Visual South Insights

An Exhaustive Look at Infor VISUAL's Functionality

Note: This blog was updated in 10/2020 to reflect some major changes in version 9.x.x. See the end of the blog for updates.

Why would any manufacturing company want VISUAL ERP?

Actually, that’s an easy question to answer. There are three reasons:

1. Value: You will not find an ERP product with more depth and breadth of functionality at the same price point.
2. Ease of use: VISUAL is built by software developers, but the interface was developed by designers to focus on ease of use. The screens are simple and intuitive, yet answers to your next question are in a secondary (child) window or are a simple click away.
3. Focus: VISUAL is designed for small-to-medium sized manufacturers who create work orders to make or repair items. If this doesn’t describe your company, Infor VISUAL will not be a fit for your manufacturing company. If this does describe your company, keep reading—VISUAL may be exactly what you're looking for. 

Differences between make-to-stock and make-to-order manufacturing

These two manufacturing modes are just what you’d assume. Make-to-stock manufacturing is where finished goods are built to inventory. The demand associated with make-to-stock is typically driven by a forecast. Additionally, a mix of forecasting, inventory quantities driven by planning policies, and actual demand can drive planning and scheduling for make-to-stock manufacturers.

ERP software evaluations provide answers to your questions

Visual South assists companies with ERP system evaluations and implementations every day, and has since 1993. It’s what we do and we have been through the ERP evaluation process hundreds of times.

However, many customers may only evaluate ERP software every 10 to 15 years. The ERP selection team members may have never evaluated software, or may have done so only once before. This leads to the development of many different processes -- some are good and others not so good. The Visual South team can help regardless.

What is SAP?

SAP is a technology company that has been around a long time and offers what is often regarded as the top ERP software in the world. SAP ERP is built primarily for large companies in a variety of industries. Companies that are household names (e.g. BP, Coca-Cola, BASF, Audi, Burger King, and Citrix) very likely use SAP’s ERP software somewhere in their operations.

We’re good, but are we the best?

Visual South sells ERP for manufacturing-centric companies. More specifically, we sell Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) and Infor VISUAL ERP. My experience with VISUAL goes back decades: When I was a plant manager, I bought and implemented VISUAL; I was a VISUAL consultant for years; and I’ve taken deep dives into CloudSuite Industrial.

Sign manufacturers have specific business system needs

What sign manufacturers have in common with other types of manufacturers is that they have to plan for material requirements, schedule jobs, and execute the production of those jobs. That being said, sign manufacturers have numerous requirements and needs that are unique to their industry. In this article, we’ll review how those unique requirements can be addressed with sign industry software, or sign manufacturing software.

What is mixed mode manufacturing?

A mixed mode manufacturer is a company that does not have a single manufacturing process. It is typically a combination of one or more of the following modes of manufacturing:

Discrete Manufacturing

Discrete manufacturing differs from primary modes of manufacturing in the following areas:

• Repetitive manufacturing
• Process manufacturing (continuous & batch)
• Job shop manufacturing

Discrete manufacturers typically have production lines or areas where the finished good is produced in a non-continuous process. In addition, they are often categorized as “to order” manufacturers, with mixed mode components when there is a make-to-stock or forecast demand to be addressed.

One size does not fit all

If you are a small to medium-sized business (SMB), then you know you have unique needs when compared to a large company. This is especially true when it comes to evaluating ERP solutions for SMBs.

Address your business issues

When selecting discrete manufacturing ERP software, choose an application that addresses your business issues. That should be the primary goal of an ERP evaluation, but we often see the focus of the evaluation shift to matters that truly do not impact the business. Cool features can distract you from picking an application that can help discrete manufacturers manage their business better. That’s why a plan is needed that includes an ERP Evaluation Checklist.