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How CAD-ERP Integration Benefits MTO and ETO Manufacturers

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CADintegration_v1This is an interview with Scott Brickler the Chief Software Architect and a partner at SolutionsX LLC. Recently he answered the following questions concerning the benefits of having CAD-ERP integration.

Why would companies consider adding a CAD integration tool to their ERP system?
Brickler: CAD to ERP integration makes a lot of sense when a company is doing a large amount of engineering or turnover of new designs and/or design changes. Businesses like these are often designing and building custom or configurable products for each customer and are often trying to find ways to cut the lead time from order to shipment. The manual transfer of data between the CAD software and SYSPRO can add unnecessary hours and days to the lead time of a product. If you factor in the possibility of BOM errors the delays are even worse. It is critical that companies in the MTO or ETO industry think lean and reduce their activities to the value added processes like design and manufacturing. Engineers are often tasked with getting the BOM information into the ERP and this can be a huge drain on their time. Any time savings for these high value employees has huge returns for a company.

What types of companies benefit the least from having their CAD product integrated with their ERP?
Brickler: CAD integration isn’t as beneficial for companies who have extremely infrequent and long design cycles for product. An example could be a company who builds a cell phone or automobile where new models are generated every few years instead of every few days or weeks. Companies in this space typically benefit from a more formal PLM type software to manage the complexity of the design process.

What are some things a company should be looking for in a CAD integration solution?
Brickler: Businesses should look for a solution that has had a deep partnership with both the CAD vendor and ERP vendor. The ERP vendor relationship is actually the most critical. ERP often requires much more information than the CAD system does and the customer will benefit the most by going with a product that has deep integration and knowledge of the ERP package. It is also important that the CAD integration tool be very flexible and allow for future changes to the logic without extensive programming.

What would you say to companies that are leery of add-on products or fear they won’t get an ROI?
Brickler: For companies that use ERP for manufacturing, the Bill of Material (BOM) is the keystone data that drives every other aspect of the ERP system. MRP uses the BOM to determine demand and offer recommendations for supply. Costs for manufactured parts are driven from routing and BOM data. Order entry needs to know what items to put on orders. Everything in ERP system starts with a BOM. Therefore, it is critical that a company invest in making BOM as accurate as possible so that they can realize the full benefit of their ERP investment. CAD integration is a way to ensure that accuracy. If you consider the far reaching importance of the BOM to the ERP system the ROI for that investment is measured in weeks and months.

How long should it take for a company to get a CAD integration tool implemented?
Brickler: Implementation time should be measured in days and weeks instead of months. We are not implementing an ERP system. Very often companies can implement the basics and get a big benefit in hours. Once implemented additional areas of improvement become apparent and easily added for additional savings. The most successful implementations typically start with the basics and evolve from there.

How are companies able to quantify the benefit of using CAD integration?
Brickler: Hard cost savings are made using labor hours saved entering Stock Code and BOM data manually. Many customers can also place a hard cost saving in the reduction of BOM errors that always accompanies this type of integration. Harder to measure soft cost savings are lead time reduction and additional benefits provided by employees no longer burdened by entering BOMs manually.

-Scott Brickler

Scott Brickler
Scott Brickler is the Chief Software Architect and a partner at SolutionsX LLC.
Among his specialties are Lean Manufacturing, Software Development & Architecture, CAD/CAM, Workflow Automation, System Integration, Project Management, and SYSPRO ERP. Scott was instrumental in developing CADTalk which is an add-on solution available for SYSPRO users.


About SolutionsX
SolutionsX provides professional consultancy, business expertise, and software solutions to help clients reduce costs, manage risk, and leverage people, processes, and technology for competitive advantage. SolutionsX serves clients by bringing proven, real-world expertise to bear on complex business challenges. SolutionsX is also the developer of CADTalk for SYSPRO which is a CAD integration tool that allows CAD software users to communicate with their SYSPRO ERP system.

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.


“Which Matters More? ERP Vendor Size or Service Quality”

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scale_v2-01-01It’s no secret that we live in a world where, often, the brands with the largest, loudest megaphone (and the accompanying outsized marketing budgets) get the lion’s share of the press/PR attention. That’s to be expected –nothing new there. Knowing this, it is important that for ERP buyers ask themselves the question, ‘Which matters more? ERP vendor size or service quality?”

Recently, I read an article about how to avoid bad ERP choices, and decided to form my own list. While there is no single right way to prove which ERP solution is right for you since everyone’s requirements are different, there are some simple steps you can take to stack the deck in your favor:


1. Vendor size doesn’t always matter – or does it? If you are a mid-sized company, operating on tight margins but with big dreams for your future that require a responsive partner, do you really want a multi-billion-dollar ERP company? Will you be important enough to them to make you a priority when they are simultaneously focused on big revenue from the Fortune 50? Can you risk being the smaller fish in their big pond?

2. What do the industry experts say about your short list picks? The big analyst firms are going to recommend the big vendors. That’s pro forma, and again, to be expected. A high percentage of their revenue comes from these vendors and business is business. But if you start to look at what a larger swath of technology analysts say, those smaller firms and industry experts with great reputations, you may be surprised. SYSPRO has dozens of industry analysts who will readily point out that our solutions are not only world class in feature/functionality, but that provide options (like multiple deployments – on premise or cloud), that can really give you choice.

3. Can the newer ERP entrants, with less experience and fewer modules, stand the test of time? We’re not so sure. SYSPRO is time tested across many different platforms and our vast experience in the manufacturing industry has allowed us to build many different modules in a single DNA application. This experience enables us to foresee technology trends and adopt best of breed technologies as they emerge. SYSPRO, with all its modules, has been deployed on platforms ranging from minicomputers, PC-LAN, client/server, web/Internet all the way to the cloud. Two great examples are SYSPRO’s Espresso mobile capabilities, which deliver our modules on a device agnostic platform, as well as our ability to deliver these modules on-premise and via the cloud in many deployment configurations. If you investigate thinner solutions from cloud-only providers, you are going to get a one-size fits all view of the world which entertains a more generic and smaller module list with less functionality. This exposes the lack of experience by newer ERP entrants that is required in robust manufacturing environments where functionality and user experience is key.

I’ll close with what I think is great advice and in keeping with the homework metaphor: do the math, add up the columns and create tables that compare and contrast. While ERP is a commodity in the number of modules most vendors offer, there is a wide difference in the capabilities offered by individual vendors. Figure out what your priorities are: price, service, breadth, choice, etc. We think that if you take a good look, you’ll want to put SYSPRO at the top of your list for your consideration.

- Joey Benadretti

Joey-B-SYSPRO Joey Benadretti is the President and Joint Managing Director of SYSPRO USA. He is a champion of US manufacturing and is a strong advocator of the rebuilding of the US manufacturing base.

Benadretti’s footprint in the software community has established him as an influential and innovative leader, where has been a driving force in gaining significant international industry recognition for SYSPRO, including multiple ‘Company of the Year’ awards as well as a long list of other top industry honors and accolades.


Benadretti is passionate about community initiatives, education and supporting institutions that boost the local workforce

About SYSPRO

SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.

Transforming the Future of Manufacturing Floors

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IOT_v2-01I have seen a lot in my 30-odd years of leading a software company, but most recently, I’ve been really intrigued by the ways small and mid-sized manufacturers are leveraging technology to be competitive. It reminds me of an article that I read about a year ago that made me chuckle; it was entitled something along the lines of the “average manufacturer is smaller than you think…and getting smaller.”

When I first started working with what industry calls the “tier two and tier three” level of manufacturers -meaning: businesses that are generally below a billion dollars in revenue, and often under $500 million- the playing field was pretty stratified. The “haves” in the tier one conglomerate world had access to the biggest and best technologies because, well, they could afford it. The smaller, but often far more innovative, companies generally relied less on technology and more on their brains, brawn and connections to make things happen.

As IT companies in the software sector started looking downstream at the possibilities to cost effectively service smaller manufacturers, a funny thing started to happen: these smaller manufacturers started outperforming their much bigger rivals on multiple fronts.

Let’s look at the data.   Estimates are that there are some 250,000 manufacturers in the U.S. that have fewer than 500 employees.  If we do the rough math and divide it by 50 states (which is inequitable because different states are more manufacturing friendly than others, but hang with me here!)…that means that each state would have an average of a whopping 5,000 manufacturing companies headquartered there. That’s a lot of companies, and a lot of potential opportunity for those cities housing them.

So here’s where the data gets really interesting: these smaller businesses produce more innovations per employee than large manufacturers! What’s more, they not only bring business to their communities by way of the job sector, they are the catalyst for future innovation often later leveraged by the industry giants. Looking to the future, I see even more bright spots on the horizon for mid-market manufacturers, because there is a new wave of technology coming that either individually or collectively is going to be game changing.

Here are just three of my observations as to what to watch for on the manufacturing floors of the not-too-distant-future:

  • Embedded Smart Technologies and IoT (The internet of Things) – While I think we’ve all been a bit over-whelmed/overdosed on the hype cycles surrounding Big Data, it’s really going to be what some call Small Data, and I call “just plain smart” data. What I mean by this is that companies have at their disposal a wealth of disconnected data bytes that individually mean nothing, collectively can mean something, and when embedded into automated sensor-driven programs are nothing short of game changing. For example, the efficiency factor for production operations can be increased exponentially with built-in machinery diagnostic capabilities. Profit-killing downtime can be eliminated, performance can be continually monitored and predicted and data for future requirements can pre-emptively predict that something needs to be adjusted BEFORE that big job is processed. This is just one very small example – there are many others that can affect logistics, transportation, supply chain management, etc. etc.
  •  Wearables Will Change the Shop Floor Dynamics: Actually, you may be surprised that the proliferation of mobile devices and particularly smart phone apps, has been great innovation stimulant for how tomorrow’s production plants will operate! Wearables like google glass, with embedded key performance indicators (KPIs) and role-based visibility to guide users to “see” beyond ordinary vision (such as pending problems or things out of tolerance) will turn plant floor managers into a benevolent version of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Terminator”. In other words, they will see data that is inter-related with visual clues, and will be able to act with knowledge and precision to know whether something is or isn’t right. That can be enormously time saving, money saving and takes efficiency to new levels.
  • 3D will become 4D Printing – The latest stream of 3D printing capabilities haven’t even scratched the surface with what manufacturing shop floors will soon be able to accomplish in the not-too-distant future. While 3D printing technologies offer new possibilities for parts and materials that can eventually change the entire supply chain matrix, 4D printing takes it one step further by delivering “self-heal” capabilities that are embedded as part of the manufactured part. For example, in the automotive industry, vehicle coatings and/or windshields might change based on environmental conditions, brakes could sense and cool down emergency stop situations, a spare part could be auto-infused into an engine that’s about to blow. And that’s just a consumer example; imagine a shop floor that pre-empts plant machinery that is about to seize by auto replacing a part from an adjacent cache?

Technology is the great enabler – an equalizer for smaller manufacturers. At SYSPRO, we make it our objective to stay on the forefront of the newest technologies as they become “ready” for the marketplace. A great example is our SYSPRO mobile capabilities – world class, and were well ahead of the rest of our competitors in their scope. We know that SMB manufacturers are “in it to win it” – attract customers, serve them well, and grow profitability. The future is a journey we will take together!

- Brian Stein

Brian_Stein_SYSPRO

Brian Stein is CEO of SYSPRO USA, a post he has now held for a number of years. Prior, Brian served as President of SYSPRO USA. Brian’s background includes over 30 years’ computer software experience, much of which has been involved with comprehensive manufacturing software systems.

 Before joining SYSPRO, Stein was a partner in a computer consulting firm, during which time he lent his expertise to manufacturers, distributors and service companies seeking to computerize their operations. Previously, he was MIS Manager for several prominent international firms.

Stein is a sought-after speaker on enterprise computer software and related topics. He has appeared on a number of industry Web broadcasts in addition to having frequent speaking engagements at domestic and international seminars and conferences.

He holds a degree in Computer Science and keeps abreast of the newest technological innovations through ongoing education, membership in numerous industry organizations and interaction with Microsoft Corporation

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.

Logistics and Logic – Which ERP Capabilities Drive Value NOW?

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logistics_v2_shadowIn modern day use, the word “logistics” generally refers to activities that happen within or between businesses or organizations to move items -or even people- from point to point. While the origin of the word has some historical early references in the French and Greek language, its original Latin roots do in fact tie it to the commonly used word “logic”. Today we’re going to talk a little about both logic and logistics, because often, our first conversations with companies considering ERP start like this:

• What do you want?
• What do you need?
• What makes logical sense for your company to implement now?

There is a broad spectrum of companies looking for a new IT/ERP solution. Sometimes we have companies that have evolved off of stepping stone products like QuickBooks and need a broader, more integrated set of ERP capabilities to tie their growing operations together. But other times, we are approached by companies that have used our competitors’ solutions, have found that – at best, the solution didn’t meet their capabilities either from a feature/function or cost containment perspective. At worst, we hear quotes like this that came from a new SYSPRO customer who says, “It would simply defy logic for us to stay with our current ERP deployment – we can’t get the vendor’s attention, its inflexible, every single change we make costs us a fortune and we aren’t getting the value from it that we need NOW.”

Logic is very much a factor in the successful formulation of its logistics strategy. It starts with defining the service levels at which its logistics organization is at its most cost effective. Since supply chains are constantly changing and evolving, a company may develop a number of logistics strategies for specific product lines, specific countries or specific customers.

Let’s take the food and beverage industry, for example, which is a major focus for SYSPRO and where we have deep market penetration among our 15,000+ customers. This is a rapidly evolving industry that requires a fast and more flexible response time, regulated ingredient sourcing, and operates on slim margins. A vast multitude of integrated activities are needed to create food products, regulate their flow to market and support the financial and regulatory requirements needed.

SYSPRO ERP for Food & Beverage monitors the food and beverage life cycle from initial ingredients purchases, through manufacture to finished goods, shipments and final deliveries. It helps to achieve the critical balance between low inventory levels and high service levels, while incorporating multiple units of measure and catch weights that enable accurate product costing and pricing. It helps food and beverage manufacturers and distributors to:

• Achieve sustainability goals
• Comply with food safety regulations
• Manage product and raw ingredients traceability
• Monitor supply chains
• Monitor customer communication through CRM
• Optimize management and planning with improved visibility
• Control costs to increase profitability

When on one holistic platform, from a proven and trusted ERP vendor like SYSPRO, companies can quickly get logistics (and other!) value from their enterprise software. They get it by optimizing all of their resources and processes, and by gaining greater satisfaction both from customers and suppliers.

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.

Plain Speak: Recognizing Critical ERP Features vs. Jargon

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critical_ERPfeatures-01When you are a vendor marketing solutions in an industry where some competitors believe that the louder the megaphone, the better their solution, your only hope is that the buyer marketplace is smarter than the vendor. Fortunately, there has been a massive “up-curve” in the “BS” threshold of ERP software buyers. And we like that — a lot.

ERP was once a game of “smoke and mirrors” where acronyms and multi-syllable (and undecipherable) IT phrases – that were known not to be well understood – were passed out like candy during buyer presentations. This is not to discredit the value of a great ERP solution, nor the reality that the underpinnings of ERP programming languages and capabilities are highly technical. You can’t input and manage large volumes of integrated data infused with complex algorithms and not “get” that this is “deep stuff.”

But the point here is that too often, ERP providers of the past have gotten away with selling the sizzle, versus the steak. Sticking with this metaphor, big companies can afford to cut off the fat from a bad ERP steak and still mange. For mid-sized companies however, waste is a big deal.

If you want to get the plain speak on what is critical to a great ERP system and which is the “fat” jargon, here is a simple list of just three key things to watch for:

  • ONE HOME-GROWN SOLUTION – Here’s a great example of this: Remember when your kids LOVED Lego blocks…or maybe they still do!? The better they got at them, the pricier those sets got. If you are like me, who appreciates a bargain, you might have tried buying one of those alternative sets that looked like the real deal and was hyped as a cheaper alternative. But guess what – the blocks didn’t work with your kid’s other sets, even though they resembled them and were marketed as compatible. The block snaps didn’t quite align; the buildings were flimsier; and all the manual pressure in the world didn’t fix the problem. Mismatched ERP solutions, acquired via multiple acquisitions by the big ERP vendors, are just like that! So, pick one built on one native architecture, and you won’t have those issues.
  • FLEXIBILITY TO CUSTOMIZE IT YOURSELF – Businesses change; laws change; your requirements change; your people change; your customer base changes. You get the idea. If you install one of those hard-coded solutions that require IT experts to make the types of daily changes referenced above, you might as well leave your corporate wallet open on the sidewalk, because money is going to disappear with just as much speed!
  • THE TRUST FACTOR – We can’t say enough about how important it is to not only deliver a long-time proven product … but to stand behind it. If you google us, you are not going to find pages of lawsuits, similar to this chart from a few years ago: http://www.zdnet.com/article/erp-train-wrecks-failures-and-lawsuits/. We have more than 15,000 customers and one of the highest customer retention rates in the industry. We don’t try to “pull the wool over anyone’s eyes,” and we certainly do our very best to help educate customers on what they truly need, versus selling them the latest ERP jargon.

Home-grown. Flexible. Trustworthy. These are the plain speak language you’ll get when you choose SYSPRO as your ERP software provider.

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.

2016 Business Resolutions and How ERP Can Solve Them

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new_business_resolutions_2-01Creating realistic New Year’s business resolutions is a great starting point to succeed in 2016. Here are three areas of improvement and possible solutions that can help you start the year in a productive and positive way:

1. Make customer service a top priority
No matter how innovative your product is, or how clever of an ad campaign that you come up with, without quality service, your business will suffer. Consumers are far more likely to share their bad customer service experiences than they are to talk about positive experiences. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is an essential element to an ERP system because it provides 360 degree visibility to the information about the people with whom you do business, as well as the individuals within your organization. It helps manage information, not only about traditional customers and suppliers, but also other business relationships such as potential customers (prospects), and competitors. CRM gives you instant on-screen access to all relevant customer information that can provide a high level of customer service with minimal cost.

2. Gain valued financial insight into the business
Analytics provide the ability to measure your business in today’s highly competitive environment. The data is pulled from an analytical framework that builds and supports the key performance indicators of your business. ERP automates manual processes and is the single point of control for analytics that enable you make informed business decisions. You can get the answers you need quickly and easily, resulting in improved decision-making and ultimately, better business performance.

3. Improve analysis of real time forecasting
Forecasting can play a major role in driving company success by increasing your visibility into your supply chain. A fully integrated solution enables tracking of items from the source to the end location in real time. Algorithms predict future sales based on historic demand and enables you to easily identify those products that can be a better option for future sale. An ERP solution provides your team with the necessary tools you would need to identify improvements that can be made in your supply chain.

Take the time to reflect on the year and focus on how to refine your ERP strategy to align with your 2016 business goals. We here at SYSPRO want to wish you and your business a happy, healthy and prosperous year.

- Robert Robinson

Robert is the Social Media Coordinator at SYSPRO USA. He is a skilled marketing professional with experience in multi-media marketing, graphic design, and social media content.

 

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.

Why Independent Certifications (and Practice!) Matter

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CertificationsMatter_1-01SYSPRO has just received an independent review and certification report for its SYSPRO 7 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution from IT analyst firm Technology Evaluation Centers. The 50+ page, in-depth document analyzes and grades SYSPRO ERP capabilities for discrete, process and mixed-mode manufacturers. We invite you to read it at: http://www.technologyevaluation.com/research/certification-report/ERP-Software-Review-SYSPRO-7-for-Discrete-Process-Mixed-mode-and-SMB-Manufacturing.html.

While you will be able to see for yourself that SYSPRO 7 is acclaimed by TEC in this report for demonstrating a wide range of dominant and highly competitive capabilities, we want to focus on two additional items: why independent certifications matter, and how SYSPRO ERP has become a benchmark for excellence with its 15,000+ customers in 60 countries.

First, let’s put it out there: SYSPRO isn’t the largest ERP provider, and owning that title has never been our business priority. Some of our competitors have created huge massive revenues by acquiring competitors. Others are comparatively newer market entrants riding the new cloud technology wave. With so many providers and (very) loud megaphones fueled by marketing budgets in the tens of millions of dollars, it’s important that independent evaluation/analyst firms like TEC do the hard and arduous task of evaluating the vendors both independently against needed requirements AND against each other.

So how has SYSPRO stood the test of time and build a base of extremely loyal customers? Here are three key reasons: great technology, a cultural commitment to customer service, and deep experience in the manufacturing/distribution market:

Technology: SYSPRO has a single product architecture that is organically built from the ground up. The design is not the typical ERP solution patchwork of quilted-together acquisitions. This advantage gives our customers superior usability and flexibility with their SYSPRO ERP solution. This translates directly to the ability to adapt to changing business conditions much more easily and cost effectively.

Focus on Customer Service: Employees and partners that enter SYSPRO’s global organization (we do business in more than 60 countries!) are selected carefully and trained to embrace our cultural focus on customer satisfaction. SYSPRO places a high value on providing great service to our customers and combining that with great features/functions and best-in-class technology, as this TEC report points. And since we are privately held, our business priorities are set by customer requirements and not artificial quarterly pressures of performing to a set of financial priorities.

Experience: For more than 30 years, the SYSPRO founders and management executives have worked side by side with manufacturers and distributors. This is our market –our EXCLUSIVE market. The deep understanding of manufacturing industry requirements and the changing dynamics that can deeply sway performance is a customer benefit that accompanies the great technology acclaimed in this TEC report.

SYSPRO’s reputation for satisfied customers is well known to industry IT analysts, who issue independent reports and certifications like this one by TEC to help the ERP buyer better compare and contrast options. If you are a company currently using another ERP solution that is compromising your performance and your ability to grow, it’s time to consider an ERP provider who puts the customer first! You can see the full link to the SYSPRO showcase on the TEC site at http://www.technologyevaluation.com/research/company/SYSPRO.html

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.

ERP Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction Factors- SNAP Survey Insight from SYSPRO USA Customers

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SYSPRO_SNAPSurvey_infographic_Should companies replace their ERP solutions if they are not happy with them? Why would they go to the trouble? What would they be most happy with if they did make a change – and if they made the change to SYSPRO ERP?

These are questions we put to business owners and senior executives of SYSPRO USA coustomers– a vast and impressive group of seasoned manufacturing and distribution industry veterans. Smart people. Good people. People who have a great pulse on manufacturing industry needs and drivers. We wanted to know what SYSPRO users believe is going on in the wider market, particularly what they think is making their peers move with – or away from – their current ERP providers.

Everyone knows that implementing an ERP solution requires time, money and a great plan. Industry averages from various analyst and consulting groups state that companies only change their ERP solutions (i.e. move from one provider to another) every 7-10 years…and maybe longer. That’s a considerable length of time, even longer once you additionally factor in the typical 3-6 months or longer RFI and RFP processes, plus add on another 6 months or more for deploying a new ERP system.

So we first asked SYSPRO users what they thought the primary reason would be for their peers at other companies to make such a change. Out of four possible choices, more than half of the respondents said that company growth/change exposes shortcomings in many ERP solutions. There is a current disconnect between many companies who are currently feeling “stuck” with ERP solutions that are inflexible, difficult and costly to change, and the escalating need to continuously change business practices to adapt to new opportunities. Sure, making a change to a new ERP solution is hard –but not making the change to a more flexible solution like SYSPRO can be a real profit killer.

So, we inquired into why our SYSPRO customers thought others didn’t move more quickly to an ERP solution that is better for them and their business. We suggested four possible reasons why they might stay put, even if they were unhappy: fear of business disruption, cost, complacency (i.e. we are comfortable even if it’s not ideal), or did they believe all ERP solutions are basically similar? Our customers thought the hold-up was the fear of disruption and costs.

Finally, since our customers are the beneficiaries having moved from another ERP solution to SYSPRO ERP, we wanted to know the answer to this question: If a manufacturer or distributor were to change from one ERP solution to SYSPRO, what would ultimately make them the happiest: the business/financial impact, the customization/ease-of-use, the technology capabilities or our world class customer support? Two of these options soared way above the others: the business impact and the usability!

SYSPRO is known globally for award-winning technology and customer service, so we were initially a little surprised that customers valued the financial impact and customization capabilities, which of course work hand in hand, above the things that more typically make the headlines about SYSPRO. As we all know, customer service is always important, but at the end of the day, the software has to do the job and be flexible enough to meet business requirements.

SYSPRO customers are the very backbone of the U.S. economy, and they are a backbone that must remain financially sound, business nimble and able to adapt to whatever the global market throws at them.  The survey results show that our customers are getting the support that they need from SYSPRO in order to remain competitive and see positive business implications to their bottom-line. 

We’re proud to be supporting our customers and their initiatives, and we feel humbled every day by the trust SYSPRO customers place in us.

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.


5 Things You Need to Know Before Your First ERP Implementation

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Puzzle_pieces-02In a recent article, industry analyst firm Technology Evaluation Centers explored what they believed were five main challenges facing organizations when implementing ERP for the first time.  TEC makes excellent and valid points in their article and we feel that identifying these challenges can help with the planning stages, ensuring all possible issues are addressed before the implementation gets underway. In this post, we take a look at these common challenges and how SYSPRO can mitigate each.

1. The Selection Problem
TEC states that selecting the right software that is suited to your specific business needs is the first challenge a company faces when implementing a new ERP system. We agree with TEC and have said before that ERP selection is not one size fits all- every company is unique and therefore needs a software solution that will help fulfill their individual needs.  How does SYSPRO address this?  SYSPRO has experienced consultants who meet with businesses to establish, define and understand their unique business processes. Once the business processes are determined and understood, our consultants use all the data collected during these meetings to build a model of the suggested solution, which includes time periods for project milestones. At this beginning stage, all parties will be able to determine how the solution will be beneficial to the organization.

2. Technical Issues
The next challenge presented by TEC is matching technical requirements to the new software and choosing the right delivery model to connect the two together. At this stage, SYSPRO develops a project plan that covers every step of the implementation process. The project plan sets a timeline for everything from hardware requirements, resource controls, data conversions and data entry to validating the network. The project plan acts as a road map that covers the steps for proceeding through the design phase of the system.

3. Data Quality Issues
Two of the top common data challenges a company faces when implementing a new ERP system is replacing legacy data and consolidating disparate solutions. First the business needs to decide on what type of data needs to be collected for operations. The next step is to have the business clean out the inaccurate or duplicate data sets in their previous system. SYSPRO guides our customers through this process and then “maps” the migration of the newly refined data to the new file format of the ERP system. All data, whatever the method of transfer to the new system, should be balanced prior to going live because data integrity of the new system can be make or break for an implementation.

4. Business Philosophy Changes
Business transformation could be a real challenge for companies that have had the same business model and day-to-day processes for many years – or even decades. It is important at this stage to provide the new users with a visual representation of the implementing steps and the proposed final outcome of the new system. SYSPRO’s Quantum Architecture, gives a “helicopter” view of the business, so that decision makers can pinpoint, monitor and determine the work levels in financial terms as well as key performance indicators of people, strategy, and business activities. The implementation team uses this tool to confirm that their new business processes are correctly designed and mapped to match the new software. SYSPRO’s team looks to ensure that every user understands exactly how their job will be affected, how they will benefit from the change, and how they will be educated and trained so as to be more comfortable with the transition to the new system.

5. “Mind Shift” Issues
The last challenge for a successful ERP implementation depends on the users and their willingness to adapt to new processes. Often times, it can be difficult to change company culture, so that is why it is important that the new system is managed from the top down. Managers and executives need to be fully integrated to the system so that their employees follow suit. Additionally, training is very important in the implementation plan as this empowers new users to utilize the full power & functionality of SYSPRO software and make quick changes to the new system. The SYSPRO implementation project team is still fully engaged from the go live date up to the first month-end. The first month-end is seen as a test of whether everything is working as planned and how the new users are adapting to the change in processes.

An ERP implementation involves making a lot of big changes at the company. Despite these challenges, SYSPRO has the proper planning and execution experience to deliver an overall successful ERP implementation.

- Robert Robinson
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Social Media Coordinator at SYSPRO USA. He is a skilled marketing professional with experience in multi-media marketing, graphic design, and social media content.

 

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, contact us.

Tips for Partnering With an ERP Software Developer

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ERP_Partner_v2As an ERP Reseller, what are you looking for in an ERP software solution? What are you looking for in an ERP software vendor-to-partner relationship? These are questions that are asked – and then asked again – when it comes to VARs (Value Added Resellers) choosing who they will partner with. There are many ERP vendors out there, but what is it that sets one apart from the next? Is it the solution itself, or the actual partner program? Are you deciding based upon brand recognition or are you basing your decision on price? These are all valuable questions that ERP developers address as they build their programs to benefit both parties involved.

In the ERP industry, it’s a well-known fact that an ERP provider is definitely not as strong without a channel; however, developing that partner channel poses many challenges. ERP Resellers all have very specific needs and individual requirements. Some VARs do their own implantation, some don’t. Some do their own support, some don’t. Some VARs pick up the sales side of things in the blink of an eye, while others require a more “hands-on” approach. When building a partner-focused program, the ERP vendor needs to address these unique partner requirements from both sides of the spectrum. What is that happy median? Whether you are a three man shop or a fifty man outfit with multiple locations, the program needs to fit YOU. Not a generic program that most ERP vendors have created to fit MOST resellers.  So what exactly should an ERP Reseller look for when choosing a vendor to partner with?

Long-term positive track records with both customers and partners
Strong and proven methodologies
A winning ERP solution
Lead management, sales and marketing support
Customer management support
Reputation for commitment to their channel
Accessibility of staff to the channel
Collaboration/synergy with their channel

In conclusion, picking your ERP developer can be a very complex process. You are not just spending the time and money in picking up the solution not only now, but for years to come and it’s important to evaluate every aspect of what their program offers.

SYSPRO has developed a Channel Partner Program with that not only “talks the talk,” but also “walks the walk.” SYSPRO’s Partner Program gears itself to be the most flexible and partner-focused program out there. This program was designed to take a “true partnership” approach, meaning they will work closely with each partner to help them achieve their own individual goals.  SYSPRO’s program gives partners the tools and platform to develop your business into what it you want it to be. 

For more information on the program, download the SYSPRO Affinity Partner Program Brochure.

-Derek Thomas
Derek Thomas

Derek is Business Development Rep. at SYSPRO USA. He has been with SYSPRO for nearly 3 years and has held several positions within the organization specifically focused on sales, including the reseller channel as well working closely with prospective customers evaluating SYSPRO as a solution to their enterprise software needs. Prior to SYSPRO, Derek worked in the retail/distribution industry.

 

About SYSPRO
SYSPRO is the leading supplier of ERP software to mid-market manufacturers and distributors. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed customers in over 60 countries around the globe. If you’d like an ERP expert to contact you and further discuss how SYSPRO ERP can streamline your business processes, please contact us.

 





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