Visual South Insights

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.

Some background before we begin

I speak with lots of companies and many of those conversations revolve around ERP software evaluations. Recently, I’ve had quite a few conversations with companies that are running Sage 500, or any of the other Sage products. They ask me whether the rumors about a Sage 500 end of life are true and if so, what the future holds for their ERP system. To be clear, I represent Infor ERP and that is where my expertise lies. I am not an expert in any competitive solutions, but my views are shaped by what I hear from the people I talk with. In this article, I’ll give a quick rundown of what I think you should expect with your Sage 500 ERP.

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.

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.

The ERP search begins

When a company decides to start an ERP search, the people involved can articulate why they are looking for ERP because it’s their reality. But finding the right solution is more difficult because looking for a new ERP system isn’t something they do every day. In many cases, people involved in the search have never looked for a new ERP system. In other words, it’s a lot easier to identify why you need an ERP rather than what ERP you need.

A little background first…

I want to start by telling you a little bit about my background because I believe it will give some context to this blog. I proudly represent Infor ERP products and have been at Visual South since 2002. Five years prior to coming on board here, I was an SAP consultant. My specialty was the sales/distribution module, along with the variant configurator. I was part of many full implementations in a variety of industries, taught training classes, and helped with presales efforts. My first implementation was on R/3 version 3.1G and my last was on version 4.6.

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.

Jumpstart you ERP evaluation

Looking for ERP can appear to be a daunting task. This is not surprising because chances are it is not something you do every day. Plus, there are plenty of stories of failed ERP implementations going around. Unfortunately, failure is an option. The risk is real.

A little background first

I have been in the ERP industry for close to 25 years, both as an implementation consultant and a salesperson. For my customers who have been using ERP for decades, as well as those looking for their first ERP, one of the most common discussion points is customization versus configuration. Let’s take a look at each approach, and I will tell you why we recommend one over the other.

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.