An object‐based relational data base system using re‐configurable finance and material objects

Any manufacturing information system today must be able to both “reconfigure” and “reengineer” operations in a cost‐effective way. The objective of this paper is to propose an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system based on the re‐configurable characteristics of material objects (MO) and finance objects (FO). The implementation of this information system is based on the object technologsy concept, which composes enterprise applications in reusable software components made up of relevant manufacturing data. By analyzing the factors and the methods of integration of MO and FO, it can be shown that the proposed approach is more appropriate for the design and implementation of an ERP system, and that it is particularly suitable for small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The results demonstrate a flattened organizational structure, better communication, and enhanced workflow reconfiguration.