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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

The Top 5 Benefits of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

by PlanetTogether

Anthony Etzel 0 37479 Article rating: 5.0

MES provides the right information at the right time to show the floor manager how to optimize current conditions to improve production output.

Need 5 more reasons why you should invest in an MES system?
Read the full article by PlanetTogether:

https://www.planettogether.com/blog/the-top-5-advantages-of-a-manufacturing-execution-system

Clearly, an MES does more than simply track the amount of product coming off of your production lines. Improving your facility's efficiency begins with accurately recording production, material usage, and personnel time. Crossroads MES accomplishes this feat with ease and precision.

Infor LX & BPCS Tip of the Week: Trim Leading Zero

George Moroses 0 61283 Article rating: 5.0

In LX 8.4, an enhancement has been included to allow for the expanded Company fields to have the leading zero truncated.

To trim leading zeros, CEA515B is called during macro resolution to trim the leading zero based on the position in the Zero Trim file (GZT). The Zero Trim file contains all the company number fields currently defined in the CEA Cross Reference fie (GXM).

This enhancement provides year over year comparison in financial reports and eliminates the need to setup new companies in programs such as Alias Definition. Financial programs trim the leading zero on Company fields, such as Company 010, on subsystem transactions to process as Company 10 during CEA macro resolution. Clients who prefer to retain the Company value as 010 on financial reports can clear the GZT file.

Infor LN & Baan Add-ons: Need a reason why you should barcode your inventory? How about 8 reasons!

Kathy Barthelt 0 34166 Article rating: 5.0

Top Eight Benefits of Barcodes

Barcodes are often overlooked as a method for cutting costs and saving time. A valuable and viable choice for businesses looking to improve efficiency and reduce overhead, barcodes are both cost-effective and reliable.

Crossroads RMC offers RMClabel which can be tied to any data collection system, or run stand-alone. Create barcode labels with 1D

Infor LN & Baan: Data Collection

Be honest. Does your business REALLY operate in real time?

Kathy Barthelt 0 40414 Article rating: 5.0

Do you have up-to-date real-time information on labor, machine time, and parts consumed? How accurate is your data? Can you get an accurate picture of what is going on across your operations at any time?

If not, Crossroads data collection solution should be considered. By combining sessions, eliminating duplicate entries and using available information to complete a transaction, Web Collect, formerly RMC3 extends the Infor LN and Baan applications to ensure efficiencies and timely information flow and reporting. 

Consulting News: Are you familiar with your Infor LN / Baan System Log?

Kathy Barthelt 0 38821 Article rating: 5.0

Data about the system and the application is stored in a system log. The system data includes information about:

  • The application environment
  • Any reorganization of tables
  • The available free disk space
  • The back-up schedule
  • The user data reports
  • The updates
  • Changes in the system
  • The error messages and solutions

Are you comfortable with reading your ERP system log? Have you checked it lately? Need help interpreting if your system may have a problem? Contact Kathy Barthelt today and one of our expert technical consultants can help to put your mind at ease and make sure your system is running as it should.

Infor LN & Baan Tip of the Week: Warehouse Blocking – LN 10.7

Kathy Barthelt 0 74221 Article rating: 5.0

The functionality to block a warehouse for inbound or outbound transactions has been enhanced. A check for blocks is performed not only during receipt and shipment confirmation, but at multiple stages in the process. In addition, you can specify these blocking options for the inbound and outbound processes:

• No

• Yes

• Interactive

For example, if Blocked for Inbound is set to Yes, no inbound actions are allowed in the warehouse. Consequently, users cannot confirm receipts, generate and put away inbound advice or storage lists, and perform inbound inspections. 

If Interactive is set, during a non-automatic warehouse inbound procedure, warnings are displayed which offer the user a choice to either cancel the action or continue. Batch or automatic inbound processes continue, but the corresponding reports and logs make note of the blocking. However, in all scenarios, receipt confirmation is not allowed.

The same rules are applicable for the warehouse outbound procedure steps. The restriction for receipt confirmation also applies to shipment confirmation.

For warehouse transfer orders, not only the ship-from warehouse is checked for outbound process blocks, but also the ship-to warehouse. This prevents situations in which goods get stuck in transit due to inbound procedure blocks that apply to the destination warehouse. Now, the transfer process is already blocked during outbound.

Partner News: Are you up to date on all of the sales tax changes that have gone into effect this year?

Crossroads RMC 0 34269 Article rating: 5.0

Like it or not, requirements for collecting sales tax change monthly and keeping up with those changes requires someone to be “on it” full time. Fortunately, Avalara handles all of that. Learn How >

Contact us to learn how we can take this burden off your plate and ensure that you are 100% in compliance, 100% of the time.

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

Kathy Barthelt

Infor LN & Baan Tip: MPS planned vs. MRP planned

What items should be MPS planned, and what items should be MRP planned…

Master Scheduled Items are those items that are finished goods, or service items, that receive their requirements either specifically from Independent demand, or both Dependent and Independent demand.

  • Independent Demand is demand that cannot be calculated from higher-level demand in the product structure, and therefore must be either a forecast or an actual customer order (Finished Goods or Service parts sold to customers).
  • Dependent demand is derived from higher-level demand in the product structure. Dependent demand includes components, raw materials, and sub-assemblies. (these are not normally Master Scheduled Items).
  • Service Parts may have both independent demand from forecast and/or customer orders, as well as dependent demand from higher-level demand if that item is also used in other sub-assemblies or products.
  • Cumulative Lead Time is a concept used in Master Production Scheduling (MPS) that combines the “fixed” lead time, and the “variable” lead time needed to produce the product. It is the longest path through a given Bill-of-material. Based on the MPS setup options, your ERP will calculate cumulative lead time (also called “the Critical Path”) for you.

Infor LN does not differentiate between the two. Here, it is simply an enterprise planning EP with one set of planned orders. It is possible to set up items and generate orders at plan levels, but not necessary. In theory, you could make plan level 1 similar to MPS items.

Another way of defining independent demand in LN terms is that it is demand not related to other planned items. Dependent demand comes from related planned items above in the BOM structure.

COLT still exists both in purchase and manufactured planned items. It has both non-critical and critical lead times based on components set as critical. Once calculated it can be used to update the order and planning horizons of a plan item.

Relevant Sessions:

In Baan IV
Maintain Item Data tiitem0101m000
Generate MPS timps3201m000
Maintain Master Production Schedule timps3101m000
Display Planned Inventory Movements by Item timrp1510m000
Display Planned MRP Purchase Orders timrp1521m000

In Baan V
Plan Item Data cprpd1500m000
Item Master Plan cprmp2101m000
Time-Phased Overview cprrp0520m000

In Infor LN
Item – Planning cprpd1100m000
Item Master Plan cprmp2101m000 (same as Master MPS above if used)

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Kathy Barthelt

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