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Difference between ERP and SCM

Last Updated : 03 Jul, 2024
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Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) are two essential systems for managing business operations, but they serve different purposes and focus on different aspects of a business. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) integrates internal business processes like accounting, inventory, and HR to boost efficiency and reduce costs. SCM (Supply Chain Management) optimizes the flow of goods from suppliers to customers, managing external supply chain activities. ERP focuses on internal operations, while SCM manages the entire supply chain. Both aim to improve business performance.

What is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)?

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. Many businesses are opening up day by day and business environment is growing so faster. So in current market strategy it is important to be in business race by providing customer satisfaction and proper functioning of organization to be best in current competitive business environment. So mainly to manage to the business activities like accounting, inventory, human resources, supply chain, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software has been developed. The main purpose of Enterprise Resource Planning is to manage business and to improve efficiency of business process. ERP aims to reduce overhead and cut costs and increasing visibility of the business.

What is Supply Chain Management (SCM)?

SCM stands for Supply Chain Management. Supply Chain refers to a connected network of individuals, organizations, resources, activities, and technologies, all of which are involved in process of manufacturing to supply of product or service. Supply Chain Management refers to management of flow of all processes and goods and services starting from supply of raw materials to delivery of final product. Supply Chain Management is the active management of supply chain activities which includes required integrated planning and execution of processes for optimizing flow of material, information and capital in functions. It is inter organizational system which allows companies to efficiently handle the entire production flow of a good or service.

Difference between ERP and SCM

AspectERPSCM
Scope of FunctionalityEnterprise Resource Planning covers a wide range of functionalities.Supply Chain Management covers limited supply chain functionalities
ComplexityEnterprise Resource Planning is highly complex.Supply Chain Management is relatively less complex.
FocusERP focuses on business's internal work processes.SCM focuses on supply chain activities of involved external parties.
Integration and OptimizationIt integrates and optimizes business processes limited to boundary of single organization.It integrates and optimizes business processes of single organization as well as interacts with other business partners involved in supply chain.
Sourcing DynamicsEnterprise Resource Planning is relatively static in terms of sourcing.Supply Chain Management is relatively dynamic in terms of sourcing.
Activity FocusAlong with focusing core activities of business it is centrally more focused on task based activities.Along with focusing supply chain activities of business it is centrally more focused on relationship based activities as it is more involved with other third parties.
User BaseERP has a larger user base with in an organization.SCM has a smaller user base with key individuals with in an organization.
Processing SpeedProcessing speed of Enterprise Resource Planning is relatively slower.Processing speed of Supply Chain Management is relatively faster.
Main FunctionsMain functions of ERP are manufacturing management, financial management, human resource management.Main functions of SCM are manufacturing management, inventory management, logistics management, supply management.
Planning ApproachERP is non-constrained based tools which provides business plans without based on availability of the required key resources.SCM is constrained based tools which provides reasonable and feasible business plans based on availability of required key resources.

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