Loading
Utility Header Logo
Plex Community
Change Country Site SelectionChange RockwellAutomation.com site selection to a different country, region or language
US | EN
Plex, a Rockwell Automation Company logo
Products
Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
Manufacturing Execution Suite (MES) is a comprehensive manufacturing software solution that provides real-time, paperless production management to drive enterprise-wide compliance, quality, and efficiency.
Quality Management System (QMS)
Quality Management System (QMS) is a cloud-based digital quality solution for manufacturers that standardizes and automates quality documentation, processes, and measurements.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a full-featured, scalable, cloudbased ERP that automates front- and back-office processes.
Supply Chain Planning (SCP)
Supply Chain Planning (SCP) combines data from your Plex ERP and multiple departments across your business to sync up demand and supply planning to improve inventory accuracy and production management.
Connected Worker
Connected Worker empowers frontline manufacturing teams with real-time digital tools to improve productivity, reduce errors, and enhance collaboration. It connects your people, to purpose, people, productivity, and processes to drive continuous improvement and workforce agility on the shop floor.
Production Monitoring
Production Monitoring provides seamless connectivity to machines on the plant floor, delivering transparent, real-time operational KPIs and dashboards to drive continuous improvements.
MES Automation & Orchestration
MES Automation & Orchestration connects your Plex MES to the plant edge to control information flow, processes, and workcenter setup adding efficiency, saving costs, and eliminating manual errors.
Asset Performance Management (APM)
Asset Performance Management (APM) combines process, operational, and machine-level data through highly visual dashboards to proactively monitor machine and plant health to ensure optimal uptime, throughput, and maintenance needs.
Finite Scheduler
Finite Scheduler is an advanced production scheduling tool that helps manufacturers optimize resources, reduce bottlenecks, and improve on-time delivery. It enables dynamic, constraint-based scheduling to align operations with real-world capacity and demand
Platform
Smart Manufacturing Platform Overview
Discover how our integrated platform connects, automates, tracks, and analyzes your operations.
Cloud Infrastructure & Security
Enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure with industry-leading security and compliance.
Mobile Application
Access critical manufacturing data and controls from anywhere with our mobile apps.
Availability & Performance
Industry-leading uptime and performance with 99.5% availability guarantee.
Manufacturing Automation
Seamless integration with Rockwell Automation and other manufacturing systems.
Industries
Aerospace Auto and Tire Food & Beverage Industrial Manufacturing Plastics & Rubber Precision Metalforming
Plex Generic Dark Background
INTERACTIVE DEMO
Plex MES for Automotive

Gain Real-Time Visibility and Control of Your Operations

Try Now
Resources
All Resources Success Stories Analyst Reports Knowledge Articles Demos Blog
Plex Generic Dark Background
Analyst Report
2025 Gartner® Market Guide for Manufacturing Execution Systems
Read More
TALK TO US
SEE A DEMO
Log In Plex Manufacturing Cloud Plex Classic
TALK TO US
SEE A DEMO
Blog
Recent ActivityRecent Activity

7 Common Mistakes Manufacturers Make with ERP Implementations

Share This:

LinkedInLinkedIn
XX
FacebookFacebook
PrintPrint
EmailEmail
Plex_Blog_180305_7_Common

We’ve learned a lot about what success looks like from implementing the Plex Manufacturing Cloud at thousands of manufacturing plants across the globe. Many of these ERP implementation lessons have come from discovering what not to do.

But before you even begin implementation, you need to think about what can go wrong so that you can: 1) determine if the risks are avoidable and 2) if the risks are avoidable, plan a strategy so you’re well-equipped to deal with them. With that in mind, I’d like to share seven common mistakes many manufacturers make with their ERP implementations:

1. No Executive Sponsorship

You may know you need to modernize your ERP, and you may be the only voice shouting this from the mountain top but trying to do this alone will cause unnecessary frustration. Your team can either push back because they don’t see the reason to fix what isn’t broken or overwhelm you with requests for help in implementing the system.

You need support from an executive who can set a vision and go-live expectations, allocate the right resources, be that tiebreaker for you, manage those hotspots, and remove roadblocks. Without this critical component, you’re going to be climbing that mountain alone.

2. Not Embracing Change

Thinking that ERP is just a tool that once implemented, solves business challenges, leads to many failed implementations. Why? Because you can’t do things the way they’ve always been done using the newly-implemented ERP. When you decide to automate and capture workflows through a cloud ERP system, you’re moving toward business transformation—and that means change for the better.

If your project halts when someone is holding tight to a business process that's an opportunity to evaluate it and see if things can be done in a more efficient way. Find the business needs underneath the process and solve for those. Don't just solve for what you’re doing today. 

3. Unrealistic Expectations

This mistake is related to the previous one. You have realized that an ERP implementation is really about business transformation. It is not about running through a checklist of features and functions, digitizing your current processes, ensuring a successful go live, and expecting everything to run smoothly. It’s an opportunity for change that will require the entire company to get behind, and that requires a lot of work and collaboration.

To gain all the efficiencies and visibility of a modern cloud ERP system, your people have to use it, every day. It has to become part of your operational DNA. The value comes from capturing shop floor and other operational activities and making all that data available to everyone in the business—in real time—to make better decisions.

4. Unclear Objectives

Does your team know the objectives of your ERP implementation? Do they know how those are tied to business outcomes? If not, you may end up with a system that doesn’t do what you really need it to do.

A unified vision of success is more than simply ensuring your implementation is on time and on budget. Tying the project objectives to business outcomes could include things like increasing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) or increasing inventory turns by defined measurable amounts. You want to make sure you have clearly defined outcomes and communicate those to the entire company. ERP implementation is a strategic process that delivers tangible advantages to your manufacturing business.

5. Choosing the Wrong Team with the Wrong Skillset

While implementing an ERP may require a lot of involvement from IT, your IT staff doesn’t own manufacturing or financial processes so they can’t direct or influence change in those areas. You want representation from the functional leaders of the business as well. Especially important are people who support change for the better and aren’t afraid to be held accountable or hold others accountable.

On that note, you should expect the same thing from your software provider. You want deep domain and industry expertise, change management expertise, and people who can help you drive your business forward. It's only when you have that tight collaboration and alignment, that you can mitigate risks and be successful.

6. Ineffective Communication

When you don’t communicate about the project or what you’re trying to accomplish, you will experience resistance and confusion.

Having a deliberate communication plan that includes how, what, and to whom you will communicate eliminates unnecessary roadblocks and delays. This includes everyone from your executive sponsor to supervisors to users and a regular cadence of communications. It goes a long way to building a sense of ownership and involvement which are both key to your long-term goals.

7. Not Managing Scope Creep

Without a clearly defined scope, every new feature and request will likely get added to the project and you will end up with delays and budget issues. In the professional services business this is often referred to as “death by a thousand paper cuts.”

You need to monitor, manage, and control your scope. Invariably, people will ask for features that aren’t in the scope and you should expect it. The key to controlling scope creep is to look at these requests and evaluate them against your project objectives and business outcomes you hope to achieve. If the request meets those criteria, then you should consider including it in your scope—but you will also need to consider how it will impact costs, resources, and your timeline. Requests that don’t meet your criteria need to be put on a list that can be reviewed and evaluated for a later phase.

ERP implementations are serious projects but it’s important to remember that there are few opportunities in your career to transform an entire business. A project like this holds the possibility of making a meaningful and positive impact on your employees’ day-to-day activities and how you serve your customers. So, don’t forget to enjoy the process.

Get more insights from our customers. Download the white paper: ERP Selection and Implementation Tips from Manufacturers Who’ve Done it Successfully. 

Topics: Aerospace Automotive Food & Beverage High Tech & Electronics Industrial Manufacturing Plastics & Rubber Precision Metalforming

Dave Morfas
Dave Morfas
Director of Product Marketing, Plex Systems
Dave Morfas has worked in the high-tech industry for more than 20 years with customers in Europe, Asia Pac, Latin America and North America in a variety of group management, product marketing, and product management roles. Currently Dave serves as Director of Product Marketing for Plex overseeing strategic product direction, competitive intelligence, and content marketing and creation.

Related Articles

Loading
Loading
  1. Chevron LeftChevron Left Homepage Chevron RightChevron Right
  2. Chevron LeftChevron Left Blog Chevron RightChevron Right
  3. Chevron LeftChevron Left 7 Common Mistakes Manufacturers Make with ERP Implementations Chevron RightChevron Right
Products
Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Quality Management System (QMS) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Supply Chain Planning (SCP) Connected Worker Production Monitoring MES Automation & Orchestration Asset Performance Management (APM) Finite Scheduler
Platform
Smart Manufacturing Platform Cloud Infrastructure & Security Mobile Application Availability & Performance Manufacturing Automation
Resources
All Resources Case Studies Analyst Reports Knowledge Articles Demos Blog
Industries
All Industries Aerospace Auto and Tire Food & Beverage/CPG Industrial Manufacturing Plastics & Rubber Precision Metalforming & Fabrication
Services & Support
Customer Success & Advocacy Support Services Educational Services Professional Services Plex Community
Get Started
Request a Demo Download Resources Read Success Stories Webinars Contact Support
Company
About Us Why Plex Recognition Newsroom Careers Contact Us
Knowledge Articles
Types of Quality Management Systems The MES Beginner Guide A Guide to Production Part Approval Process What is Industry 4.0? A Guide to Advanced Product Quality Planning Supply Chain Planning: A Guide to Strategic Planning and Operations MES and the Future of Robotics Automation Cloud Based MES Basics Food Manufacturing Software: Why MES Is Critical for Food and Beverage Manufacturers Guide to Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Cloud-Based MES Solutions A Guide to Monitoring Machine Performance What is Connected Manufacturing and Why Should You Care About It?
Privacy & Cookie Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Preferences
Accessibility Settings
Trust Center
© YYYY Plex, by Rockwell Automation. All rights reserved.
© YYYY Rockwell Automation, Inc.