ERP Software
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Managing change effectively with ERP: Infor
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If your critical business data resides in different business systems or spreadsheets and your everyday processes are
not disciplined, your business lacks the agility to respond to change. These changes can range from an increase in
demand because of a customer’s shortened delivery time or several new large orders, to a geographic expansion of
your supply chain with global reach, to changes in trends that require new product introductions. As a result, your
management team is forced into a perpetual state of reaction to minimise the impact of these changes.
A flexible ERP system can be the foundation for a complete overhaul of your business processes and enable the agility
you need to accommodate virtually any type of change – quickly, easily and cost-efficiently. A flexible ERP system
provides two key capabilities and benefits: linking your disparate systems and automating the movement of information throughout your business provide
executives in your management chain with visibility into real-time business data, enabling the best decision-making
possible; and creating highly disciplined workflows provides the process consistency required to enable highly dependable
outcomes, regardless of what type of change may occur in your business.
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Profitable distribution or sweating the assets – the overview: Qurius
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Most distributors today will have information systems in place, some might even be happy with them. But strip these
systems away and it is the core operational principles of the distributor that will ultimately determine its success or
failure. This white paper is the first in a series from Qurius, which will take a look at the top 10 golden rules for profitable
distribution. The first is an overview of these rules and will be followed up with more detailed analysis of each individual
rule.
The top 10 golden rules are as follows:
1. Sell the most profitable products to the most profitable customers.
2. Get inventory levels right for your business.
3. Fill 90%+ of orders from stock.
4. Don’t make mistakes.
5. Achieve 100% on-time deliveries.
6. Get a day’s work done in a day’s time.
7. Count your stock Correctly.
8. Taking larger orders will keep costs down.
9. Implement the IT system that is right for you.
10. Catching the trend.
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ERP – building on the basics: Sage
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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can provide significant benefits to companies seeking to take advantage of
improving economic conditions. Improved liquidity, better financial and business-wide reporting and decision making,
and reduced duplication of data and processes are just some of the tangible benefits.
This white paper details the results of a Computing survey of ERP users, in which they were asked about the benefits –
or otherwise – of ERP in the areas of finance, management information and other business processes.
ERP scored highly in terms of enabling operational efficiency, cashflow and financial reporting, and interdepartmental
communication. However, budgetary restrictions and perceptions of inflexibility are leading some to delay deploying the
software. These concerns could be ameliorated by the new generation of ERP software which may be deployed in the
cloud or over mobile devices.
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How to protect your profits when delivering tailored products/services:Sanderson
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As manufacturers seek to differentiate by increasing product and service choices, Peter Beer reveals the best practice
approach to ensuring offering ‘added value’ doesn’t mean ‘killing your profits’. Today, most manufacturers strive to offer customers unique products or services, in order to benefit from optimum
differentiation and pricing.
At one end, batch manufacturers now ‘add value’ with customisation and service options. At the other, make-to-order
manufacturers are pressured to reduce pricing and delivery times to stay competitive.
Yet conversely, too often the true cost of the work, time and resources used to deliver tailored products or services isn’t
recorded or sufficiently accounted for in pricing.
This brings all types of manufacturers the critical challenges of: making ‘unique’ products as efficiently as possible; ensuring products are delivered on time; demonstrating you can go the extra mile for your customers; adding value to your processes; whilst protecting your margins.
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12 criteria for selecting the best ERP system replacement: Epicor
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An ERP system is your information backbone and reaches into all areas of your business and value chain. Replacing it
can open unlimited business opportunities. The cornerstone of this effort is finding the right partner and specialist. Your
long-term business strategy will form the basis of the criteria for your selection of an ERP system replacement. Your
ERP provider must be part of your vision. It is the duty of your software provider to do its part to make sure your next
system will be your last ERP system replacement. This white paper explains the 12 criteria that allow you to identify and
select the solution that will meet these expectations. It’s no small matter to replace your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. By definition, the ERP system is your
information backbone and reaches into all areas of your business and value chain. Replacing it can be a difficult and
painful process. When it is done correctly, it can open unlimited business opportunities. The cornerstone of this effort is
finding the right partner to simplify this difficult transition – a partner that will maintain focus until you achieve your goals.
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Three barriers to growth you can surmount with 'new' ERP: Infor
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What impedes the ability of manufacturers to grow, compete and create new value for
their customers? Ironically, many executives argue their systems – more specifically, their
ERP systems. We look here at how a new generation of personal and intuitive ERP,
dispels three of the most common arguments.
There is perhaps a perception that ERP systems are preventing organisations from
becoming strategically agile, operationally responsive and globally competitive. But how?
According to recent industry research, companies that adopt ERP systems are far more
dynamic and prosperous than their rivals.
Year-on-year average gains for these top performers are: 22% reduction in inventory levels, 97% inventory accuracy, 4.4 days to close a month, 96% manufacturing schedule compliance and 98% complete and on-time shipments.
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Usability as an ERP selection criteria: IFS
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In an article published by MIT’s Sloan Management Review online and in its autumn 2007 print edition, consultant and
author Cynthia Rettig claims that “enterprise software in large organisations has not delivered on its promise to fully
integrate and intelligently control complex business processes while remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing
business needs.”
“Instead,” the synopsis of her article continues, “ERP systems – including both software applications and the data they
process – are variegated patchworks, containing 50 or more databases and hundreds of separate software programs
installed over decades and interconnected by idiosyncratic, Byzantine and poorly documented customised processes.”
Rettig seems pessimistic about the future of enterprise applications, and stresses the need for efficiency and simplicity.
I would tend to agree with Rettig’s characterisation that complexity and difficulty navigating and using enterprise
applications is the main barrier that prevents enterprise resources planning (ERP) and other enterprise-wide software
systems from delivering their potential benefits.
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Positioning your business for growth: Sage
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Business organisations across the UK are establishing how best to maintain their competitive edge in the improved
business climate. Among decisions to be made is how to increase the efficiency and agility of key IT systems. A
Computing survey of over 150 IT decision makers at companies of all sizes suggests that software consolidation may
be a key area in which improvements can be made. Only a minority of respondents have automated key functions and
integrated customer relationship management (CRM) systems with others such as ordering, supply chain and financial
software.
Restricted information flow across the business drains time and productivity. Revenue is impacted by poor customer
retention and missed sales opportunities. Organisations also expose themselves to unnecessary risk from data loss and
impairment of the management decision-making process. Profitability and growth can be seriously hampered.
This paper discusses in detail the findings of the survey and sets out the specific issues being faced by IT, operations
and financial teams where each of these departments is run on separate software systems.
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A director's guide to choosing and implementing ERP software: Access
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All distribution and manufacturing organisations rely on software
packages to help manage their business efficiently. As you might
have discovered yourself, the time inevitably comes when your
existing software no longer measures up.
If you’re thinking about updating your ERP software, sit down and
think hard about your business. Consider: availability of information. How easy is it to gain access to the
data held in your system? Do you have to dig out lots of figures to
run a report? Can you run a report yourself, or do you have to ask
someone from accounts or IT to do it for you? Would you be able to
do your job more efficiently if information was at your fingertips? Your customers. If you’d like to offer them a better service, think
about how you’d go about it. What do you need in order to get your products out there more quickly and efficiently and
on time, every time?
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10 ways to use ERP to lean the manufacturing supply chain: IFS
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There are entire books, thorough training and certification processes all devoted to lean supply chain practices. But
within any manufacturing environment, there are a few relatively simple steps that will help any enterprise lean their
supply chain. In this white paper, we will touch on these simple measures – measures that any company can take.
Lean in a supply chain context is about an holistic view of procurement, manufacturing distribution and sales order
processing. This means that some level of enterprise technology is necessary to view the organisation in an integrated
context instead of as functional islands. However, before technology can facilitate the lean supply chain, manufacturing
executives need to start thinking in lean supply chain terms. We will be reviewing those terms and sharing the key
concepts that are the foundation for the lean effort.
In short, we will discuss: four tips to help you bring lean supply chain improvements to your manufacturing operation; and six technology tools that help automate these lean supply chain practices.
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To bid, or not to bid: profitability is the question: Infor
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Companies in project-intensive manufacturing industries such as heavy equipment, machine tools, metal fabrication and
industrial equipment face a host of diverse challenges that can affect their performance and their profitability. Although
the challenges vary across products and services, these manufacturers who operate under engineer-to-order (ETO) or
build-to-order (BTO) modes share a common goal of delivering projects on time and under budget.
Project-based manufacturers must have the ability to bid quickly and with confidence that their bids will win them a good
result. But winning is not enough. They also need to continually monitor each project throughout its life – keeping an
eye on cashflow, earned value and profitability, even beyond delivery to the customer.
According to research by Aberdeen Group, best-in-class organisations deliver 91% of their projects early or on time and
96% of projects within budget (Aberdeen Group, Delivering Project Profitability, January 2010, p6). Those companies
considered laggards delivered only 35% of projects early or on time and only 43% of projects within budget (Aberdeen
Group, Delivering Project Profitability, January 2010, p6).
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Optimise your ERP system: how to avoid the implementation sins: Sage
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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems offer much potential to improve your way of doing business. By providing
accurate, real-time information throughout your supply chain, an ERP system can help your company be more
competitive. Seamless integration of information flows across all departments through a centralised database, provides
a unified view of the business, and enables management to make more effective, timely decisions. A successful ERP
implementation can provide better business intelligence, streamline business operations, reduce costs, enhance
collaboration, and ultimately help you grow your business.
While most organisations rely on enterprise resource planning systems, relatively few are able to truly optimise the
capabilities and functionality the software products can deliver. In fact, statistics show that more than 60% of ERP
implementations fail to meet expectations.
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Distribution systems: Solarsoft
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When fast and accurate fulfilment are key, you need software that will deliver. Distribution systems from Solarsoft are at
work across the world, delivering products 24/7. From industrial equipment to fast moving consumer goods, we help
businesses achieve rapid and accurate fulfilment with minimal inventory and optimised stock movements.
Solarsoft’s software can help you get the fundamentals right, with barcode readers or RFID tags for product traceability
and location tracking. For businesses in intensive supply chains, Solarsoft can help with EDI and e-commerce. Our
customers routinely achieve 20-40% productivity gains while cutting errors and increasing throughput.
With Solarsoft, your marketing, sales, purchasing and finance teams can share a single view across the business,
allowing more effective management of customer accounts, seamless handling of non-stock items and improved
financial control. Best of all, our systems will give you clear management information, letting managers focus on
improving sales, margins and performance, confident that day-to-day operations are in safe hands.
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Building a business case for next-generation enterprise apps: Epicor
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Are enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems really ever in need of a change? That question plagues most CEOs,
CIOs and CFOs as their legacy ERP system continue to chug along.
It’s no light matter to replace your ERP system: by definition, the ERP system is your financial and operational
backbone and reaches into all areas of your business and value-chain. Replacing it would appear to be a difficult and
intensive process – but done right, it can open unlimited business opportunities.
Companies decide to replace their ERP systems for a variety of reasons. At the most fundamental level, the question is
whether your current system supports or constrains your ability to execute business strategies that will make your
company successful and establish it as an industry leader. These systems automate only a single business function and
not an entire, cross-functional business process; they demand manual, labour-intensive processes such as re-keying
data into separate systems.
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Enterprise applications software licensing and pricing, Q4 2007: Oracle
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Forrester conducted licensing policy evaluations of leading enterprise applications vendors from June 2007 to August 2007.
Interviews were conducted with 51 vendor and user companies including Agresso, Deltek, Epicor Software, IFS, Infor, Lawson,
Microsoft, Oracle, QAD, Sage Software, SAP and Sterling Commerce.
Oracle and Agresso were found to have established early leadership among large enterprises thanks to their ability to
accommodate complexity and choice in licensing metrics and support for the enterprise software licensee bill of rights
(LBoR).
Microsoft, QAD, Sterling Commerce, Epicor Software, Lawson and Infor are Strong Performers but lack breadth in usagebased
metrics. SAP provides strong usage-based metrics but could improve on provisions in the LBoR. Microsoft, Oracle,
QAD, Agresso and Epicor Software lead in delivering on small and medium-sized business (SMB) requirements like choice in
user-based metrics and support for the LBoR.
Sterling Commerce, Lawson, Sage Software, SAP, Infor and Deltek are Strong Performers that offer competitive options but
could improve support for SMB requirements in the LBoR. IFS’s licensing and pricing models leave SMB customers with
limited choices but offer a simplified, easy-to-understand approach.
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