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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

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: What is Lean Make to Order?

Anthony Etzel 0 72398 Article rating: No rating

This is a simple way to go from the customer order to making the order and shipping the order. It involves a few simple steps:

  1. Receive and enter the customer order
  2. Automatic credit review
  3. Automatic release of the shop order tied to the customer order
  4. Issue material, report labor to the production order receipt
  5. Pick the order, ship the order, invoice the customer

With lean, you can skip processing the demand through MRP. You can go directly from the customer order to the shop order creation.

PDIC Goes Live with Crossroads MES

Anthony Etzel 0 53345 Article rating: 5.0

PDIC, a leading producer of wire products, went live with the Crossroads MES solution on June 30th,2014. PDIC needed a better way to deploy and report shop floor information to BPCS 6.02. Their goal was to eliminate all their manual reporting and position themselves to take advantage of the Crossroads Dashboards.

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Negative Inventory

Kathy Barthelt 0 127249 Article rating: 5.0

If Location Control is turned on in Baan IV, then inventory should never be negative.

If Location Control is not turned on in Baan IV, and the parameter “Negative Inventory Allowed” in INV Parameters is set to “NO”, then inventory should never be negative.

In Baan V and LN, the parameters in Inventory Handling Parameters determine whether you can have negative inventory. If these parameters are set to “NO”, then inventory should never be negative.

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Establish Costing For Purchased Items

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How Does Infor LX Establish Costing For Purchased Items?

In LX, you will establish a standard cost (you define the standard) that LX will use for the purchase items. You also need to establish in LX the Cost Type, the Cost Bucket, and the Cost Set needed for cost accounting.

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Alternate Items

Anthony Etzel 0 78848 Article rating: No rating

How can I use an alternate item on a shop order?

The best way is to have the approved alternate item appear on the Bill of Material just after the standard item with a zero required quantity. Now the alternate item will appear on the Shop Order. So, if the standard item is not available, the alternate item can be issued to the shop order.

When the shop order is closed out, one item will have an unfavorable variance while the other shows a favorable variance. This is an easy way to provide alternate items provided engineering approves and they are part of the Bill of Material.

Crossroads MES Version 11 Released

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Crossroads MES Version 11 was rolled out in March, 2014. Some of the new features include a new GUI interface, improved End of Shift review functions, pre-formatted production label printing, and an electronic shop packet on the factory worker Job In screen.

Crossroads MES Released for Tablet

Anthony Etzel 0 49776 Article rating: 3.7

Crossroads RMC announces that the Crossroads MES solution is now compatible with tablet PCs running Windows 8.1. Tablet PCs are becoming the clipboard replacement for supervisors and managers to monitor what’s happening on the shop floor.

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

Kathy Barthelt

Moving Beyond ERP Customizations: Smarter Solutions for a Future-Ready System

Transitioning away from ERP customizations can feel like a major hurdle—but with the right strategy, it’s not just possible, it’s powerful. Let’s cut through the noise and look at the real issues... and the smart solutions that pave the way to a leaner, more future-ready ERP.

Common Challenges (and Why They’re Not Dealbreakers)

Reliance on Custom Processes
Custom workflows often become second nature—but are they still serving you? Modern ERPs evolve with industry best practices baked in, and chances are, today’s standard features do what your custom code used to… only better.

Budget & Time Constraints
Testing, retraining, consulting—it all adds up. But the long-term payoff? Reduced technical debt, faster upgrades, and major gains in efficiency and scalability.

User Resistance
Change is hard, especially when teams are comfortable with their tools. But clear communication and a strong change management plan can turn skeptics into champions of a smarter, streamlined system.

Reality Check: Has Your Business Outgrown Its Customizations?
Are workarounds piling up? Are outdated custom features slowing things down? It might be time to re-evaluate. Often, organizations discover that what once required custom code can now be handled with out-of-the-box functionality.


Did You Know?

  • ERP Upgrades Can Eliminate 25%–50% of Customizations.
  • Modern ERP systems, like Infor LN and Baan, now include many features that used to require custom development.


Smart Alternatives to Customization

  • Use Standard APIs & Libraries
    Modernize without disrupting. Refactor your code to integrate cleanly with the ERP’s built-in APIs—no more core modifications.
  • Tap Into Infor Extensibility & LN Studio
    Need to tweak something? Use Extensibility for light changes or LN Studio for deeper custom apps that don’t compromise ERP integrity.
  • Simplify Integrations with Infor ION
    If your customizations are all about connecting systems, ION has you covered with seamless, low-code integration across platforms.
  • Build with RMCgen
    Need custom development? RMCgen lets you create new components without ever touching standard ERP code—flexibility and stability.
  • Get Insights with Dashboards, Not Code
    Custom dashboards deliver actionable insights without bloating your ERP. Use analytics tools to tailor views for every role.
  • Embrace Built-In Reporting Tools
    Skip the custom report scripts. Infor Report Designer, Document Management, and BIRST give you the power to build rich reports—no dev time required.


Your Custom Inventory: Time for a Health Check
Not sure where to begin? Start by assessing your existing custom components. Crossroads RMC can help you pinpoint which ones are still pulling their weight—and which can be retired or replaced with smarter tools.


💡 Let’s Talk Solutions
Ready to unlock the full potential of your ERP—without dragging legacy code along for the ride? Crossroads RMC is here to help.

📞 800.762.2077
📧 solutions@crossroadsrmc.com
💬 Or Request a Consultation to start your journey to a flexible, future-proof ERP.

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Kathy Barthelt

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