Please Wait a Moment
X

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

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

Kathy Barthelt 0 80439 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 54550 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 74595 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 147592 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!

Baan/LN Lunch & Learn Webinar: What Manufacturers Need to Know About Sales Tax Compliance

Kathy Barthelt 0 39276 Article rating: 5.0

Lunch & Learn Webinar for Baan/LN!
Is Your Company at Risk?
What Manufacturers Need to Know About Sales Tax Compliance

Crossroads RMC & Avalara on the Avatax and Infor LN Integration. 

Learn how Avalara delivers end-to-end cloud-based (real-time data) sales tax automation, including rate determination, return filing, remittance, and exemption certificate management!

Get the inside scoop on:

  • The sales tax landscape: why it is more complex than ever and what that means in mitigating risk.
  • The importance of exemption certificates (reseller certificates) in sales tax compliance—even if you think you don’t owe sales tax.
  • Economic Nexus Laws and how they could impact your business.
  • How Avatax for Infor LN seamlessly integrates to apply the proper sales tax every time to invoices, manages exemption certificates, files, and remits returns while providing “Accuracy Guaranteed" audit protection.

You Don't Want to Miss This Important Webinar!

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: 3 Common ERP Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Anthony Etzel 0 53535 Article rating: No rating

For many businesses, a high-powered ERP can streamline processes, increase efficiency, and strengthen the bottom line—at least in theory. In reality, some companies miss out on the opportunity to achieve greater ROI by overlooking a few fundamental truths about ERPs.

1. Implementation takes longer than usually anticipated.

2. Company buy-in and sufficient training can predict success.

3. Implementing the full range of features can make the difference between success and failure.

Can your ERP move with you into your next growth phase? Can it scale and flex as your business expands? Is your business making the most of your investment?

Read Full Article

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: 3 Common ERP Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Kathy Barthelt 0 78446 Article rating: No rating

For many businesses, a high-powered ERP can streamline processes, increase efficiency, and strengthen the bottom line—at least in theory. In reality, some companies miss out on the opportunity to achieve greater ROI by overlooking a few fundamental truths about ERPs.

1. Implementation takes longer than usually anticipated.

2. Company buy-in and sufficient training can predict success.

3. Implementing the full range of features can make the difference between success and failure.

Can your ERP move with you into your next growth phase? Can it scale and flex as your business expands? Is your business making the most of your investment?

Read Full Article

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Notes Maintenance Enhancements

Anthony Etzel 0 54932 Article rating: No rating

The Notes Maintenance feature is made up note programs that are accessible from a central location. The Note Text Maintenance (SYS555), Note Type Maintenance (SYS553) and Multi Language Notes Maintenance (SYS556) programs are all available as menu options.

Instead of having to go into separate programs to maintain note settings, the user can set up print options, specify user documents and customize user security levels for specific notes.

The Notes Maintenance feature provides a way to create, revise, delete, and copy note text that are categorized by note types. The print options in Notes Maintenance permit a user to define documents for which the note is intended. This includes base LX documents and custom documents. 

Finally, the notes program provides a way to define notes by assigning document types. For example, a document type can be created named “Invoice.” A note can then be defined to print on all invoice programs without requiring individual entry.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

First8384858688909192Last

Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

An ERP System Review is NOT a Report Card

It's a no-judgment-review - we promise!

report card C minusWe all remember our school days and the nervousness that we felt when it came time to get our grades. Even if we were doing well, we were still nervous. Sometimes we experienced that same nervousness when it came time for a performance review on our job. Nervousness…sometimes dread…knowing that our performance was not what we wanted it to be, or others expected it to be. 

Somehow I think the feelings that we felt in our past often find ways to creep into our present. I have seen this recently when I suggested an ERP system review to one of our customers. They immediately became flustered and thought about every possible problem that they knew existed within the software and how they were currently using it. I asked them to consider the purpose of the ERP system review.

An ERP Utilization Review will:

  • Document how your company is using your ERP system (or a particular aspect of the system) and to what extent the system meets the needs of the business.
  • Identify challenges encountered using the software.
  • Create opportunities for improving business processes and generating additional value.
  • Identify potential risks and areas that need improvement.


key hole to the futureSo, if the result of ERP system review is to establish a path forward for growth based on current status, then why doesn’t every company take advantage of it? I think for some, the answer lies in the feelings of nervousness and dread still stuck in the recesses of our brains.

An ERP system review or more specifically a utilization review is NOT a personal report card, or performance review showing how well a particular individual does his/hers/their job, nor is it an attack on the team that implemented the software. 

As they say, hindsight is 20/20. What we view now to be a less than ideal implementation methodology may have been absolutely appropriate at the time the software was originally deployed. The software has likely matured and the skillsets of the individuals responsible for the system have likely matured as well. In some cases, those resources are no longer with the company, leaving those that remain with no back story as to how and why implementation decisions were made.

Instead of viewing the ERP utilization review as a reason to find fault in previous decisions, think of it as discovering untapped potential – both of the ERP system and the people who use it. Viewing an ERP utilization review in this way puts a positive spin on it and allows us to challenge ourselves to identify opportunities for growth far greater than anything we imagined before. This means not only moving our businesses forward faster but also advancing the strength of the company as individuals and as a team.

What untapped potential lies within your company?

Consider a utilization review of your entire ERP system, or just a part of it like Finance, Technology, Materials Management, Order Processing, or Shop Floor Control. You just might be surprised at what greatness can be achieved… far greater than anyone could have imagined.  

Get a free phone consultation button

800.762.2077

Print
30731 Rate this article:
5.0
Kathy Barthelt

Kathy BartheltKathy Barthelt

Other posts by Kathy Barthelt

Contact author

x

Categories