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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I have been in the ERP business since 1997. While I’ve been in a sales role since 2002, my first five years in the industry were spent as an ERP consultant. This hands-on experience has given me a unique perspective on what makes for good versus bad consulting. At Visual South, we believe consultants are as important as the ERP software you choose. If you are actively evaluating ERP solutions and are interested in learning why evaluating consultants is as important as evaluating software, you can read all about it in this blog. If you are interested in getting foundational knowledge on the basics of ERP consulting, then read on.
Visual South has sold and implemented Infor ERP for over 25 years. The Infor CloudSuite Industrial/Syteline solution is the most technologically advanced and functionally rich application that we have worked with. Prospects note that it is far superior in regard to manufacturing-centric functional depth and user experience (the Infor OS).
Listing all the benefits of VISUAL ERP would be a book, not a blog post. But you didn’t come here to read a book, so I’ve chosen what I think are the most significant benefits that manufacturing companies will get out of using VISUAL ERP.
Infor is somewhat different than other ERP providers in that it tries to provide as complete a solution as possible with Infor supported, developed, and enhanced applications. Other ERP systems often rely on third-party applications using point interfaces or APIs. An API, short for application programming interface, basically allows for different software applications to work together by virtue of pushing and receiving data between each other. The ability to leverage APIs is important because it provides the ability to use other, third-party systems to exchange data and communicate with the host ERP system in order to build out business functionality.
When manufacturers look for areas to grow their revenue and find high-margin opportunities, many focus on the service component of their operation. Our team at Visual South has talked to many companies with ongoing initiatives to improve both after-market sales for replacement parts and service agreements with customers. This is especially prevalent in the engineer-to-order space and capital equipment.
