Please Wait a Moment
X

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

Crossroads Connections

Infor ERP Tips & News from the Experts

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

Infor News You Can Use: Driving Digital Product Passport Compliance

Crossroads RMC 0 923 Article rating: 5.0

Prepare for Digital Product Passport Compliance with Expert Insight from Lora Cecere
Founder, Supply Chain Insights

With the EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) set to launch in 2027 for initial industries—batteries, consumer electronics, and textiles (footwear and apparel)—businesses are beginning to confront a rapidly evolving compliance landscape. Yet with many requirements still undefined, confusion is widespread.

Lora Cecere's latest research helps organizations cut through the uncertainty by offering actionable insights and a clear, customer-centric, outside-in approach to DPP readiness.

Key Highlights:

  • Start with the Customer in Mind
    Align compliance efforts with market demands to drive growth and gain a competitive advantage.

  • Break Down Silos
    Cross-functional collaboration—across sustainability, supply chain, procurement, and policy is essential for success.

  • Clarify Compliance
    Understand the core elements that define DPP compliance and the practical steps needed to achieve it.

  • Learn from Diverse Approaches
    See how companies are navigating DPP differently, with no one-size-fits-all path to readiness.

  • Adopt GS1 Standards
    Address the existing gap in the implementation of critical global standards for traceability and product information.

Build the capabilities your organization needs today to meet the demands of tomorrow—with a forward-looking, customer-first strategy.

👉 [Access the full research here

5 WARNING SIGNS Your Disconnected Business Systems Are Costing You Money

Crossroads RMC 0 929 Article rating: 5.0
  1. You Can’t Track Project Costs in Real-Time
    If you're waiting until after a project wraps up to find out whether it was profitable, that’s a major red flag. Without real-time cost tracking, you're making critical decisions in the dark.

  2. Quoting and Estimating Are Slow, Manual, or Inconsistent
    Does it take hours—or even days—to build a custom quote because you're pulling information from multiple systems? That lost time translates directly into lost sales opportunities.

  3. You Rely on Spreadsheets for Critical Operations
    Spreadsheets are useful—until they’re not. Issues like version control problems, accidental overwrites, and human error can lead to costly mistakes.

  4. Scheduling and Inventory Management Are Disconnected from Financials
    If your production and finance teams aren’t working from the same data, it’s only a matter of time before you face delays, stockouts, or budget overruns.

  5. You Don’t Have a Real-Time View of Project Profitability
    Without live costing tied directly to jobs, small losses can accumulate unnoticed, until it's too late.

Disconnected data refers to information stored outside your core business systems, like your ERP. While this data has value, a lack of integration causes inefficiencies and misalignment across your organization, often more than you realize.

The Cost of Disconnected Data...

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for TECHNOLOGY: Authorization and Security - LN REST APIs

Kathy Barthelt 0 1366 Article rating: 5.0

In typical LN REST API integrations, permissions and authorizations are not implemented or rarely used. To ensure smooth data exchange and avoid errors, it is recommended to disable the authorization and security settings.

Recommendation:

  • In the Authorization and Security Parameters session (tcsec0100m000):

    • Clear the Authorization and Security Enabled check box.

    • Clear all check boxes under Authorization Enable for on the Enabling tab.

Why This Matters:

  • Enabling authorization and security without proper setup can lead to errors and blocked transactions during integration.

  • For example, work center permissions may interfere with:

    • Creating new shifts

    • Booking machine hours

    • Read more

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for OPERATIONS: Copy Customized Product Structure to Standard Structure (tipcs2232m000)

Kathy Barthelt 0 840 Article rating: 5.0

This functionality allows you to copy the product structure of a customized item to a standard item.

Note: When a customized structure is copied to a standard structure, the Customized check box in the Items session (tcibd0501m000) is cleared.

Item Types:

  • Standard Items: Identified by a regular item code.

  • Segmented Items: Consist of a project code segment and an item base segment (i.e., the customized item’s item code). Segments are defined in the Item Code Segmentation session (tcibd0500m000).

Only components valid for the specified Effectivity Unit will be copied.

Copy Options:

  • Target Routing Code
    Enter the code of the standard routing to which the customized structure should be copied.

  • Copy Product Structure
    Choose whether to:

    • Copy the entire structure

    • Copy only the first level

    • Perform the copy interactively

  • Reference Date
    Only parts of the product structure valid on this date will be copied.

  • Copy E-Item Relationships
    If selected, related E-item records will be copied.

  • Copy All Components and Effectivity Statements
    If selected, unit effectivity is copied to the standard structure. You can specify the unit.
    Exceptions related to routings and operations (that meet date effectivity) are also copied.

  • Alternative Material
    If selected, alternative BOM components are included in the copy.

  • Use-Up Material
    If selected, use-up materials from BOM components are included.

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for FINANCE: Rebuild History for Account Matching (tfgld1218m000)

Kathy Barthelt 0 1092 Article rating: 5.0

Use this session to rebuild the ledger account history for account matching. This is particularly useful if you’ve recently defined a ledger account, on which transactions already exist, as a matchable account.

You can specify the fiscal year and period for which you want to rebuild the account matching history.

Note: This session can also be used to remove unmatched transactions if you decide to stop performing account matching for a specific ledger account.

Field Information

Selection Range

  • Use Job Reference Date
    If selected, Infor LN uses the Job Reference Date as the basis for rebuilding history data.

  • Job Reference Date
    Specifies the date and time used for the rebuild process.
    Enabled only if "Use Job Reference Date" is selected.

  • Financial Company
    The financial company for which you want to rebuild a ledger account history.

  • Ledger Account
    The specific ledger account to rebuild.

  • Fiscal Year
    The fiscal year for which you want to rebuild the ledger account matching history.


     

Infor LX/BPCS Tips & Tricks for FINANCE: Override Warning in Invoice Entry PO Costing

George Moroses 0 1503 Article rating: 5.0

Improves control over PO costing changes during invoice entry by replacing passive warnings with an intentional override action.

  • In ACP500D3 (Invoice Entry PO Costing), users previously could unintentionally accept changes by pressing ENTER, even when quantity to cost or amount to cost values had changed.

  • A new “F14 to Override” warning message replaces the old message:
    “Details have changed. Press enter again to accept data.”
    This ensures users acknowledge and confirm significant changes explicitly.

New System Parameter:

  • “Apply GRN Costing Tolerance for PO Costing” (optional):

    • Within tolerance: Displays the original message —
      “Details have changed. Press enter again to accept data.”

    • Outside tolerance: Triggers the new override requirement —
      “F14 to Override”

Benefits:

  • Enhances oversight and reduces unintentional cost acceptance.

  • Enables better control of PO costs when invoice details differ from expectations.

12345678910Last

Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Standard costing is really a ‘best guess’ at labor costing -- these numbers are often inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

Accurate job costing requires the capture of all tasks associated with a specific product or job, including direct and indirect labor in setup, production, and customer service.

Inaccuracies in the collection of time allocated to machinery and the use of materials can result in the inability to properly pass those charges through to the customer, reducing company profitability.

Basically, you can’t manage what you can’t measure -- and you can’t measure what you can’t track. So the inability to track time-to task ultimately inhibits maximum utilization of the workforce. Unproductive activities remain hidden from sight -- managers don’t have the information needed to understand where wasted time exists, and therefore cannot create an action plan to remove it.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

  • Sit down with your IT team. Decide how the information will be captured and where it will be stored so that employees have access to it. What software tools need to be used to capture the information? How does it need to be organized? Create a repeatable process to make this easy for your staff.
     
  • Interview the person. Have them talk you through his/her job. What are the things they do every day? What are their biggest challenges? How do they overcome them? 
     
  • Have someone shadow the person for a week. Watch what they do and how they do it. Ask questions. Who does he/she interact with in their department? Outside of their department? Why?
     
  • Find out what tools he/she uses to perform their job? Are there spreadsheets?  Reports within your ERP / outside of your ERP? Separate stand-alone databases? Drawings? Websites? Why does he/she use them?
     
  • Video record how the person does their job. Is their technique critical to “doing it right” the first time and not ending up with a bunch of scrap that you can’t reuse?
     
  • Figure out if the person does anything special on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis that might not come up during the observation period or interview. 
     
  • Map how he/she uses your business system and how that impacts the rest of the company. Understand both the “what” and the “why”. Without this, new employees may end up figuring out what they need to do, but never understand why they need to do it.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

FirstLast

Tips: LN | Baan

Avoid Being a Quitter: How Crossroads RMC Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

Unlocking Success Infor LX/BPCS & Infor LN and Baan

Avoid Being a Quitter

As the calendar flips to January 1st, it marks the beginning of a new year filled with fresh opportunities and resolutions. It's that time when many of us set ambitious goals for ourselves, both personally and professionally. But, how often do these aspirations fizzle out before we even hit the second Friday of the year? It's so common that they even call it "Quitter's Day." However, it's not too late to stay on track and realize your ambitions. In this article, we'll focus on the professional side of goal-setting and how Crossroads RMC can be your ally in achieving manufacturing excellence.

Step 1: Make Your Goals Bite-Sized

While you might have grand ambitions, like upgrading your ERP system, increasing customer satisfaction, or optimizing your supply chain, achieving these goals often involves breaking them down into smaller, manageable projects. Here's how you can start:

  • Why: Understand why you want to make these changes. Is it to retain your top customers, leverage new ERP features, or streamline your supply chain?
  • What: Clearly define the desired outcomes – be it increased sales, enhanced efficiency, or cost reduction.
  • Who: Identify the key players who can help you achieve these goals. Do you have the necessary resources in-house, or should you consider external expertise?
  • When: Establish a timeline, considering your overall company initiatives, project priorities, and deadlines. Make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, and time-based (SMART).

For example:

  • Increase customer satisfaction for our top 5 customers by 10% in the next 6 months.
  • Reduce production mistakes in our welding department by 50% within a year.


Step 2: Identify Roadblocks

What's preventing you from reaching your goals? Is it a lack of resources, support, or the right tools? Consider these factors:

  • Lack of bandwidth: Assess your team's capacity. Can you involve colleagues from other departments or partners?
  • Support: Get buy-in from business leaders by demonstrating the ROI and benefits of your project. Educate your coworkers on its importance.
  • Tools: Explore features in your ERP system that you might not be utilizing fully. Is an upgrade or additional software add-ons needed?

 
Step 3: Take Action and Persist

Creating a plan is vital, but remember, the path to success isn't always smooth. Prepare for challenges and adapt as needed:

  • Develop a comprehensive plan to execute your goals.
  • Communication is key. Keep your team informed about progress and challenges.
  • Adjust your plan when necessary. Mistakes are part of the journey and can lead to future success.


How Crossroads RMC Can Help You in 2024

At Crossroads RMC, we understand the challenges manufacturers face, and we're here to support your journey to success. Here's how we can assist:

  • Implement new functionality in your existing ERP system.
  • Lead the way in upgrading your ERP to the latest version.
  • Provide training based on best practices for your employees.
  • Automate time-consuming, manual processes.
  • Integrate your systems, creating a seamless, cohesive environment.
  • Deliver ERP add-on solutions that save you time and money.

We offer a comprehensive range of consulting services and software designed to optimize manufacturing by reducing costs, improving quality, and enhancing efficiency.

Learn More:

Infor LX & BPCS Services> Infor LX & BPCS Software>

Infor LN & Baan Services> Infor LN & Baan Software>
 

It's Time for Action!

Contact us today at solutions@crossroadsrmc.com or call us at 800.762.2077 to discuss your ERP goals. Let Crossroads RMC be your partner in making 2024 a resounding success for your manufacturing business!

Print
14293 Rate this article:
.2
Crossroads RMC

Crossroads RMCCrossroads RMC

Other posts by Crossroads RMC

Contact author

x

Categories