Three ways to maintain your competitive edge with IFS

Regardless of the company’s size, having a challenger mindset is becoming the key for organizations to establish a competitive advantage. Even if you are already at the top in your industry, you should challenge the status quo, reevaluate current efforts or discover new ways to get value from new innovations to stay ahead.

Leaders can make the most of disruptive technology to change and evolve, flanking themselves before challengers can do it for them. New technologies, from Internet of Things (IoT) to Artificial Intelligence (AI), are disrupting almost every industry in ways unimaginable; the pace of change is accelerating. To keep up, you need an enterprise resource application that is built to support your evolving future.

1. Take advantage of new technologies

Currently, there are 13 billion connected “things” that make up the IoT, according to IDC analysts. These globally connected things allow new business models and rapid expansion of services into the global market. With an influx of security threats, technology like IFS IoT Business Connector™ accelerates connectivity and reduces risk involved in Industrial IoT initiatives by:

• Turning data into meaningful insight that allows your business to make informed decisions
• Shortening time from ideas to benefit to ensure a dynamic and agile process
• Providing plug-and-play connectivity with third-party discovery applications to create a coherent platform

2. Adding value through servitization

From manufacturing and engineering to construction, digital transformation is driving new business models; with customers looking for a total package that covers the outcome of the product as well as the product itself. One option is Platform as a service (PaaS) where the long-term contract includes everything from the printer to supplies, maintenance and repair. This allows the user to have more control and greater customization.

In contrast, a service-centric Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution is ideal for service organizations, aftermarket teams who want fully integrated service capabilities and service organizations or asset owners wanting an integrated business system that includes service contracting work, task and resource planning, scheduling optimization and field work.

3. Think and act on a global scale

Business processes are not just multi-company, multi-geography and multi-language but cross-company, cross-geography and cross-language. The result is that you can run multiple manufacturing modes, service models and supply chains together in the same application. In addition, it’s possible to consolidate results and ease tax compliance requirements globally, while ensuring that you meet all local requirements.

Companies are now evolving at such a rate their current ERP software can become obsolete within a decade.

How we can help

Baker Tilly customizes each IFS Cloud implementation based on the client, their industry and their team’s company transformation goals. With you at every stage, our tailored, hands-on process empowers businesses to fully understand and utilize their IFS Cloud ERP, enabling you to take better ownership at the end of the engagement with confidence. For more information on how Baker Tilly and IFS add value to your business, please contact us today.