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Infor LX Tips, Infor LN Tips, BPCS Tips, Baan Tips, Infor M3 Tips & Infor ERP News

Crossroads Connections

Infor ERP Tips & News from the Experts

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

OTTO: How to get started? It’s easy!

Anthony Etzel 0 29864 Article rating: 5.0

The evaluation process for business operations improvements and related software is normally fairly long because it takes time to first understand the software and then to analyze how it will be used. However, how the software works won't truly be understood until it is actually functioning in either a live environment or a simulation of that environment using a reasonably complete test database. 

In order to overcome this challenge we use the following process:

  • Telephone meeting to discuss needs.
  • Webinar to determine common understanding.
  • Load data into OTTO for a live demo.
  • No-obligation trial of the software.

Your only obligation is to supply resources to evaluate OTTO's capabilities. This approach allows you to see exactly how OTTO operates in your specific environment and what benefits you can gain. Several of our customers have actually realized sufficient benefits during the trial-period to justify their purchase of OTTO. Best of all, this evaluation approach offers you extremely low cost and low risk with the potential for high payback in a short period of time.

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Purchase Order Receive All Processing

Anthony Etzel 0 54426 Article rating: 5.0

With this enhancement the Purchase Receipts screens are optionally shown with the quantity and weight fields populated with the open value on the purchase order. The screens are now populated with the open value and if the open value is the same as the value received, the user can simply accept the line. The Receive All field on the PUR550D1-01 screen determines whether the receipt lines are populated with the open value. A system parameter controls the Receive All default value but the default value can be overridden.  

If this option is selected, the user does not have to enter the open quantity or weight. If the purchase order receipt has many lines, this option saves time and prevents errors.

Data Collection: Are you able to perform a full cycle count of your inventory in one day?

Kathy Barthelt 0 67439 Article rating: 5.0

Cycle Counting Potential Benefits: 

  • Overall increased inventory accuracy
  • Increased accuracy of count
  • Ability to review and approve count before direct update of Baan / Infor LN tables
  • Elimination of unnecessary re-orders of items with current inventory Greater ability to satisfy customer orders due to greater visibility to (accurate) inventory levels
  • Direct labor cost savings – less staff required for count Increased productivity during count – with some of our customers, counts used to take weeks. They can now complete a count of their entire inventory in one day.
Contact us today to learn more

BPCS / LX Tip of the Week: Purchase Order Print Security Validation

Anthony Etzel 0 54141 Article rating: 5.0

This enhancement allows users to restrict access to purchase order print programs. The purchase order print programs were updated to provide security validation for the user who selects the purchase orders to print. The security validation is controlled by the PO Print Security Validation flag on the Purchasing System Parameters screen, PUR820D-04. This enhancement gives users the option to restrict access to purchase order print programs, providing additional security at the company and warehouse levels.

Infor LN & Baan: Need Accurate Inventory?

Kathy Barthelt 0 62524 Article rating: 5.0

Automate & Streamline Your Current Processes

We know that efficiency is the name of the game and Crossroads RMC has helped manufacturers achieve real results:

  • Better inventory management
  • Increased visibility
  • Reduced operational costs
  • Increased accuracy and much more

Crossroads RMC has solutions to automate and streamline your current processes from receiving all the way through shipping. Work with Crossroads RMC and realize greater benefits from your CURRENT ERP version.

Get Started

Crossroads RMC to integrate their Baan IV system with all Subway Restaurants and Moe’s Southwest Grill locations nationwide to provide streamlined parts and machine ordering capability

Kathy Barthelt 0 32561 Article rating: 5.0
Grindmaster Cecilware, a leader in the development of products for the food and beverage industry, has selected Crossroads RMC to integrate their Baan IV system to provide streamlined parts and machine ordering capability for all Subway Restaurants and Moe’s Southwest Grill locations nationwide. The integration will allow for orders to automatically feed back into the Baan IV system for further review and processing. The integration is expected to go live in Q2 of 2019.
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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

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How to Improve Customer Shipments With OTTO - A Case Study

Setting Industry Service Standards

Shenandoah Manufacturing, a $20 million producer of poultry-raising equipment (heaters and brooders), had been having difficulty for some time shipping orders to customers in a timely manner. They had successfully implemented a popular ERP system and had been using it for more than 3 years, yet the situation didn't improve. 

Customer Service Representatives were complaining about the frequent backorders and late orders. Employees were giving it their best effort, but were frustrated, and customers were threatening to take their business elsewhere.

The company considered installing an APS system as a possible solution, but found implementation would be difficult, expensive, and running the system might be a challenging task as a number of key business practices would have to be changed. A consultant familiar with OTTO suggested they look at that product as an alternative to APS. Several OTTO aspects cited by the consultant convinced them to consider a cursorily review. Specifically:

  • The non-intrusive nature of the product.
  • It's relative inexpensive initial investment.
  • The low overall total cost of ownership.
  • The integration with their ERP system.

The initial demonstration was impressive. OTTO was installed on Shenandoah's server within 45 minutes of arrival and, most impressively, it was fully functional with their real “live” data immediately. Needless to say, the demo was well received. Even more importantly Shenandoah was able to “test drive” the software to prove its applicability before making any dollar commitments.

According to Mark Shank, Information Systems Manager, some baseline measurements were made last year, and it was determined that approximately 50% of their customer orders had shipped on time. As they began using OTTO, on-time order performance rose to 90% for the month. And Shenandoah caught up on its entire backlog and started working ahead on February's orders. In February on-time shipment performance jumped to 92% and subsequently on-time performance has ranged somewhere between 98.3% and 99.5% — well above the 96% goal set by Management.

OTTO provides the means for keeping the whole production organization focused on the few things that have to happen as the ship date approaches to get each order shipped on time. Components that have the potential for delaying an order are identified so they can be managed. Shenandoah's staff, a precious and limited resource, now concentrates on analyzing information and managing the right things at the right time rather than digging out date. To quote one production control individual: “what use to take hours now takes seconds.”

According to Roy Hackett, Plant Manager: "Knowing the right things to pay attention to at the right time — information provided by OTTO — has allowed on-time shipping to be improved by 40 percentage points in less than one month and a lead time reduction from 3-4 weeks to 1-2 weeks on the most important products"

Guessing at what and how much of the work being processed is for real customer orders versus planned orders is eliminated which is especially important when capacity is short during the heavy portion of the business cycle. 

“By focusing on the right things at the right time, production expedites and interruptions are far fewer, production flow is much smoother and productivity is significantly improved.”

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Anthony Etzel

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