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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

Infor LN & Baan Consulting News: So we put our hands up, like the ceiling can’t hold us…

Kathy Barthelt 0 32527 Article rating: 5.0

Crossroads RMC partnered with Hunter Douglas Architectural Ceilings and Walls to upgrade their LN system from LN 10.2 to LN 10.6. This upgrade was undertaken primarily as a result of unsupported hardware/operating system versions at Hunter Douglas. Despite an extremely tight deadline, Crossroads and Hunter Douglas partnered to complete this upgrade from start to finish in under 4 months. Phase 2 is planned to kick off in late Q1 of 2020, which will focus on specific areas of the business for process improvement and the implementation of Avalara’s Avatax software.

Learn about Crossroads RMC's Consulting Services

Infor LN & Baan Tip of the Week: Customer Defined Fields

Kathy Barthelt 0 82041 Article rating: 4.3

Customer Defined Fields (CDFs) can be added to tables, screens, reports and BODs and validation and calculation logic can be defined around those fields.

Use the CDF concept to store additional data in the standard Infor LN tables. The CDF definitions are stored separately from the table definitions in the Data Dictionary. For the end user, the CDFs behave in the same way as the standard fields, if defaulting, validations, etc. are built using the CDF logic of the table extension point. The session extension point also has features for the CDFs.

CDFs are configured per package combination. This implies that when moving your companies from one package combination to another, the CDF definitions must be present in the target package combination. Otherwise you lose the data in the CDFs.

Crossroads RMC is proud to introduce our new Production Order Variance Reports package for Infor LN

Kathy Barthelt 0 72253 Article rating: 5.0

The package includes numerous reports and sessions to view the variances in a way that Finance can identify problems based on the Finance Integration Transactions in the General Ledger.

There are a few main sessions with many detailed sessions linked to them. The reports can be run from the main Print Production Order Variance Reports or in the individual detailed session.

Sessions included in the report package:

1. Print Finalized Trans – Variance Reports.

a. Financial Trans. by L/Acct – Prod. Order Variances - Recap

b. Financial Trans. by L/Acct – Prod. Order Variances – Details

2. Update Production Order Variances (updates special variance table).

3. Production Order Variance Overview – Main view

a. Production Order Variance Details

b. Price Variance Details – Material Variances

c. Price Variance Details – Operation Variances

d. Efficiency Variance Details – Material Variances

e. Efficiency Variance Details – Operation Variances

f. Efficiency Variance Details – Reject Variances

g. ACO Variance Details – Reject Variances

h. Accept Production Order Variances

i. Un-accept Production Order Variances

j. Finally Accept Production Order Variances

4. Print Production Order Variance Reports:

a. Production Order Variance – Overview

b. Production Order Price Variance – Material Revaluation

c. Production Order Price Variance – Operation Revaluation

d. Production Order Efficiency Variance – Material

e. Production Order Efficiency Variance – Operation

f. Production Order Efficiency Variance – Rejects

g. Production Order ACO Variance – Rejects-Additional Costs

5. Delete Production Order Variances (used to redo a month)

Contact Kathy Barthelt to learn more.

Have you missed deadlines or lost a valuable customer due to orders not being shipped on-time?

George Moroses 0 32648 Article rating: 5.0

OTTO helps you consider all of the factors that affect your ability to deliver on-time.
Make plans happen with OTTO.

Request your free 30 day trial today and add value to your current ERP, without altering, changing, or revising the source data. 800.762.2077

ION News: Crossroads RMC uses the ION process to deliver data to/from LX 8.3.5

George Moroses 0 33298 Article rating: 5.0

Crossroads RMC is currently working with a customer in the food and beverage industry to develop 18 inbound and outbound customized BOD messages using the ION process to deliver data to/from LX 8.3.5.

All of the messages will be using the standard OAGIS (Open Applications Group Integration Specification) BOD Message. The OAGIS is a widely accepted standard within the industry which specifies a standard way of passing data in and out of applications using an XML format. 

Some of the BOD Messages that we will be processing are:

  • Item Master
  • Purchase Order
  • Receipts
  • Accounts Payable Invoices
  • Vendor information
  • Notifications messages

This project kicks off in February 2020 with milestone deliveries throughout the year.

How Do I Determine If MES Is Right For My Business?

George Moroses 0 36771 Article rating: 5.0

There are certain key questions that must be answered to determine whether or not an MES system would benefit your organization: 

  • How do you analyze OEE?
  • Is there an opportunity to reduce WIP inventory, indirect labor, downtime, waste or scrap?
  • What is the cost and impact of producing and distributing shop paper including drawings and work instructions?
  • Would you like to go paperless on your shop floor?
  • How are your continuous improvement initiatives tied to your ERP?
  • Is Management requesting real time production status reporting via dashboards or drilldown reports?
  • What different “islands of automation” exist on your shop floor?

The answers to each of these questions could have a significant impact on the profitability of your business. Want to quantify your results? Contact George Moroses today to schedule your FREE MES ROI Analysis.

Consulting News: How comprehensive is the Crossroads RMC ERP business audit & how does it work?

George Moroses 0 43841 Article rating: 5.0

Our Infor LX Practice just finished a Supply Chain and Manufacturing audit for one of our customers. During that engagement, several areas of the business were identified that could benefit from additional training and consulting support. 

Areas of significance were:

  • Purchasing
  • Customer Service
  • Billing
  • Inventory
  • Costing
  • Bills of Materials and Routings
  • Material Requirements Planning
  • Shop Floor Control

Several manual procedures and “tribal knowledge” systems were discovered. The evaluation was done by two consultants who spent time with key users during two onsite visits. The next step in the process will involve working with the client to prioritize the list of items identified and develop a strategic plan focused on growth and efficiency.

Infor LX & BPCS Tip of the Week: Order processing enhancement – LX 8.4

George Moroses 0 63778 Article rating: 5.0

Restrict Over-shipments to Customers

  • System parameter option controls when over shipments are allowed

Options to:

  • Continue current process with warning message
  • Give error message
  • Automatically correct to quantity available for shipment
     
  • Option to revise the order quantity so that pricing, promotions, credit checking load planning and other processes reflect the actual quantity
  • Allows better control of exceptions for over shipments
  • Ensures that pricing, promotions are correctly based on actual order quantity
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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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