Visual South Insights

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often grapple with resource constraints and operational challenges that can impede growth and efficiency. In the manufacturing industry, cloud ERP solutions offer a way to overcome these hurdles by streamlining processes and enhancing flexibility.

About Visual South

Visual South is an Infor Certified Gold Channel Partner for both Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP and Infor VISUAL ERP. We have been helping manufacturers use Infor ERP to run their businesses better since 1994, offering deep expertise on the implementation and execution of these solutions.

Knowing when you might need Infor Consulting Services

If you have a Tier 1 Infor manufacturing ERP application, like Infor LN or Infor M3, using Infor Consulting Services (ICS) may make perfect sense. Infor has a large and experienced team that provides implementation and consulting services for what is often a global deployment of these applications.

What does consulting mean?

We find that many of our prospects and customers may not understand what consulting means and how it can be applied to their situation.

Infor vs. SAP

SAP is arguably the most recognized name in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, and it is ranked number one in ERP revenue. Its ERP product is designed to serve the Tier 1 market. The best way to define the Tier 1 market is to think in terms of a Fortune 1000 company. The revenue of a company that makes this list is defined in billions, not millions. In 2020, the company that ranked last on the list was PC Connection, with revenue of $2.85 billion.

What is CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine)?

Infor SyteLine ERP software (also known as Infor CloudSuite Industrial or CSI when deployed in the Amazon cloud) is Infor’s ERP offering for small and medium-sized manufacturers and distributors.

Crane manufacturers are increasing their focus on integrated service and quality

Over the past few years, many manufacturers have sought to extend the capabilities of their crane ERP software. Engineer-to-order and project-based manufacturing tools, along with planning and scheduling modules, have always been essential parts of any ERP software for the crane industry. But increasingly, crane manufacturers are recognizing the need to have an integrated quality system to help them address and comply with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. Additionally, integrated service management is becoming a critical part of ERP for crane manufacturers. In this article, we’ll explain why these trends are emerging and how they impact the industry.

ERP software assessments provide answers to your questions

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

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

Project-based manufacturers have specific ERP functional requirements

To effectively address business needs, project-based companies must choose an ERP system that meets their specific functional requirements. This is critical for success. The first step is to assess whether the ERP you’re evaluating offers project-related functionality at all, in addition to its standard functionality.

On-premise vs. cloud ERP implementation

A cloud ERP implementation requires the same elements as an on-premise implementation from a methodology perspective, but not from a technical perspective. The difference lies in the level of responsibility.