ERP software and sustainability: meeting LEAN Enterprise goals

Sustainable business practices can be enforced through a number of initiatives. Recycling programs. Building energy efficient products. Partnering with green initiative companies to draw more attention to corporate waste.

For many organizations, though, corporate sustainability strategies depend very much on the amount of waste and the overall carbon footprint the company makes on a daily basis. As businesses grow and increase the scale of production and consumption, so too does the company’s environmental impact become greater.

The key premise of making an organization sustainable is simple: eliminate waste. One of the most efficient ways to do this is to switch to an almost completely paperless environment and this, in turn, can be accomplished by implementing a modern ERP software package that supports LEAN enterprise goals.

An ERP with a green initiative

It’s easy enough to make the claim that most software systems support going paperless, but there’s much more to the process than meets the eye. Not only should the software be fully integrated, it should also be flexible and scalable, with modern functions such as mobile and web access. With streamlined business management and LEAN Enterprise goals at its core, the next generation Reflex ERP software offers all of this functionality in one single system.

Each of these features within the Reflex ERP allows users to configure the software to meet the company’s unique needs and provides a cutting edge platform to connect departments, branches, divisions, companies, stakeholders, employees, clients, consultants, and much more. Thanks to a full relations management module and real-time chat between departments, business units, and outside stakeholders, the Reflex ERP ensures that businesses can fully track all internal and external communications electronically, rather than getting lost in a sea of printouts and handwritten notes.

Reflex in action

Sustainability and LEAN enterprise goals are important initiatives for companies such as Summit Valve and Controls, an industry-leading western Canadian organization that distributes and services industrial and municipal valves and automation products. When selecting an ERP system for the company, executives at Summit outlined their requirements for a comprehensive and fully integrated ERP to manage the entirety of the business’s information and data. The software would also have to promote Summit’s position as a ‘green supplier’ by helping to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by promoting a paperless office environment and reducing duplication and waste.

By selecting the Reflex ERP, Summit was able to achieve its LEAN Enterprise goals and improve overall productivity with the next generation functionality of the Reflex solution. The company has experienced tremendous expansion over the past decade and have exceeded sustainability goals by eliminating almost all paper use within the office.

“In addition to enjoying the benefits of having one fully integrated ERP solution with no ‘bolt-ons,’ we have also implemented the Reflex embedded document manager that has allowed us to achieve a 99% paperless office environment,” says Michel Leroux, Vice President and General Manager of Summit Valve and Controls.

Thanks to Reflex, Summit now has greater control over business information and work processes, and is fully living up to its reputation as a green supplier, increasing environmental awareness and reducing the company’s overall carbon footprint.

Summit is a prime example of the difference a single ERP system can make for an organization looking to improve LEAN Enterprise standards. The software’sembedded document manager functionality and real-time integration means that Summit can practically eliminate paper waste in the office and streamline business processes on the shop floor to further reduce time and resources throughout each department.

Furthering LEAN Enterprise goals

For more information on the next generation Reflex ERP and how it can help promote sustainability in the workplace, visit our Sustainability and LEAN Enterprise feature page.

*Originally posted by Cheryl Cottrell-Smith on LinkedIn Pulse.