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Tim O'Brien

Tim has over 20 years of successful experience helping companies improve their processes and operations using enterprise software solutions. Those enterprise solutions include Enterprise Resource Planning for manufacturers, Service Management for service oriented companies, and Enterprise Asset Management in the process manufacturing industry.

Recent Posts

Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP Pricing and Budgeting Tips

By Tim O'Brien on 9/29/21 10:00 AM

Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP Pricing – How It Works

Whether you are working with an Infor Channel Partner or Infor Direct, you’re using the same pricing data. There are no dealer markups or first-line support charges like those that value-added resellers (VARs) typically pass on to their customers.

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Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine is the Best ERP for Project-Based Manufacturers

By Tim O'Brien on 8/25/21 10:00 AM

Project-based manufacturers have specific needs

Overwhelmingly, project-based manufacturers have a requirement for a physical project plan to execute against, where costs can be captured at many levels. That is why Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP provides a good solution for traditional build/engineer/configure-to-order manufacturers who need to manage a more complex series of events to manufacture finished goods.

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Why You Need an ERP Selection Scorecard to Properly Evaluate an ERP Solution

By Tim O'Brien on 8/11/21 10:00 AM

You need a plan to select the right ERP

Visual South has helped thousands of manufacturing businesses evaluate ERP software since we launched in 1994. During all those evaluations, we have engaged in both good and bad experiences.

Topics: ERP selection
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Do You Need ERP Software Development?

By Tim O'Brien on 6/16/21 10:00 AM

Yes, no, or maybe?

The answer to the question of “Do your need ERP software development services?” is typically “no,” but that’s based on having a capable and purpose-built ERP application, such as Infor CloudSuite Industrial ERP. There is a caveat: Sometimes you may need to extend the application using the native toolset to address business-specific requirements.

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What’s New in Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine 10

By Tim O'Brien on 6/3/21 10:00 AM

Infor continues to rapidly develop CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP

The development team for Infor’s CloudSuite Industrial ERP continues to follow the well-planned product roadmap, and is executing the plan efficiently. The roadmap enriches and extends the highly ranked and widely accepted application, which now has well over 5,000 manufacturing sites running it worldwide.

In this article, we’ll highlight our favorite features that have been released since the CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine 10 core application debuted in 2018.

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ERP for Metal Fabricators – Biggest Trend We See with Our Clients

By Tim O'Brien on 5/12/21 10:00 AM

An increased focus on visibility

More and more of our customers want to have visibility of variables affecting manufacturing. They need clear information about capacity and on-time delivery, potential capacity or supply chain issues, and job costs. Our customers are getting this visibility by leveraging the Infor ERP application’s manufacturing industry purpose-built functional abilities.

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The Best ERP for Medical Device Manufacturers

By Tim O'Brien on 4/7/21 10:00 AM

Medical device manufacturing ERP requirements

Medical device manufacturers need specific functionality in their ERP system. The functionality requirements fall into three main categories: in-depth abilities to handle cradle-to-grave lot and serial traceability; integrated quality control; and extensive abilities to meet demand requirements and schedule the associated work orders to build-to-stock, build sub-assemblies, and produce finished goods.

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How to Manage Shop Floor Planning and Control

By Tim O'Brien on 3/24/21 10:00 AM

Know what to make

Shop floor operators need to know what to make and when to make it. That sounds simple enough, and it can be with the proper tools. The process really starts upstream with a finely tuned ERP application that is using MRP, Forecasting, and Advanced Planning and Scheduling to properly plan what work orders are needed to meet demand.

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The Most Important Infor SyteLine/CloudSuite Industrial Optional Modules – Take Them or Leave Them?

By Tim O'Brien on 3/3/21 10:00 AM

What are the best optional SyteLine/CloudSuite Industrial modules?

The question of which are the best optional modules in Infor SyteLine/CloudSuite Industrial is contingent upon your business requirements. So, the actual answer is…“it depends”.

The first thing to know is there are two distinct core sets of functionalities that make up the Infor CloudSuite Industrial ERP for the cloud, and the Infor SyteLine offering that is deployed on premise. They are the same code sets, but bundled differently. The SyteLine on premise offering is more a la carte, whereas CloudSuite Industrial’s cloud-based subscription includes more functional attributes. However, there is an abundance of ERP modules available with both options.

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Should You Opt for Infor’s On-Premise ERP Tools?

By Tim O'Brien on 2/10/21 10:00 AM

Infor on-premise ERP is still a great option

Companies looking for new ERP systems are predominantly only interested in cloud applications. However, some are still looking for on-premise applications. It is not as massive of a shift to cloud applications as we are led to believe. Many companies are still ok with having a server onsite because they have internal IT expertise or have a leading provider, such as Rackspace, hosting the application on a private cloud.

Topics: ERP selection
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