Manufacturing Most Likely To Use ERP; Health Care, Insurance Least Likely

A Computer Economics Inc. study reveals that nearly 20% of all U.S. businesses have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, and another 34.1% are either researching, piloting, or implementing ERP software. Though organizations across all industry sectors are using ERP technology, the manufacturing sector leads other industries with 40% of all surveyed manufacturers using ERP software. "Slightly more businesses have ERP software in place in the process manufacturing sector than in the discrete manufacturing sector," said Computer Economics' vice president of research, Michael Erbschloe. Most manufacturers who have not already jumped on the ERP bandwagon are taking steps to implement ERP software, the study reveals. The company also reports that the number of banking and finance companies using ERP will grow in the next couple of years, while the federal government, insurance, and health-care sectors are expected to adopt ERP at a slower rate. Computer Economics Inc. is a Carlsbad, Calif.-based independent research firm.