There have been some fantastic discoveries in the history of mankind – life-altering discoveries and inventions such as fire, the wheel, and electricity. Today, in the 21st century of the 3rd millennium, there’s a brave new world of technological advancements that are changing the way enterprises conduct their business.
ERP Basics
If someone asked you to explain what ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) means, how would you respond? I usually say simply that it’s business management software and that often suffices. Wikipedia, however, does a somewhat better job, saying:
“Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) usually refers to a category of business management software—typically a suite of integrated applications—that an organisation can use to collect, store, manage, and interpret data from many business activities.”
What was there before ERP? Was there just a void? A black hole? No, before ERP, there was Accounting Software, which helped companies manage their most basic needs, namely General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP), and Accounts Receivable (AR). ERP was a giant step in business management software and marked the beginning of a digital transformation (DT).
ERP Superpowers
One might think that today’s ERP capabilities, which combine so much functionality into a single integrated system, would be enough. Is it not enough for ERP to encompass finance and operations, along with management programs for Customer Relations Management (CRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), inventory, warehouse, logistics, human resources, talent acquisition…?
The answer is no. It’s not enough. Because as companies struggle to remain viable, sustainable, and competitive, they need superpowers. And we’re going to look at two (2) ERP superpowers that already exist.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Definition: In computer science, the term artificial intelligence (AI) refers to any human-like intelligence exhibited by a computer, robot, or other machine.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 AI enables the people closest to specific business challenges to resolve them using intelligent apps that deliver the insights they need to make informed decisions quickly. By making AI accessible and useful across an entire business landscape, everyone has the power and the freedom to solve problems before they become critical.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 AI offers:
- Sales Insights – Increase sales and improve decision making with AI-powered insights fueled by customer data.
- Customer Insights – Gain a 360-degree view of customers and discover insights that drive personalised customer experiences.
- Customer Service Insights – Leverage AI-driven insights to make better decisions and proactively improve customer satisfaction with confidence.
- Market Insights – Respond to trends faster with AI-driven social and web insights that help you win fans and build brand loyalty.
- Product Insights – Transform the way you develop, market, sell, and support your products and services with real-time insights that show you how customers use them.
Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics 365 AI
Mixed Reality (MR)
Definition: Mixed reality is merging real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualisations, where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real-time.
While MR has many applications in a variety of sectors, it is particularly useful in manufacturing. Mixed reality is transforming manufacturing from improved onboarding and upskilling of employees to increased operational efficiency to reduced errors and waste.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Mixed Reality offers a new vision for work. And Microsoft HoloLens 2, an untethered mixed reality device, is your heads-up, hands-free gateway into mixed reality, with built-in and collaborative business solutions. It helps employees work better together when they are brave new worlds apart.
Just think about the possibilities afforded by seeing multiple holograms at once, reading text, and viewing intricate details on 3D images. The HoloLens2 headset is a self-contained computer with Wi-Fi connectivity, which means that everything you need goes with you while you work.
It’s hard to imagine. But if a picture is worth 1,000 words, two images are worth 2,000 words:
And here are a few testimonials and incontrovertible statistics from users:
“Using mixed reality, we’ve reduced tough labour by 90%.
We’re now completing 8-hour activities in just 45 minutes.”
Shelly Peterson, Principal Investigator, Mixed Reality, Lockheed Martin
“With HoloLens, our design validation process has been accelerated by 80% …
and we believe we can accelerate complex assembly tasks by 30%.”
Jean-Brice Dumont, Executive Vice President of Engineering, Airbus
“With HoloLens and mixed reality, there is a massive shift in the way we do business –
helping us to serve our customer more quickly… It’s like having an expert on your shoulder.”
Christian Treiber, Vice President of Customer Services, Mercedes-Benz USA
While it’s true that the examples above are all from very large companies, it’s also true that new technologies tend to trickle down over time, both in use and in price. We believe that what you see now at the likes of Airbus, you’ll be seeing soon at your local widget manufacturer.
Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics 365 MR
ERP Superpowers in a Brave New World
It may look like something straight out of Star Trek, but AI and MR are already making their way into businesses and ERP systems across the spectrum. For more information, please contact Queue Associates at +44 020 7549 1606 or use our CONTACT FORM.