ordering individual development can you create a tool that will fully meet the processes, structure and goals of the enterprise.

Why is it worth ordering the development of a management system for an enterprise, and not buying a ready-made program:

• Universal software products contain template functions, funnels and stages, but at a manufacturing enterprise each process is specific;
• Your own CRM easily adapts to changing the business model, expanding production or launching new lines;
• A unique CRM system for production can directly interact with production equipment, accounting systems, payments and logistics modules;
• Ready-made solutions are usually placed in the cloud and do not provide full control over information storage, while individual development allows you to implement CRM on your own servers;
• In a custom system, the user interface is designed for the tasks of specific employees: technologists, logisticians, suppliers, craftsmen;
• Ready-made solutions are often overloaded with functions that are not used but for which you have to pay, while a custom CRM system for production contains only the necessary modules.

Manufacturing companies always operate under unprecedented challenges. If your business is facing difficulties in managing orders, logistics, warehouse or personnel, needs cost optimization, flexibility and efficiency – it’s time to switch to digital rails.

AVADA MEDIA has been providing individual CRM system development services for all areas and scales of business for more than 10 years. We will help you create an intelligent platform that will not only organize production processes, but also bring the enterprise to a new level of efficiency, minimize risks and increase profitability.