The ABCs of ERP & Beyond
ERP systems run your business — but most of the advice out there is buried in jargon or sounds like a sales pitch. The ABCs of ERP & Beyond cuts through that. Hosted by Pete Nicholson and Nirav Shah, two ERP practitioners working in the trenches with manufacturing and distribution businesses, this podcast covers everything from go-live survival to planning, scheduling, inventory, finance, and the tech that ties it all together. No fluff. No vendor spin. Just practical insight you can actually use.
The ABCs of ERP & Beyond
Why Your Factory Feels Chaotic and How ERP Brings Control Back
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Why does manufacturing feel so chaotic for so many businesses?
In the first episode of 2026, recorded in person back in November, we explore one of the most misunderstood areas of ERP: planning and scheduling — and why getting it wrong creates constant firefighting.
We talk through:
- Why planning and scheduling are often confused — and why that matters
- How production delays quickly turn into cash flow problems
- The limits of manual, Excel-driven, tribal-knowledge planning
- What modern ERP systems actually do differently
- How data-driven planning, capacity management, and real-time visibility restore control
If you’re stuck reacting instead of planning — or wondering why inventory, production, and cash never seem aligned — this episode breaks down what’s really happening and how modern ERP systems help bring order back.