This past year has been a trying one for many of us, especially in the manufacturing industry. If it’s not supply chain disruptions, it’s the Great Resignation. If it’s not the chip shortage, it’s inflation. It’s enough to make anyone a bit grumpy as we head into the holiday season.

But you can turn that bah humbug into a cheery ho-ho-ho if you just take a moment to think about the bright spots of 2021. Through November, the manufacturing industry continued its 18-month growth streak. Consumer spending continues to roar. Manufacturing revenue jumped 7.2%. Private citizens rode rockets into space. And James Bond is back!

There’s so much to be thankful for when you look back at 2021. And if that’s not enough to keep you off Santa’s “naughty” list, here are 4 ways to ensure your inclusion on that exclusive “nice” list this year.

#1 – Be ready for 2022

Sure, the supply chain crisis and labor shortages won’t disappear overnight. But those who stay informed and recognize the trends within their own operations will be the ones who outpace the competition. When you have the data and insights to better understand your own business, suppliers and customers will be more likely to place you at the top of their own lists, too.

Read our recap of the latest manufacturing news to stay ahead of these topics and everything else that’s coming in 2022.

#2 – Modernize your ERP

Staying informed on manufacturing trends takes just a simple Google search, so why isn’t it that easy to stay informed on your own operations? Make 2022, finally, the year you upgrade to a cloud ERP solution. It’ll give you more visibility into your end-to-end business, more control over operations, and more power and agility to respond to fickle suppliers and demanding customers. And remember, today’s best and brightest workers don’t want to be hampered by old technology or slow, manual processes. Manufacturers who upgrade and modernize will be more attractive to those scarce workers.

Read the 2022 Cloud ERP Evaluation Guide and 2022 Cloud ERP Implementation Guide for everything you need to modernize, improve, and take a customer-first (and worker-empowering!) approach to manufacturing.

#3 – Follow the wisdom

Analysts provide a crucial service to busy decision makers as you work to understand the latest technologies and compare solutions against your unique needs. Gartner is widely considered the bright star at the top of the analyst tree. Recent research from the firm looks at how the supply chain management software market is evolving and gives you insights to better understand how you can put the right solutions to work in your business in 2022.

Read Gartner’s Supply Chain Management Software Market Overview today.

#4 – See Rootstock in action

OK, the jolly old elf from the North Pole insisted we include this one. Honest! But we do agree with Santa: there’s no better way to see how Rootstock Cloud ERP can transform your manufacturing business than to watch a short video demonstration of our solution’s power and capabilities. You’ll see how Rootstock handles everything from sales and service to inventory and engineering and does it all on the Salesforce Platform.

Watch this short video demo today.

Happy New Year!

We guarantee that, if you follow these four steps, you’ll be well on your way to a jolly 2022. There’s never been a more pressing need to modernize your manufacturing operations. Rootstock Cloud ERP can help, even if you don’t believe in Santa.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season and an even happier new year, from all of us at Rootstock!