Infor ERP Tips and Infor ERP News for Infor LX, BPCS, Infor ERP LX, Infor LN, Infor ERP LN, Baan, Infor M3, and Movex

Please Wait a Moment
X

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

Resources Infor ERP Tips & News

Crossroads Connections

Infor ERP Tips & News from the Experts

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

Subscribe to newsletter

Huf North America Goes Lives With Next Phase of RMC3 Data Collection

Crossroads RMC 0 43959 Article rating: No rating

Huf North America, a global leader in the production of mechanical and electronic key systems, lock sets, steering locks, and remote control systems for the automotive industry, has gone live with phase 2 of their Crossroads RMC data collection implementation. This go-live included Report Orders Complete, Labor Reporting, Material Issue, Inventory Transfers, barcode label modifications, as well as custom applications for their Paint / Polishing operations. This go-live was paired with the expansion of Huf’s Plastic Injection Molding and Paint Facility in Greeneville, TN. The next phase of this project will include the extension of the Crossroads RMC solution into Huf’s facility in Mexico.

Read more

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Product Configurator - Part 2

Baan Tips

Kathy Barthelt 0 127019 Article rating: 3.0
Who gets involved?
  1. Most commonly Engineering is involved in writing the rules, creating the bills and routings.
  2. Sales or Customer Service determines the questions and the order they are asked in.
  3. Sales or Customer Service determines the rules for the pricing.
  4. Sales, or Customer Service, and Engineering work together in determining the part number, description and text.

What are the steps?

  1. You must start by defining the features and options (questions and answers) and the order in which these are asked. We work this out first using sticky notes and large easel paper. Normally during the process we find that we want to move these questions around. Setting them down on paper makes the process of getting the data into Baan much more efficient. We also then have a record of what decisions were made prior to entering the data. This is normally a joint effort of Engineering and Sales. This is required and must be the first step.
  2. Constraints for features and options. These are the rules for determining what questions are asked and which options are allowed. This is generally done by Engineering or whoever is responsible for the configurator. This is required.
  3. Generic Bill of Material. All possible bill options are entered here and constraints are written to determine which options are selected based on the answers to the questions. This is generally done by Engineering or whoever is responsible for the configurator. This is a required step.
  4. Generic Routing. Similar to the bill of material, but used for generation of the routing steps. This is generally done by Engineering or whoever is responsible for the configurator. This is optional.
  5. Generic Item Data. This consists of creating custom item numbers, descriptions, text, material, size or standard fields in the custom item master. This is generally done by Engineering or whoever is responsible for the configurator though Sales may have some involvement. This is optional.
  6. Generic Pricing. This is used to calculate the selling price based on the answers to the questions. This is normally a responsibility of Sales or whoever determines the pricing. This group is also trained on writing the constraints for this section only. This is optional.
Read more

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: How To Capture Re-Work Time (Part 1)

Anthony Etzel 0 93914 Article rating: No rating
In SFC600, there is no code to capture the time spent on re-work. Re-work is usually at a specific operation, or when the part is finished and QC determines that re-work is required in order to pass inspection. You are faced with deciding on how to report the additional labor time.

Do you continue to report it against the operation, or create a re-work shop order?

If you are re-working through a specific operation you can capture the time as run labor with the SFC600 program. Now you need to deal with the variance of actual to standard time and what impact this has on costing.
Read more

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Configuration Management

Anthony Etzel 0 86207 Article rating: No rating

Make to Order? No problem if you use the Configuration Management System. This LX product allows you to define and configure a make to order product during Customer Order Entry. Basically, you have the option to create different products under the same common product item. You will get two completely different common end items that are configured from the same common parent.

The customer orders are planned and turned into shop orders for each end item with all the associated components. With an MES solution in place, the shop order side is easy to schedule and allows you to manage the shop floor.

Read more

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Product Configurator - Part 1

Kathy Barthelt 0 86660 Article rating: No rating
What is it?
The configurator consists of a set of features (questions). The options (answers) to these questions then are used to generate the custom bill of material and routing. These questions may be answered at the time of order entry, prior to order entry (in a project or quote) or after order entry (in the project). The order of the questions need not have any relationship to the bill of materials. The configurator may also calculate the selling price, create a unique “smart” item number, custom description and text. Simple rules are used to interpret the answers.

Who uses the configurator?
Companies whose products have options. The configurator eliminates the need for part numbers for all combinations of options. The configurator ensures that the pricing and bills are correct. The configurator also keeps statistics on the frequency the options are selected.
Read more

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Uses for LX Bill of Material

Anthony Etzel 0 93883 Article rating: No rating
In Infor LX, based on how your items are set up and on how you structure the Bill of Material, the following are some usages of a bill of material by functioning area:

  • Engineering & QA – change control, product design and specifications
  • Manufacturing – build instructions , material pick lists
  • Accounting – product costing
  • Materials Inventory – material and inventory planning
  • Sales – customer order processing
  • Production Scheduling – item scheduling (also a component of an MES solution)
Read more

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Optionally Include Tax Amounts In Order Balance

Kathy Barthelt 0 88606 Article rating: No rating
In Baan IV, the order balance amount always includes the tax amount. Consequently, the tax amount must be recalculated every time an order line is modified in order to update the balance correctly. If the tax provider is activated, this requires an API call for every re-calculation of tax.

In Infor LN, users can select or clear the new Include Tax in Order Balance check box in the COM Parameters (tccom0000s000) session to indicate whether users want to include tax amounts in the order balance amount. This parameter has an effect on various sessions in Order Management.
Read more

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 114185 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? 

Read more
First129130131132134136137138Last

Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

Crossroads RMC
/ Categories: Services News, Finance, Operations, Technology, Executive

End of Year E R P Checklist: Streamline Your Transition to the New Year

The end of the year is a busy time for everyone, but a little preparation can make the start of the next year smoother and more productive. Here's a checklist broken out by the department to help optimize your ERP system as you wrap up this year.

All Departments End of Year Checklist

_____1. Strategic ERP Review

  • Review and Update Reports and Dashboards
    • Evaluate standard reports and dashboards to ensure they align with current business requirements.
    • Adapt them to reflect changing priorities so the information remains relevant and actionable.

_____2. ERP Support and Maintenance

  • Address Outstanding Support Issues
    • Reach out to Crossroads RMC for unresolved support concerns or system issues.
    • Collaborate to resolve lingering problems and clear your to-do list before the year ends.

_____3. Training and Consulting Services

  • Assess Team Training Needs
    • Conduct a skills gap analysis to identify areas where your team may require additional ERP training.
    • Allocate resources for consulting services to help your team remain efficient and effective with the ERP system.

_____4. Future Investments

  • Evaluate New ERP Features or Modules
    • Review potential ERP investments to support business growth.
    • Align new features or modules with the organization’s current and future needs to maximize ROI and operational efficiency.


IT/Technology Checklist

_____1. Data Cleanup

  • Perform data deduplication to eliminate redundant entries.
  • Validate existing data to ensure accuracy and reliability. This reduces errors and boosts confidence in reporting.

_____2. Archive/Remove Obsolete Data

  • Archive or delete outdated data to improve system performance and reduce database clutter.
  • Streamlined data management enhances system usability and reduces search inefficiencies.

_____3. Monitor System Performance

  • Review system logs and performance metrics to identify bottlenecks.
  • Address any recurring lags or slowdowns to improve overall system efficiency.

_____4. Review User Access Controls

  • Audit user roles, permissions, and access rights for accuracy.
  • Remove or update access for users with altered responsibilities or those no longer with the organization.
  • This step mitigates cybersecurity risks and ensures compliance with data governance policies.

_____5. Test Emergency Recovery Procedures

  • Perform a test run of backup and recovery protocols to verify their effectiveness.
  • Ensure all critical data can be restored in the event of a disaster.

_____6. Prepare for Date-Dependent Processes

  • Audit scheduled jobs, scripts, and automation with hard-coded dates.
  • Update these dates to reflect the upcoming year to avoid disruptions in processes.

_____7. Bonus IT Tasks

  • Communicate planned system downtimes with all stakeholders in advance.
  • Document any changes made to the system during this period for future reference.
  • Encourage feedback from end-users on potential system improvements.

Operations Checklist

_____1. Critical Data Accuracy

  • Ensure critical data, such as inventory levels and customer information, is up-to-date and accurate to support efficient facility operations.
  • Remove discontinued items.
  • Delete sold purchase receipts.
  • Clear lot attributes for sold lots.
  • Non-Manufacturing Environments: Update the standard cost field based on current cost.

_____2. Inventory Management

  • Conduct a full physical inventory and update quantities before year-end or establish a cycle-counting program to maintain accuracy.
  • Prepare users for year-end completion of all inventory adjustments, receipts, and invoicing.
  • Determine processes for handling new-year transactions without immediate posting.

_____3. Purchase Orders & Contracts

  • Close out all purchase contracts and purchase orders (POs) to prevent further receipts against any contract line items.

_____4. Costing & Manufacturing Tasks

  • Decide on new standard costs for the upcoming year (for Manufacturing environments).
  • Establish cutoff dates for removing archived BOMs and closed/canceled manufacturing orders.

_____5. LX-Specific Tasks

  • Run PRF900 to update performance measurements and purge closed shop orders.

_____6. Fixed Assets & Depreciation

  • Review and update the depreciation schedule for fixed assets.
  • Verify depreciation expenses for the year have been accurately recorded.
  • For any new assets added during the year, ensure they are included in the depreciation schedule.

Finance Checklist

_____1. Period Closing & Reconciliation

  • Close financial periods and reconcile accounts to ensure financial data consistency and readiness for audits, tax filings, and other financial processes.
  • Set up financial periods for 2025 before the year begins.
  • Open the January 2025 period.
  • Finalize all outstanding transactions from 2024.

_____2. LN-Specific Tasks:

  • Perform a soft-close for any open periods in 2024.

_____3. LX-Specific Tasks:

  • Copy the CEA Book for the new year, ensuring all Journal Sources are set up. This ensures all required records are in place.
  • Run ACP920 (1099 Report) before ACP910 (Year End Close), as the Close Program clears 1099 Payments History.

_____4. Financial Cleanup

  • Address any old sales invoices and ensure they are properly closed.
  • Rectify any outstanding financial integration errors.
  • Set up and test new integration mappings for 2025 in a test environment.
  • Review and update jobs to ensure they are configured correctly for 2025 processing.
  • Identify purchase invoices for cash-flow management that won’t be paid until 2025.

_____5. Payroll Review

  • Verify employee payroll records and reconcile them with financial statements.
  • Ensure all employee information is up-to-date, including unpaid sick leave and vacation time, and carry over or adjust as necessary.

_____6. Accounts Receivable & Payable

  • Resolve any outstanding issues or unpaid invoices in customer or vendor accounts.
  • Record all payments and receipts to maintain accurate financial data.
  • Review outstanding receivables for potential bad debts.
    • Decide whether to carry them over into the new year.
    • Adjust the allowance for bad debts as necessary.

_____7. Bonus Financial Tasks

  • Verify that ERP calendars are set up for the new year with holidays correctly indicated.
  • Ensure proper mapping and testing of financial processes to avoid disruptions in the new year.

Taking these proactive steps will set your ERP system up for success in the coming year.

Print
9244 Rate this article:
5.0
Crossroads RMC

Crossroads RMCCrossroads RMC

Other posts by Crossroads RMC
Contact author

Contact author

x

Categories