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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

Beyond the Four Walls—Achieving Upstream and Downstream Inventory Visibility

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

Crossroads RMC 0 28007 Article rating: 5.0

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…

And Then There Were None - Short Staffed?

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

Crossroads RMC 0 25798 Article rating: 5.0

So, you implemented your Infor ERP system 5, 10, 15, 20+ years ago, and now there are only a handful of people left from that implementation. Since most of the how and why walked out the door, how much longer can you get by on “tribal knowledge”?  

What’s the best way to proceed? Consider retraining your staff.

Crossroads RMC's consultants have had great success delivering highly impactful, focused training that shows an immediate benefit. Contact us to discuss how we can develop a training plan that is right for your business.

Infor LN & Baan Tip: Latest Porting Set – All Versions of Infor LN & Baan

Kathy Barthelt 0 52347 Article rating: 4.5

Are you on the latest porting set for your version of Infor LN or Baan? Check here to be sure:

VERSIONS: Infor LN, Infor Baan ERP 5.0c, Infor Baan IVc4

LAST MODIFIED ON:
13th Jan, 2021: Updated with 9.3i porting set, see KB 2176336 for this version. Available from LN CE release 2021.01
9th Oct, 2020: Updated with 9.3h porting set, see KB 2158949 for this version. Available from LN CE release 2020.10
9th July, 2020: Updated with 9.3g porting set, see KB 2142625 for this version. Available from LN CE release 2020.07
10th April, 2020....

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: Special Functions

George Moroses 0 26740 Article rating: 5.0

Use F14 from a menu to display the Special Functions screen, SYS50007.
From this pop-up screen you can access the following menu options:

  • JCDA Maintenance (SYS010D)
  • Display Output Queue
  • Display User Output
  • Send Messages
  • Display Messages
  • Display Job Log
  • Display Submitted Jobs
  • Display Remembered Keys
  • Menu Maintenance (SYS147)
  • Menu Print (SYS148)

This menu is only available from the character0based user interface. Infor Webtop users can access programs from the Quick Launch Menu.

Infor LN & Baan Materials Tips: Serialized and Lot Controlled Items

Kathy Barthelt 0 55756 Article rating: 5.0

Serial and Lot are additional characteristics/properties of Items that can be used to uniquely or collectively identify and track the item along with its Item code. Any Item can be made as Serialized and/or Lot controlled by choosing options "Serialized" and "Lot Controlled" in Items-General session under traceability section on the Details tab.

Further in Items-Warehousing data under the Identification tab, you can enable "Lot Tracking", "Lot in Inventory", "Serial Tracking" and "Serial in Inventory" which enables tracking of the Items. You can also define if the Item is "Serial/Lot not in inventory" then where you want to record the serial and lot details in the transactions like "Direct Delivery", "Receipt", "Transfer", "Register during As-Built, Service and Maintenance".

Below are some topics related to Serialized and Lot Controlled Items that will be useful...

How often are you counting your inventory? Are inaccurate counts affecting your ability to satisfy customer orders?

Infor LX | BPCS | Infor LN | Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 26886 Article rating: 5.0

Crossroads RMC Cycle Counting Applications provide:

  • Increased inventory accuracy.
  • The ability to review & approve count before direct update of LN/Baan tables.
  • The elimination of unnecessary re-orders of items with current inventory.
  • Greater ability to satisfy customer orders due to accurate inventory levels.
  • Direct labor cost savings – less staff required for count.
  • Increased productivity during count – counts reduced from weeks to a day.


Learn more about Cycle Counting for Infor LX & BPCS> 

Learn more about Cycle Counting for Infor LN & Baan> 

Infor LX & BPCS Materials Tip: Unique ID Generator / Unique Sequence Number

George Moroses 0 25200 Article rating: 5.0

Serial Number Unique ID Generator - The new Serial Number Unique ID Generator program (INV599B3) is used to generate a unique value that groups a set of serial numbers that should be treated as part of a single, comprehensive set of inventory transactions.

Assign Unique Sequence Number - The new Assign Unique Sequence Number program (SYS046B) is used by any program that posts an inventory transaction, that is, writes an...

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Item Facility Master has a new attribute to define the override inspection days lead time CICP.ICINSD.

  • When an item facility has a defined override inspection days lead time, that value will be used instead of the system parameter inspection days lead time.

MRP exception report, MRP200B
Purchase planning report, PUR285B
Purchase order / Requisition maintenance, PUR500D3
Purchase order consolidation / release, PUR640B1
Vendor splits, PUR653B

This enhancement improved the subfile utilized in MRP320D Master Schedule Detail Inquiry -SCR001 by expanding the subfile with data rather than clearing the subfile as user pages. This change provides full support for the WebTop 4.8 Grid decorator.

This enhancement updated the approach used to populate the subfile to allow a deployed Webtop Grid to function correctly. There is no visible or user-impacted change to the way the program functions.

This enhancement provides improved functionality and full support of a Webtop grid applied to the subfile.

Last

Tips: LN | Baan

Don't laugh - the average lifespan of an ERP system is 7-10 years

Don't laugh - the average lifespan of an ERP system is 7-10 years

Don’t laugh! I know, I know…many of our customers say that after 7-10 years they are finally settling in after the implementation! We have seen many a customer stretch out the lifespan of their ERP system to 20+ years. That sounds great for the company’s bank account, but is it good for the business?

An outdated ERP system hurts your business in many ways, not just with slow performance. The best-of-breed functionality is now 2 decades old, and obsolete technology can't leverage newer technology. Lack of integration leads to siloed data that hurts communication and your internal teams feel the pain, and your customers are noticing. Poor visibility into your operations makes it nearly impossible to achieve industry-based regulatory compliance and meet financial auditing requirements. Not to mention the sheer size of Big Data that is being collected today vs. 2 decades ago or the fact that your vendor is no longer supporting your ERP version.

Let’s scrap it all and start over!

Is it that black and white though? There is an ocean between “do nothing” and “replace everything”. Taking incremental steps can give your organization a tremendous amount of benefit without the tremendous price tag that often goes with ERP replacement, but you need to be willing to take the first step. Maybe there is a manufacturing ERP add-on that you know would provide tremendous benefit and improve overall efficiency, or a web portal that you log in to that allows you to communicate with your suppliers, but it has no tie to your purchase orders, or maybe your team would benefit from a review of industry best practices and how that compares to how your ERP system is currently being used. Or at the very least you need to know if your ERP system is still meeting the organization’s needs.

Success will never be a big step in the future. Success is a small step taken just now.” – Jonatan Martensson

Crossroads RMC specializes in helping manufacturers maximize the benefit of “the small step”.  Not sure how Crossroads RMC can optimize your business?

Our Infor ERP Services can optimize your business with the following initiatives and many more:

Infor LX (ERP LX) Services>
Infor LN (ERP LN) Services>
BPCS Services>
Baan Services>

It's time to take the first step today!
800-762-2077  |  solutions@crossroadsrmc.com

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