Managing construction materials is a complicated “now” business. Dozens of independent factors must be tamed to achieve on-time, on-site, on-spec fulfillment. The most complicated is structural ready-mix concrete, which is driven by the real-time NOW factors of need, inventory, manufacturing, perishability and logistics. Complicating the issue even further, most material producers have more than one line of business, such as ready-mix concrete and aggregate. Customers who purchase both materials from the producer want one quote, one bill and one “throat to choke” when things go sideways, NOW.
Producers can more effectively manage multiple lines of business from quote to cash when they use integrated solutions, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP). In Concrete Products‘ December 2021 installment of Tech Trends, Craig Yeack explores the organizational hierarchy of where systems should be applied in your business structure for optimal results.