Insights
Want to connect your ERP to machines? It's not hard — handle it with an API
blog
An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system is an important tool for factories that need accuracy and real-time information. Today ERPs have developed to the point where they can link data from machines back to the ERP, to analyse both costs and the risks arising in production. This data can be linked via an API, with the following benefits.
Understand the benefits of the connection
Connecting an ERP to machines via an API (Application Programming Interface) applies technology to make the production process more efficient.
Send production data automatically: Production data — such as the number of pieces produced, when it finished, and how much raw material was used — is sent to the ERP automatically, reducing errors from recording data by hand.
Track and control production in real time: You can check production status at any time, so you can plan production accurately and fix problems in good time.
Improve operational efficiency: It reduces time spent recording and checking data, freeing staff for other, more important work.
Increase data accuracy: Data taken directly from machines is more accurate than data recorded by hand, making the data used for decisions more reliable.
The connection steps
Choose the right API
Choose an API that supports both your ERP and your machines. This may be an API that comes with the ERP or one developed in-house — but it’s best for it to be an API from the ERP itself, so you don’t have to do it manually or waste time finding a way to connect the API to the ERP.
Design the data structure
Define the format of the data to be sent through the API — both the data sent from the ERP to the machines and the data sent from the machines back to the ERP. At this stage the vendor must assess both the machines and the ERP to find the best way to connect. Most experienced ERP vendors have an API system that can link the data.
Develop the connection program
Develop a program or script to connect the API with the ERP and the machines, possibly using a programming language such as Python, C#, or Java, depending on what the developer uses.
Test the system
There must be a team to test the connection thoroughly to ensure the data is sent and received correctly — on both the ERP vendor’s side and the factory user’s side — to get a stable, efficient system.
Refine the system
You should choose a highly flexible ERP — that is, one that can be customised as much as possible. These are mostly large Thai systems, because they can support work that links the ERP to factory machines very well. Connecting a system into factory machines via an API is not a standard feature every vendor provides, so the operator must be willing to invest in customising the system to fit the work as much as possible.
Conclusion
If an operator wants an ERP that can connect to factory machines, it’s not hard if the ERP vendor has an API. Data linking can be done with these steps: 1) Choose the right API — choose an ERP vendor with an API system; 2) Design the data structure; 3) Develop the connection program; 4) Test the system; 5) Refine the system.