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16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2026 • Procurement: Supply chain platforms read ERP demand and MRP data, consolidate pur- chases by MPN, issue supplier POs, and re- turn those POs to ERP. • Smart storage: Systems receive ERP work orders, guide operators to the correct reels, and return quantities and locations, so op- erators and planners see the same location for every reel. • X-ray reel counters: Counters return the re- maining reel quantities to ERP, maintaining ac- curate inventory as partial reels are returned from production. Native accounting posts inventory, direct labor, overhead, and outside services, such as conformal coating on Outsource POs, to jobs as work occurs. Costs reflect the build without reconciling another accounting system. Centralized data also supports AI. Our MCP server lets agents query live sales, inventory, purchasing, production, and accounting data in plain language for reporting and analytics, and begin assisting with transactions, starting with creating quotes and BOMs. Conclusion: Managing by Exception Contract manufacturing will always be exception- based, and some exceptions will always require judgment: which alternate to propose to a customer, or which order to protect during a shortage. Reliable ERP processes reduce the routine work demanding hands-on management. Each process that runs reliably inside ERP is one less task to manage by hand. That frees people to manage by exception: solving customer and supplier problems and investing in strategic improvements. For S&Y Industries, that shift was a matter of growth. "We needed something that could scale, because we just couldn't hire enough people during the parts shortage to keep up with all of the demand and the changes," says Miers. "It's not like we can go hire 50 people right now." That is how a small or mid-sized EMS company punches above its weight. A full-suite manufac- turing ERP carries routine work, and people spend their time where human judgment matters. Scott Ryan is a senior consul- tant at Cetec ERP. Figure 3: The All button ties the full reel to the work order by renaming its bin to the order number, but only the 60 pieces the job needs are picked into WIP. The Part Spec Swap offers the approved alternates from the part's Part Spec Group at the point of picking.