ERPion Attends Ontario Trade Shows: Insights, Experiences & More

Host to several trade shows throughout the year, Ontario’s multiple B2B events do more than just showcase products. They serve as crucial networking opportunities, allowing businesses to have real conversations about the future of manufacturing in the province.

This year, ERPion got to be a part of two major such conversations. We attended the National Heavy Equipment Show and Fabtech Canada to meet business owners, manufacturers, sales managers, and operational leaders.

Attending both events helped us gain first-hand insight into the challenges Ontario’s businesses face every day, and how a customizable and modular ERP system like ERPion can fix them.

In today’s blog, we would like to share with you our biggest takeaways from both events along with our vision for the future of ERP in manufacturing.

How Both Events Confirmed The Growing Need For Flexible ERP

During our interaction with business representatives in both events, we gleaned that industries such as metal fabrication and manufacturing want to modernize and digitize their operations, but they do not desire complexity.

Our team found out that businesses are actively searching for practical ways to improve operational efficiency while maintaining the flexibility, exceptions, and workflows that are truly unique to their business. They simply refuse to settle for cookie-cutter tools. The only reason they haven’t modernized their systems yet is that they have not found an ERP system that proves to be a perfect fit. 
 

Excel Is Still Running Manufacturing Businesses

So what are businesses using to conduct their daily operations if not an ERP system?

That is another interesting thing our team discovered. Most organizations are still heavily dependent on Excel sheets. In fact, many of them do not have an ERP system at all!

Spreadsheets are what they use to manage a host of critical functions, including quoting, inventory, production, and other day-to-day operations. That is alarming!

We are not discrediting spreadsheets. They might work for businesses that are just taking off or in the very early stages of their growth. But spreadsheets are not a long-term, scalable solution. As businesses expand, their teams will be forced to update files manually. A lot of information can slip through the cracks as a result, which means each department will be working with different information that may or may not paint the current picture.

Manufacturers Want Modular Solutions Like ERPion

We discovered that businesses are utterly frustrated with software that fails to fully support their workflows. Many attendees at both events complained about how their employees were forced to adapt their processes to meet the system’s limitations.

Creating workarounds, maintaining several spreadsheets, and using additional software to fill functionality gaps is far from an ideal scenario. Neither is paying a hefty licensing fee for software that demands these workarounds to begin with.

Needless to say, we found that businesses were ready to abandon their per-user licensing models in favor of efficient, tailored, and cost-effective manufacturing ERP software like ERPion.

ERPion’s modular design, which centers around a business’s existing processes, made it a truly outstanding option among a sea of generic ERP systems. Tailored around each company’s individual operational requirements and devoid of any licensing fee, ERPion offers businesses the flexibility they need to grow without expensive software costs weighing them down. 
 

AI Is The Future

One thing is for sure – even though most businesses in attendance did not treat AI as their focus, it was still a buzzword in both events, thus emphasizing its importance and impact.

The conversation around AI clearly highlighted where the manufacturing industry is headed and how AI-driven automation will streamline common company pain points, including inventory assessment, CAD file evaluations, component identification, BOM generation and quote creation.

At ERPion, we plan to stay at the forefront of the AI revolution and are currently testing AI-based features for our own ERP system.

Conclusion

Our experience at both the National Heavy Equipment Show and Fabtech Canada reinforced our belief in the transformative power of modular, license-free ERP. Ontario manufacturers clearly do not want rigid software. They want flexible solutions that adapt to how they actually function.

If you are in the same boat, we can help you. ERPion is the leading modular ERP platform that Ontario manufacturing businesses use to boost the performance and ROI of their company. Contact us to learn how it can help your organization thrive in a competitive market.

FAQs

Which industries does ERPion primarily serve?

ERPion is a B2B custom ERP platform designed specifically to cater to the needs of manufacturing, fabrication, distribution, construction, mining, and energy industries.

Does ERPion support custom workflows for different manufacturers?

Yes. ERPion is entirely structured around each client’s unique operational requirements to ensure a truly custom fit.

Is ERPion suitable for businesses moving away from spreadsheets?

Absolutely. Businesses intent on modernizing and digitizing their current processes are the best candidates to reap the benefits of ERPion, including centralized operations and improved visibility.