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Infor LX Tips, Infor LN Tips, BPCS Tips, Baan Tips, Infor M3 Tips & Infor ERP News

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Infor ERP Tips & News from the Experts

Infor LX | Infor LN | BPCS | Baan | Infor M3

If ERP is plumbing for the Enterprise - How do we unplug it and keep it from making a huge mess?

David Dickson 0 25730 Article rating: 5.0

I have been working with ERP in various roles for over 30 years, directly involved in over a hundred implementations, while my company has been involved with over 400 more. Of course, in many ways the systems we use today are completely different from what we used in the ‘80s – back then it was green screens, simple transaction entry forms, and cumbersome updates (at best) to link what one department did with all the other areas that needed access to that information. Then there were those planning programs that took all the information along with various parameters the users needed to set and told us what to do.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Why Your Operation Doesn’t Stand a Chance in Hell of Going From Good to Great (and What to do About it)

David Dickson 0 73047 Article rating: 5.0

You dream of building a manufacturing powerhouse.

An operation with loads of throughput, profit, and efficiency in every process to make your products the best quality you can make them.

You want to be as successful as the factories and companies they write about in books like  Good to Great, changing your operation, and even motivating and inspiring your teams to do so too.

But you know you haven’t got a chance in hell of seeing that kind of success unless you can truly change and make significant differences over the long haul.

Of course, the big question is How? 

No one cares how hard you work! How you can do more, while doing less – know your MO.

David Dickson 0 42309 Article rating: 5.0

Would you like me to tell you a dirty, little secret?

No one cares how hard you work. Sure, some people will notice if you seem to be working hard. Your spouse or companion might note that you seem tired, stressed, not as much fun, or just aren’t around much, but they care about the consequences, not how hard you work. Your boss might note happily that his staff seems busy, things are humming along, but you can be sure that when it is review time she gets no credit for “keeps staff very busy.” Nor will the boss give you extra points for being busy. It is about results.

People outside your personal life, beyond your coworkers, might notice that you are hard to contact, perhaps because you are so busy. But trust me, customers do not care why they can’t get hold of you, and they will not see it as a positive.

If ERP is plumbing for the Enterprise; How do we unplug it and keep it from making a huge mess?

David Dickson 0 42770 Article rating: 5.0

I have been working with ERP in various roles for over 30 years, directly involved in over a hundred implementations, while my company has been involved with over 300 more. Of course, in many ways the systems we use today are completely different from what we used in the ‘80s – back then it was green screens, simple transaction entry forms, and cumbersome updates (at best) to link what one department did with all the other areas that needed access to that information. Then there were those planning programs that took all the information along with various parameters the users needed to set and told us what to do.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Understanding: The quantities required, finished and remaining at the operation and in total for the Shop Order

The shop order may require 1,000 pieces but only 950 are reported as finished in total for the shop order. The quantity required is what is planned on the SO and it may be a higher number than what is finished, factoring in that there can be scrap. If a 1,000 pieces are required to be produced, and there is always is scrap of 10 pieces, then plan for scheduling a quantity of 1,010.

The quantity finished for the end item is what is reported in the inventory application with a production order receipt transaction. At the operation level, if the quantity is reported at the operation, there will be a value in the PCS Complete field on the operation detail screen showing the pieces completed through that operation.

If you want to get a handle on the difference between the required quantity and the finished quantity, you may want to look into reporting quantities at the operation level as well as examining how scrap is controlled and reported.

Understanding: How many hours remain in total and at each operation?

Now let’s look at what information is being supplied from the shop floor.

It’s not uncommon for transaction reporting to be captured manually on the shop packet that was issued to the factory floor when the SO was released.

The big question is, is anything done with the data? Is it collected and keyed to a  spreadsheet and not shared, or is the transaction data keyed to SFC600? If it is being keyed, ask how often and by whom? Some companies use alternative methods to capture transaction data that do not require batch keying via a keyboard.

Not a lot of data is required to be keyed to SFC600 in order for the SO Inquiry to be useful. The data that should be reported for the transaction process is as follows:

  • The type of hours being reported – machine, run labor, setup labor
  • If reporting setup and run labor you want an employee clock number
  • The shop order and the operation that is being reported
  • Is the operation complete
  • How many good were produced at this operation
  • How many hours – the numbers of hours are critical. Do the employees estimate how many hours they worked, or do they track actual time started and stopped in order to calculate the actual number of hours.

Based on what is captured and how often will have an impact on the SO inquiry screen. Understanding the batch times as to when the transactions are keyed will provide you with the window as to the SO status at that point in time. Or, are they keyed as they happen in a near real time fashion so that you can have a more current view of the factory floor.

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Tips: LN | Baan

Are you striving to create shipping labels that cater to all your customers' needs? Do you require specific details on your shipping labels for particular items or product lines?

According to recent research, the global barcode label printer market was valued at $2.6 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach $4.3 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.2% from 2023 to 2032.

Crossroads RMC's RMClabel software automates the printing of customer-specific and item-specific labels...

Ensuring access to historical logistical and financial transaction information for your employees is crucial. However, before proceeding with archiving or deletion, it's essential to evaluate the necessity of retaining this data. Baan and Infor LN (ERP LN) offer standard archiving sessions within major modules that typically handle a significant volume of historical transactions. These sessions are designed to transfer historical data to an archive company before deleting it from the operational company.

When it comes to archiving sessions, you have three primary options:

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