An ERP implementation in the manufacturing industry typically consists of two companies—the company that provides implementation services and the company that procures them—working together to successfully bring the ERP implementation live.
Let me start out by saying I like spreadsheets. I use Excel to analyze data, create different scenarios, communicate ideas, etc. Excel is on every computer I own. I really can’t imagine not being able to use Excel in my daily life.
Engineer-to-order manufacturers seldom make the same product twice, which makes them unique when compared with their make-to-stock and make-to-order counterparts.
These engineer-to-order manufacturers are project oriented and manage front-end loaded engineering efforts. They handle manufacturing processes, actual costing environments, potentially unique revenue recognition requirements, and installation and potential after-market service requirements.
Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) is a purpose-built ERP application for those in the discrete manufacturing sector, with specific focus on To Order manufacturers and mixed-mode manufacturers that build to order and to stock. If your company fits within these categories, there are many benefits of using Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) ERP on the shop floor, as well as throughout the entire organization.
The software industry has no shortage of terms and acronyms, so before we talk about Infor’s Business Intelligence Tool (that’s called “Birst”), what is Business Intelligence (or “BI”)? Business Intelligence refers to solutions and processes that support the gathering, analysis, integration, and presentation of business information. Business Intelligence tools help companies understand their business better, and enable their employees to make better decisions because they have the information they need. At its most basic level, Business Intelligence is what is commonly referred to as “reporting”, like a bookings report, a purchase orders due for receipt report, for example. Business Intelligence solutions take reporting to the next level by making the data easier to consume for end users, easier to analyze, and easier to get answers to difficult questions.
The Infor Quality Management system is a robust and complete platform. It can run standalone or integrate with Infor ERP products. The system comes with a plethora of functionality modules:
ERP production planning can mean many things to many people; so, let me start out by explaining what it means to me; and therefore, what I’ll be writing about. ERP production planning is the coordination of people, machine capacity, and raw materials all coming together, so you can make what you make when you need to. “…when you need to” is based on a customer demand or an internal demand (sub-assembly, forecast, etc.). The need for better production planning is usually a major driver for the search and purchase of an ERP system.
I’m a big believer in measuring what you want to improve. Measuring gives you data and you’ll see trends (good or bad) emerge. Figure out what is causing the good trends and keep doing that. Maybe you can even find ways to make the good trends better. Figure out what is causing the bad trends and find ways to stop doing that; or at least, minimize it.
With the continuous evolution of modern ERP software solutions, there is a growing number of manufacturing data collection and analysis options available to you. In this article, we’ll discuss a few manufacturing data points that provide a good overall view of your performance and how they fit together.
I have been to a lot of companies and worked with a lot of people over the years, and I've come to the realization that we all use the tools we know to deal with issues we face. If you ask an assassin to fix a problem, someone is going to die. If you ask a programmer to fix a problem, a new program will be created.