Implementation of ERP of the Australian manufacturing companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in Australia and the issues encountered during the course of implementation. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey is conducted, research frame is selected from the Australian manufacturing sector and a final list of 350 Australian manufacturing companies was prepared from which 79 responses were received, representing a response rate of 23 per cent. Findings The paper finds that the planned and actual use of ERP systems is pervasive in the Australian manufacturing sector, with both small and large companies implementing or planning to implement an ERP system. It was also revealed that ERP system implementation benefits are concentrated more in quickly providing high‐quality information within firm. Research limitations/implications Respondents are limited to Australian companies, and results may be regional in nature. Further study is suggested to benchmark the result of this research to other countries. Originality/value Provide insights on ERP implementation at least to the Australian companies and hopefully to companies in other countries.