How Real-Time Business Intelligence Helps Manufacturers Make Better Decisions

Manufacturers today have more access to data than ever before—but having data isn’t enough. The real challenge is turning that data into insights that help you run a better business, in real time.

We spoke with two Genius ERP customers—Kaleb James, Managing Director of Stafford Engineering, and Mathieu Robert, President & CEO of G.M. Precision—about how Business Intelligence (BI) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are helping them stay ahead of the curve. Here’s what they shared.

How Real-Time KPIs Help Manufacturers Make Better Decisions

Too often, manufacturers track KPIs that only tell them what has already happened, long after they could have made a difference.

“Most businesses track KPIs that exist in the past—the ‘what has happened’—not ‘what is currently happening,’” says Kaleb. “They tend to be financial ones, such as job costs or gross margins or what you see in your profit and loss or management accounts, a few weeks after you have any chance to influence the outcome.”

Both Kaleb and Mathieu agree: The real power of BI comes from real-time insights that drive action.

At G.M. Precision, real-time production data helped Mathieu and his team uncover hidden inefficiencies.

“By using real-time data collected from our production machines, we realized that our method for validating actual machining time could be skewed due to various factors that delay production. Real-time machine status monitoring software allowed us to determine the actual hourly unit production time, including time losses caused by both planned and unplanned equipment downtime,” says Mathieu.

This shift—from after-the-fact reporting to live visibility—helped them improve efficiency and productivity.

Make Data Simple, Visible, and Actionable

One common theme from both manufacturers: BI tools have to be easy to access and easy to act on.

Kaleb points out that a good BI toolkit should focus on the information that matters most to your operations.

“Too often data is hard to visualize, hard to get to, or worse yet locked away so that it’s not readily available.”

“A good BI toolkit will allow you to surface the things that matter to you most. This could be as simple as visualizing any materials that have been ordered and are now due or overdue, so procurement can focus on following up suppliers, ensuring the material is ready when the guys doing the work need it, boosting efficiency and throughput.”

“The key here,” emphasizes Kaleb, “Is that it should always be available and up to date, as opposed to a report that needs to be run and then sorted through.”

“Instead of relying on reports, Stafford Engineering installed TVs around their shop floor, displaying up-to-the-minute KPIs where everyone can see them.”

Similarly, at G.M. Precision, real-time data has allowed their team to react faster and provide more accurate updates to customers about production progress.

“The key here,” emphasizes Kaleb, “Is that it should always be available and up to date, as opposed to a report that needs to be run and then sorted through.”

“When it comes to updating customers on production progress, we’re now much more targeted with the information we share,” says Mathieu. “It also helps us better plan our production schedule.”

Start Simple—and Expect to Evolve

If you’re just getting started with BI or KPI dashboards, both Kaleb and Mathieu agree: Don’t aim for perfection on day one.

“Start with simple indicators that make sense to you—and then improve your KPIs over time,” advises Mathieu.

Kaleb agrees and adds that it’s important to think about where your data is coming from.

“My advice for anyone considering a BI solution is to first consider where your data sources are located and ensure that your BI solution can handle multiple data sources,” he says.

“Often, what you think you want at first evolves along the way as you see the power of good data insights and what they can bring to your business.”

Final Thoughts: Making Business Intelligence Work for Manufacturers

Both Stafford Engineering and G.M. Precision show that effective BI isn’t about getting everything perfect—it’s about giving your team access to real-time data they can act on and continuously improve.

Start simple, stay focused on what matters most to your operations, and keep building from there. The sooner you can shift from tracking what happened to using real-time insights to guide your business forward, the stronger your manufacturing business will be.