No-code and low-code tools, also known as application designers, empower non developer end users to build applications and rapidly solve for immediate needs. Although not a new concept, the technology has been slow to penetrate manufacturing in part due to the age and size of the systems in use for managing these processes.
This is changing and changing fast. With the advent of platforms and inbuilt application designers, manufacturing business now have a tool in their belts to streamline processes, elevate worker productivity and deliver at a greater scale and a lower cost. As manufacturers and industry changes and frows, it is critical that the systems of record and engagement have the flexibility to keep pace. Application designers thrive in complex, shifting environments because the platform reflects the needs of the frontline at any given movement.
To optimize the benefits delivered by their ERP systems, manufacturers can use an application designer to quickly implement, update and deploy applications. Even better, virtually anyone can perform deployments instead of requiring specialized expertise. Studies have shown that 70% of employees with no programming background learned to build applications with a low-code in just one month or less, and 28% learned in two weeks or less.
Using application designers to improve manufacturing operations
Integrating an application designer with an ERP system can turn workflows into digital processes that collect data and integrate operators, machines and sensors to achieve business goals.
Here’s how manufacturers can use application designers to improve their operations:
- Customizing Users Interfaces (UI): creating customized dashboards and users interfaces that cater to the specific roles and needs of different users within the organization. This could involve designing more intuitive navigation, personalized homepages, or role-based access to specific data and tools, making ERP system easier to use and more efficient for end users.
- Designing Custom Workflows: build workflows to automate complex business processes. For instance, they might design a new purchase order approval workflow that includes multiple stages of approval based on order value, department or other criteria, ensuring compliance with company policies.
- Integrating Third Party Applications: when integrating with third party applications with an ERP system (like CRM, e-commerce platforms, or specialized industry software) an application designer can create the necessary interfaces and workflows. This ensures seamless data exchange and integration, enhancing the overall functionality of the ERP system.
- Developing Mobile Solutions: designing mobile friendly interfaces or even standalone mobile applications that extend ERP functionality to mobile devices. Allowing employees to access critical ERP features like inventory management, sales tracking, or approval processes from their smartphones or tablets, improving accessibility and productivity.
- Enhancing User Experience (UX): analysing user behaviour and gathering feedback, an Application Designer can identify pain points in the current ERP system and redesign elements to enhance the user experience. This could involve simplifying complex processes, reducing the number of clicks required to perform common tasks, or improving the overall look and feel of the application.
- Designing Custom Forms and Data Entry Screens: in situations where the standard ERP forms don’t full meet business needs, an Application Designer can create custom forms and data entry screens.
- Implementing Role Based Access and Security: an Application Designer can develop and implement role-based access controls within the ERP system, ensuring that users only have access to the data and tools relevant to their role. This enhances security and compliance while improving user efficiency by decluttering their interfaces.
- Building Custom E-Commerce Integrations: an Application Designer can create custom integrations that link the e-commerce site with the ERP system. This can automate the flow of order information, inventory updates, and customer data between the two systems, improving efficiency and accuracy in order processing.
- Optimizing Supply Chain Management: an Application Designer can extend the ERP solution to better manage supply chain processes by designing custom applications that track shipments, manage supplier relationships, and optimize inventory levels. These enhancements can lead to more accurate forecasting, reduced stockouts, and improved supplier collaboration.
- Implementing IoT and Smart Manufacturing Solutions: in a manufacturing environment, and Application Designer can design applications that integrate IoT devices with the ERP system. This might include designing dashboards that monitor machine performance in real time, trigger maintenance alerts, or automatically update production schedules based on live data, all within the ERP framework.
- Developing Employee Self Service Portals: create a self-service portal that integrates with ERP. Allowing employees to manage their own personal information, submit leave requests, view payslips, and more, directly through a user-friendly interface, reducing the administrative burden on HR.
- Designing Automated Compliance Tools: to help the organization comply with industry regulations, an Application Designer can create automated tools within the ERP system that monitor and report on compliance related activities. For instance, designing an application that tracks regulatory requirements, generate necessary documentation, and alerts relevant personnel of upcoming compliance deadlines.
Creating new apps with SYSPRO’s Application Designer
The SYSPRO Application Designer has been purpose built for manufacturers. It reduces the complexity of coding by providing a simple, low-code interface to all the functionality in SYSPRO. With SYSPRO’s Application Designer, manufacturers can save cost and time in building out new SYSPRO platform solutions, as well as improving productivity and storyboarding.
SYSPRO Application Designer delivers the following benefits:
- Improved productivity: Developers can create a new user interface for a program in minutes rather than hours.
- Improved storyboarding: The ability to rapidly create a UI makes it easy to produce a prototype and get signoff approval.
- Hugely reduces the complexity of program development, as a single test file describes the entire app and can be easily deployed on a target machine.
- It’s a robust, tried and tested platform for all types of applications, used by partners and customers as well as by the SYSPRO development team to build standard SYSPRO applications.
- Versatile and customizable: Applications can be designed to run on both the SYSPRO desktop and SYSPRO Web UI versions.
- Simple to use: No additional technology is required to produce and run applications.
- Scalable: Multiple applications can be handled using Projects to deploy complete solution to the end user. End users can in turn further customize the app by adding custom form fields, customized panes and in many other ways.
In conclusion, application designers are seeing significant growth, both in manufacturing and across the broad spectrum of industries, primarily due to the ease of use and quick development process. This market is sure to continue growing as low-code solutions replace traditional full code solutions. It is an ideal time for manufacturers to reap the benefits of developing custom applications far quicker than has been possible until now.
