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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

Optimize with Infor Development Framework: IDF

Infor LX | BPCS | M3

George Moroses 0 22593 Article rating: 5.0

Why You Need IDF

The Infor Development Framework (IDF) not only helps you modernize the look and feel of your LX software but also the interactions of the IBM i software with other applications in your business.

“The IDF is a multi-user interface, single codebase architecture that’s metadata-driven (and) provides a lot of flexibility to adapt the software for their processes.” says Infor. This is the direction that Infor is going starting...

Managing the Inventory Risk

Infor LN & Baan

Kathy Barthelt 0 21073 Article rating: 5.0

Proper Inventory Management & Planning is not for the weak!

Any of these ever happen to you?

  • My supplier can’t provide the raw materials I need when I need them because I waited too long to order.
  • I underestimated how much raw material I had on hand and now my customer’s order is waiting on hold until I can get the parts I need.
  • I couldn’t meet the desired delivery date for my customer’s order, so they took their business somewhere else.
  • I ordered too many raw materials or made too many sub-assemblies because I didn’t have good visibility to my on-hand inventory.

...

LN & Baan | LX & BPCS Tip: 9 Tips for Secure Manufacturing Business Systems Through OT Cybersecurity Vulnerability Management

Infor LX, BPCS, Infor M3, Infor LN & Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 29196 Article rating: 5.0

Always happy to share a good article on protecting your business from cybersecurity threats. 

9 OT Cybersecurity Strategies To Secure Manufacturing Industries

By Will Fastiggi - Technology for Learners - January 23, 2023

Let’s delve into the details of how to secure manufacturing industries through OT cybersecurity vulnerability management. Below are some tips and tricks.

1. Implement a...

Infor LX & BPCS: Why You Need MES

George Moroses 0 35040 Article rating: 5.0

You know your plant better than anyone, and most likely you'd admit that there is room for improvement. Perhaps too many defects are causing costly issues down the road, or maybe your production is behind and orders are shipping late? Do you know what needs to be improved? Do you know about the root causes of the problems that you’re experiencing? Is it fair to say, you don’t know what you don’t know … yet?

MES helps you dig into the problem and better yet, SOLVES the problem!

What Is MES and How Does It Work?

Many companies still enter data manually or share work instructions on paper. Most of them, however, know there’s a better way to organize the mass of activity happening on the plant floor. MES provides visibility to that activity as well as the underlying data and uses that data to improve how that activity is done and makes it repeatable. MES connects multiple sites, integrates with equipment, and raises the effectiveness of business applications all to better optimize operations.

The 3 Pillars of MES:

  1. Establishing a plan and staying on schedule...

Staff Augmentation: Knowledgeable ERP Staff Quickly

Infor LX, BPCS, Infor M3, Infor LN & Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 16891 Article rating: 5.0

So... your staff is working on a critical project for your top customer, and in order to maintain customer satisfaction and complete the project on-time, you are faced with the immediate need for additional staff. You know that the recruitment process takes way too long, and that it's virtually impossible to find highly qualified employees that won't need lengthy training to bring them up to speed on your ERP system, let alone your business. 

What if... your ERP system is dragging and you know you are behind on installing updates that are likely to improve system performance, but your IT guy is working on something else of importance and can't perform the upgrade?

Either of these scenarios sound familiar? 

Staff Augmentation ensures that...

Infor LN & Baan Tip: What Data Can Be Archived or Deleted?

Kathy Barthelt 0 59016 Article rating: 5.0

From time to time, your employees need access to information related to logistical and financial transactions that have occurred in the past. Before you archive or delete this information, you must understand the need for this information. Baan and LN contain standard archiving sessions in the major modules that tend to have a high volume of historical transactions. These sessions are designed to copy historical data to the archive company, and then delete the data from the operational company.

You have three options in archiving sessions...

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: Can’t Select Orders for Pick Release or Pick Confirm?

George Moroses 0 24211 Article rating: 5.0

Orders that are on credit hold, customer hold, user hold, margin hold, credit card hold or pricing hold cannot be selected for Pick Release or Pick Confirm. The ORD952B, Orders Not Selected Report, can be requested at Pick Release or Pick Confirm to list any order that would normally qualify for selection, but has been excluded for other reasons, and to print that reason. ORD952B has been modified to validate the hold status of the original customer order, and to print a reference to the original customer order along with the reason.

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

Shane Grumbles

Industry Insights: Why More Manufacturers Are Replacing Paper Work Instructions

For years, paper work instructions have been a standard part of manufacturing. They were easy to distribute, simple to update, and familiar to operators.

But manufacturing has changed. Products are more complex, customer expectations keep rising, and as experienced employees retire, new hires often need to become productive faster than ever before. As a result, many manufacturers are rethinking how information is delivered on the shop floor.

The Challenge with Paper

Paper work instructions create several common challenges:

  • Multiple versions of the same document
  • Outdated instructions remaining at workstations
  • Time spent searching for the correct information
  • Longer training periods for new employees
  • Inconsistent processes between operators

On their own, none of these seem like a major problem, but together they add up to real quality and productivity issues.

A Shift Toward Digital Work Instructions

One trend we're seeing across the manufacturers we work with is a move toward digital work instructions. Rather than relying on printed documents, operators receive the latest approved instructions directly at their workstation, along with supporting images, videos, and other visual aids. This helps ensure every operator is working from the same information, every time.

Manufacturers making this shift are also gaining new capabilities they didn't have with paper: capturing production data directly from the shop floor, improving traceability, and supporting standardized work across shifts and facilities.

What Manufacturers Are Reporting

The common thread across the manufacturers we work with is consistency. When operators have the right information at the right time, training ramps up faster, quality becomes more predictable, and shop floor performance is easier to track across shifts and facilities.

Final Thoughts

New tools don't improve manufacturing on their own. What matters is whether people actually have what they need to do the job well. Digital work instructions are one example of how manufacturers are extending the value of their ERP investment while improving quality, productivity, and workforce development.

If you're exploring ways to standardize work on the shop floor or improve operator performance, we'd be happy to discuss what's working across the manufacturing industry and how those ideas might apply to your organization.

Start the conversation

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