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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

What does OTTO do that finite scheduling doesn’t?

Anthony Etzel 0 32540 Article rating: 5.0

Finite scheduling identifies what constraints need to be overcome and it provides the best schedule given the constraints. But the objective is not only to overcome or remove the constraint but to prevent the constraint from even occurring. Only people can anticipate and overcome current constraints, and this requires time for analysis and people to apply their knowledge to the data. OTTO removes the non-value-added tasks of extracting and manipulating data and provides visibility to support people in solving near-term, complex problems. 

Crossroads RMC welcomes MBL (USA) Corporation

Anthony Etzel 0 31736 Article rating: 5.0

Crossroads RMC welcomes MBL (USA) Corporation as our newest Data Collection and Warehouse Management client.

MBL (USA) Corporation, with headquarters located in Ottawa, Illinois, manufactures all types of V-Belts, V-Ribbed Belts, Timing Belts, and Variable Speed Belts for both original equipment and service parts in the automotive, recreational, and industrial markets. In addition to supplying North, Central and South America markets, products are exported to countries worldwide. Their corporate parent is Mitsuboshi Belting LTD located in Japan.

MBL (USA) Corporation’s objective was to improve inventory visibility, eliminate paperwork, and use a bar code scanning solution to manage warehouse inventory and eliminate the manual process for inventory warehouse transactions.

Our discovery was able to highlight improvements to streamline the process in the warehouse and improve inventory visibility. Crossroads RMC is a reseller and support partner for TouchPath Warehouse Management which is integrated to MBL (USA) Corporation’s ERP/LX software. TouchPath Warehouse Management provides the insight into your inventory and the warehouse management tools to help you increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs.

We are proud to have MBL (USA) Corporation as our newest client and look forward to being a strategic partner and support their company growth and success.

Infor LX & BPCS Tip of the Week: Inventory Transfers for Outside Operations

Anthony Etzel 0 59153 Article rating: 5.0

This enhancement allows users who currently perform outside operation processing in shop floor programs to manage the transfer of components used in the outside operations to the vendor’s designated warehouse.

This enhancement provides modified and new INV511D screens and adds new logic to allow the user to identify all shop orders that have components linked to outside operations or to identify all the components linked to an outside operation on a shop order. The shop orders can be filtered by either a date range or by a specific vendor.

Inventory Transfers for Outside Operations enhances the management of external operations by providing screens that simplify the selection of the shop orders or items to transfer to a vendor.

Transfers to the vendor warehouse are performed in the Inventory Transfers, INV511D, screens.

Infor LX / BPCS Tip of the Week: Optional Authority to Maintain Reason Codes

Anthony Etzel 0 55137 Article rating: 5.0

This enhancement allows users to update Reason Code Maintenance, INV140D1, for Transaction Effects that they are not authorized to in any other programs. A new system parameter was added to Inventory Parameters, INV820D. The enhancement allows users who do not actually perform transactions in Infor LX to maintain the reason codes for the transactions.

Infor LN / Baan Tip of the Week: Deleting Records

Kathy Barthelt 0 81792 Article rating: 5.0

To improve performance and reduce database growth, deleting records is highly effective. The disadvantage of deleting records is that data is no longer available. Usually, however, not all records need to be saved. For example, line activities are stored by warehouse. Normally, you do not need to keep these records. Therefore, after closing a warehouse order, line activities can be removed. The User's Guide for ERP LN Archiving describes several sessions you can use to delete old data. Other data such as items and business partners can be reviewed once in a while, after which you can delete the data you no longer need. For every order and contract table a session is available to archive and delete old orders. In these sessions, you can specify several characteristics to select the orders to be removed, such as date or status. Run these sessions on a regular basis.

Explore your IDF programs

Anthony Etzel 0 34011 Article rating: 5.0

If you haven't already, you may want to start to explore your IDF programs. Currently they provide the replacement for the 300 series inquiry programs. In addition, navigation drill downs are far superior to any green screen presentation of the data.

Consistently meet customer commitments without last minute surprises

George Moroses 0 23902 Article rating: 5.0

What if you had a solution that allowed you to consistently meet customer commitments without last-minute surprises and unexpected extra effort and cost?

We do this by preventing slippage — slippage is any break in the plan that disrupts both normal material flow and the rhythm of the plant that is preventable by timely key user intervention.
Click here to learn more about OTTO, On-Time Orders.

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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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