Master Production Scheduling, or the Master Production Schedule (MPS), is a crucial component of chemical and process manufacturing. In order to meet deadlines and fulfill orders, companies in these sectors need to plan ahead — but not just any tools will do. 

Your business has a lot of moving parts: from accounting and payroll to production and distribution. Every activity within the company and each piece of data gathered externally from customers, suppliers and business partners must be recorded. To make informed decisions, your entire company needs access to that data — but how can you manage it all while still handling day-to-day tasks?

Chemical and process manufacturers need to purchase chemicals to produce products for nearly every industry sector worldwide — from agriculture to automotive to pharmaceuticals and cannabis. Establishing a clear chemical procurement procedure can help your company stay compliant, streamline operations and better serve customers. But where do you start?

Have you heard of the term “ERP”? Not exactly sure what it is or why it’s important to process manufacturers and chemical distributors? Maybe you’ve done some research and found it overwhelming and a little confusing.

If your business is looking to select and implement a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, you have a critical decision to make. Do you go with a generic ERP solution that comes with “one size fits all” functionality? Or do you look at industry-specific ERP software? While generic software can be cheaper up front, industry-specific solutions are an investment in your company’s future, offering all of the features that meet your needs.

To learn more about ERP software and the benefits it offers, see our introductory guide. In this post, we’ll compare the differences between generic and industry-specific ERP systems.