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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

BPCS & LX Tip of the Week: Get Real!

Anthony Etzel 0 54917 Article rating: No rating

You’ve got an ERP system, so everything should be real-time and everyone should have access to information in real-time, right? RIGHT?!

Why not? Why are there spreadsheets, and separate Access databases off to the side?

Data loses value over time, so why not give everyone up to date, accurate information all the time? Take a look at those silos of information and see how you can eliminate them. Your business will benefit greatly as a result.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan & LN Tip of the Week: Simplify & Save Money – Evaluate Your Production Lines

Kathy Barthelt 0 74769 Article rating: No rating

When is the last time you took a hard look at your production lines?

  • How are you moving product through the facility?
  • Do you have work instructions / drawings available where needed?
  • Do you have frequently used inventory available at the line?
  • Where are the bottlenecks?
  • Are your processes simplified?

Taking a hard look at your processes and procedures may reveal some interesting results. Don’t assume that everyone is doing things the same way. Some may be superstars, and others may need some mentoring. Some processes may be outdated and costing you time and money, while others are extremely efficient. One area of the business may benefit from how others operate. Take the time to review and analyze your findings. Your company may benefit greatly as a result.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

BPCS & LX Tip of the Week: Simplify & Save Money – Evaluate Your Production Lines

Anthony Etzel 0 53964 Article rating: No rating

When is the last time you took a hard look at your production lines?

  • How are you moving product through the facility?
  • Do you have work instructions / drawings available where needed?
  • Do you have frequently used inventory available at the line?
  • Where are the bottlenecks?
  • Are your processes simplified?

Taking a hard look at your processes and procedures may reveal some interesting results. Don’t assume that everyone is doing things the same way. Some may be superstars, and others may need some mentoring. Some processes may be outdated and costing you time and money, while others are extremely efficient. One area of the business may benefit from how others operate. Take the time to review and analyze your findings. Your company may benefit greatly as a result.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Make Your ERP Work FOR You - Streamline Your Processes

Anthony Etzel 0 52537 Article rating: No rating

Such lofty goals you had when you implemented your ERP system. It was going to be like pressing the “Easy Button”…  then it wasn’t.

What happened? In some cases, decisions were made to implement the system “just like we used to run our old system”. Great idea? Not so much. Your business changes, and your business software needs to change as well.

Are you using the ERP system, but everything seems cumbersome and takes more time than its worth? 

Ask yourself these questions:

  • Have you looked at streamlining your processes?
  • Can you automate a step or two and eliminate some manual keying?
  • Can you add barcoding to avoid keying in some information altogether?
  • How about automating the printing of some reports?

Now is the time to sit down and really review the steps required to complete the task and think out of the box a bit. Soon you can develop your own streamlined process to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Make Your ERP Work FOR You - Streamline Your Processes

Kathy Barthelt 0 77603 Article rating: No rating

Such lofty goals you had when you implemented your ERP system. It was going to be like pressing the “Easy Button”…  then it wasn’t.

What happened? In some cases, decisions were made to implement the system “just like we used to run our old system”. Great idea? Not so much. Your business changes, and your business software needs to change as well.

Are you using the ERP system, but everything seems cumbersome and takes more time than its worth? 

Ask yourself these questions:

  • Have you looked at streamlining your processes?
  • Can you automate a step or two and eliminate some manual keying?
  • Can you add barcoding to avoid keying in some information altogether?
  • How about automating the printing of some reports?

Now is the time to sit down and really review the steps required to complete the task and think out of the box a bit. Soon you can develop your own streamlined process to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Infor LX Compatibility With IBM i 7.3

Anthony Etzel 0 52589 Article rating: 5.0

IBM® has released its latest operating system for the IBM i. IBM i 7.3™ has many new features and enhancements that you may want to take advantage of.

Infor is pleased to announce the following Infor LX products are supported on this new version, effective June 12.

Supported products and versions

The following Infor products have been evaluated for compatibility with IBM i 7.3 and are supported on that version of the platform:

  • Infor LX 8.3 (all release levels)
  • Brazil Pack for Infor LX 8.3
  • Argentina Pack for Infor LX 8.3
  • Infor BPCS 8.2 (all release levels)

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: LN Financials

Kathy Barthelt 0 72385 Article rating: No rating

Did you know that you can use user-definable dimensions to view financial information in detail from different angles?

With the parent-child structures, you can obtain financial information in the proper structure, regardless of the country or the financial system.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Tip of the Week: What is Sales Tax Nexus?

Kathy Barthelt 0 102002 Article rating: No rating

Sales tax nexus is the connection between a seller and a state that requires the seller to collect and remit tax on sales made in that state. If you have nexus in California and Texas, for example, you must collect and remit sales tax in California and Texas.

Many states are expanding their nexus rules. Business activities like trade show attendance, drop shipping, employing remote workers, advertising, and housing inventory in other states can establish nexus. The rules vary by state and it can be challenging to keep up with all the places your business needs to register, collect, and remit sales tax.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

New IDF Inquiries 

Infor LX has a long history of providing IDF inquiries over most critical business areas, but there are still some areas that lack this capability.
The following IDF inquiries are now available in 8.4.2:

  • Customer Quote
  • Customer Quote Line
  • RMA (Return Material Authorization)
  • RMA Line

Benefits

  • Ability to sort, subset, filter, and view information in a modern and intuitive way
  • Point and click navigation to related information – 360 views
    • Exceptional personalization and extensibility capabilities

New IDF Inquiries 

Infor LX has a long history of providing IDF inquiries over most critical business areas, but there are still some areas that lack this capability.
The following IDF inquiries are now available in 8.4.2:

  • Customer Quote
  • Customer Quote Line
  • RMA (Return Material Authorization)
  • RMA Line

Benefits

  • Ability to sort, subset, filter, and view information in a modern and intuitive way
  • Point and click navigation to related information – 360 views
    • Exceptional personalization and extensibility capabilities
Last

Tips: LN | Baan

Infor LX & BPCS: Why You Need MES

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. The system takes your input — production shifts/times, production goals, etc. — and calculates the rate at which you need to complete production in order to meet customer demand. Operators see real-time progress on dashboard graphics, knowing the progress at every moment.
  2. Enforcing a repeatable process. Knowing your process is being followed exactly as defined provides the ultimate peace of mind. Every target, from fastening to product routing, is achieved just as you defined it time after time.
  3. Creating a rich data set. Capturing data is one thing; being able to act on that data is really the key to driving improvement initiatives. Use your analytics, explore your data set, and identify and solve your hidden inefficiencies.

All three of these MES pillars are used to help you reach productivity and quality goals by:

  • Solving production scheduling challenges
  • Discovering and sharing your best operators’ insights
  • Uncovering inefficiencies in your process and fixing them
  • Reducing the exhausting task of putting out fires
  • Establishing a continuous improvement philosophy
  • Increasing operator engagement and dedication

And if you need another reason... according to Forbes.com, MES ranks in the Top 5 Key Areas to Affect How Goods Are Made in 2023 - Five Predictions For Manufacturing And Logistics In 2023.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/02/13/five-predictions-for-manufacturing-and-logistics-in-2023/?sh=1155863f1f76

So, what's next? Work with Crossroads RMC, an experienced MES partner who has seen situations just like yours and who has guided companies in your position. And best of all, Crossroads RMC doesn’t just know MES, we have a team of experts who are knowledgeable about manufacturing best practices, your Infor ERP, and MES and can bring all of that knowledge together to help you formulate the right plan for your company’s success.

Contact Anthony Etzel at Crossroads RMC today. He can provide you with a free MES ROI calculator to give you some concrete numbers to help you see what MES can do for your business. 800.762.2077

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