What would you say to someone if they never went to a doctor for a check-up, or never took their car in for regular maintenance, like an oil change?

You might say that they were asking for problems, right? The point of those check-ups is to catch a problem early, or better yet before it occurs. Going for check-ups gives you the peace of mind that things are running well and if an issue is identified early enough you can reduce overall risk. Regular check-ups can help reduce out-of-pocket expenses over time.

What about Finance, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Company-wide Check-Ups for your Infor ERP system? What will happen if you NEVER hit pause?

Here are some questions by department to consider.

Finance:...

After a week of blocking the Suez Canal, the now-famous cargo ship, Ever Given has been freed from the 27,000 cubic meters of sand and mud that were surrounding the ship. Supply chains are flowing again. I for one am very glad to hear that the ship has been freed since coffee, toilet paper and a whole host of other items were being held up! In all seriousness, it was and is a crisis that will have ripple effects on the global economy.

As I often do, I started to relate this crisis to the world of ERP that we live in. Although we are not responsible for dealing with a situation like what happened in the Suez Canal, we all deal with problems in our jobs every day. Some of these problems are small, and some are not so small. Some problems are caused by human error, some by prevailing winds that blow us in a particular direction, and some by circumstances out of our control. It is what we do about the problems we encounter that make all the difference. We could bury our heads and hope the problems somehow go away on their own, or we can take action and do something to bring about the change necessary to get past the blockage.

I see “blockages” every day in working with my customers. Sometimes it is a lack of understanding of best practices in a given department, or a reliance on tribal knowledge that determines how and why something is done in the system, or inefficient manual processes destroying a company’s efficiency, or hundreds (or thousands) of customizations standing in the way of an upgrade, or employees labeling an ERP system as “no longer a fit” when their company is only using 10% of the available functionality in the system.

So, maybe today we could focus on what it would take to remove the “blockage” that we have in our way. What benefits could we realize if we worked together to bring about incremental change? Could we actually get that upgrade done? Could we start operating based on industry-leading best practices? Could we increase our market share? Could we decrease our costs and boost our revenue? All of this is possible.

Contact me today so that we can begin to work together to solve the problems that stand in the way of your progress.

solutions@crossroadsrmc.com or 800.762.2077

Maybe it's time to get more out of your Infor ERP system?

TIME TO UPGRADE?

NOT UPGRADING?

Our goal is your goal…to make 2021 the best year possible... 

How good would you feel if you knew that 30+ years of ERP manufacturing experience was on the other end of the phone when you placed a support call?

That’s what our customers get when they call Crossroads RMC for help.

Crossroads RMC offers a number of services to help you make the most of your Infor ERP investment, regardless of the version of Infor LX, BPCS, Infor LN, Baan, or Infor M3, you are running. Our support team is friendly, well trained, experienced, and committed to resolving your support and technical issues as quickly and effectively as possible. To ensure all your support needs are met, we offer several different methods:

• TELEPHONE SUPPORT:
  Our phones are answered by live representatives to ensure that you receive prompt, personal, and efficient assistance. These services are available Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm ET. We also offer standby support and after-hour support when requested.
• ONLINE SUPPORT:
  Online support is available by logging onto your system using a remote connection. With a live connection, our consultants are able to view your system and troubleshoot issues in real-time.
• REMOTE & ON-SITE CONSULTING:
  Consulting is an excellent option if more in-depth service, training, or troubleshooting is needed. End-User training or group custom training on new features and solutions is also handled effectively using this method of support.
• BUSINESS ASSESSMENTS:
  Experienced Crossroads RMC Consultants will compare your existing business processes with your existing software and put together a detailed report of their findings. This includes recommendations for improving the day-to-day running of your business while getting the maximum benefit from your software. This also ensures that you are up to date with any features and technologies without adding disruption to your business.

Learn more about our support services>

When an enterprise has many suppliers, dealers/distributors, and customers spread out across the globe, it becomes important that it gains better visibility into inventory outside of its direct ownership and control, on both the supply and demand side. On the supply side, the company has outstanding POs and needs reliable estimates of when those will ship, as well as early indications whenever there will be delays in shipment. Once shipped, updates on the estimated time of arrival (ETA) are important, particularly when there are delays.

This external visibility is even more important during times of disruption. Early visibility into disruptions in supply or rapid changes in demand is key to providing the intelligence to drive agility. By responding earlier, faster, and with more accurate intelligence, a company has more options, makes smarter decisions, and avoids catastrophes.

How do you get that visibility? Here are some options…

Measure what you want to improve.

Six simple words, but put together they convey a powerful concept that can transform manufacturing companies. It’s a basic concept that’s hard to argue with: Collect data, see where the data leads you, and make changes that have a positive impact on the data. Repeat often.

If your company is manufacturing a product, you’re more than likely creating manufacturing variances. These variances tell managers...

The Infor ERP Elephant in the Room That Must Be Addressed

In a recent survey of Infor ERP customers, we discovered that 50% of respondents said that they did not know whether or not their ERP system had the features and functionality required for their business.  50%....1 out of every 2……not good.

Why is this the case? Well, the causes can be traced back to one of the following reasons:

• A key-person has retired or left the company and their knowledge left with them.
• Systems were implemented based on how the previous system worked.
• Upgrades and implementations were viewed as a “technical upgrade”, meaning that the upgrade was done to get off an old or outdated platform. The new version wasn't researched, its functionality was unknown and no one was trained on it.

You may say “So what? Who cares if our team doesn’t know what else is available, or how the rest of the ERP system functions? Does it really matter?”

Yes - It matters more than you think....