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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: Purchase Order Receive All Processing

Anthony Etzel 0 30549 Article rating: No rating

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.

Previously the user had tomanually enter the quantity received or, for a dynamic weight and measure items, the weightreceived for each line on the purchase order.

Now the screens are populated with the open valueand if the open value is the same as the value received, the user can simply accept the line.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: 4 Reasons You Need Timely & Accurate Data

Kathy Barthelt 0 119068 Article rating: No rating

Seems obvious – you want real time data and you want it to be accurate. Do you have the systems in place to allow for this?

Here are 4 reasons you need a data collection system:

  1. See the differences between actuals and standards
  2. Determine the source of project overruns
  3. Prevent mis-shipments to customers
  4. Avoid unnecessary reordering of parts

An automated data collection system will analyze your current data, allowing you to efficiently optimize your manufacturing and the benefits will be huge and far reaching.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Blonder Tongue Looks for Success on LX With Crossroads MES

Anthony Etzel 0 31348 Article rating: No rating

Blonder Tongue, a global communications equipment supplier for TV broadcasters and cable system operators, has selected Crossroads RMC to upgrade their ERP from BPCS 6.0.04 to the latest version of Infor LX. As part of this project, they will implement FIN, MFG, SCM and Webtop on LX, and will incorporate process improvements company wide in phase 2. Crossroads MES will go live over 6.0.04 in Q4 2017 with a planned cutover to LX as part of the ERP go live in Q1 2018.

Blonder Tongue, a global communications equipment supplier for TV broadcasters and cable system operators, has selected Crossroads RMC to upgrade their ERP from BPCS 6.0.04 to the latest version of Infor LX. As part of this project, they will implement FIN, MFG, SCM and Webtop on LX, and will incorporate process improvements company wide in phase 2. Crossroads MES will go live over 6.0.04 in Q4 2017 with a planned cutover to LX as part of the ERP go live in Q1 2018.  

Blonder Tongue, a global communications equipment supplier for TV broadcasters and cable system operators, has selected Crossroads RMC to upgrade their ERP from BPCS 6.0.04 to the latest version of Infor LX. As part of this project, they will implement FIN, MFG, SCM and Webtop on LX, and will incorporate process improvements company wide in phase 2. Crossroads MES will go live over 6.0.04 in Q4 2017 with a planned cutover to LX as part of the ERP go live in Q1 2018.  
Blonder Tongue, a global communications equipment supplier for TV broadcasters and cable system operators, has selected Crossroads RMC to upgrade their ERP from BPCS 6.0.04 to the latest version of Infor LX. As part of this project, they will implement FIN, MFG, SCM and Webtop on LX, and will incorporate process improvements company wide in phase 2. Crossroads MES will go live over 6.0.04 in Q4 2017 with a planned cutover to LX as part of the ERP go live in Q1 2018.  
Blonder Tongue, a global communications equipment supplier for TV broadcasters and cable system operators, has selected Crossroads RMC to upgrade their ERP from BPCS 6.0.04 to the latest version of Infor LX. As part of this project, they will implement FIN, MFG, SCM and Webtop on LX, and will incorporate process improvements com

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Estimates Versus Actuals

Anthony Etzel 0 33920 Article rating: No rating

So, how many of you have updated the estimated cost of material and labor in your ERP system recently? ……Hmmmm. That’s what I thought.

Do you have any idea how accurate those numbers are? Are you making business decisions based on estimates that are completely inaccurate?

Consider switching from estimates to actuals. Furthermore, consider implementing an automated data collection system to make this easy. By collecting production and labor data real time, you can gain real insight into your business and you gain the ability to look at the profitability of individual jobs, projects and employees.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Estimates Versus Actuals

Kathy Barthelt 0 82262 Article rating: 5.0

So, how many of you have updated the estimated cost of material and labor in your ERP system recently? ……Hmmmm. That’s what I thought.

Do you have any idea how accurate those numbers are? Are you making business decisions based on estimates that are completely inaccurate?

Consider switching from estimates to actuals. Furthermore, consider implementing an automated data collection system to make this easy. By collecting production and labor data real time, you can gain real insight into your business and you gain the ability to look at the profitability of individual jobs, projects and employees.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: 4 Benefits to Consider - Cross-Docking

Kathy Barthelt 0 80235 Article rating: No rating

Cross Docking is the practice of immediately processing completed goods to fulfill ‘demand’ requests with minimal handling. Cross Docking automatically combines and performs Baan / Infor LN steps to fill demand and shortages at the time items are available. Shortages are sorted and filled by the oldest demand date.

Benefits of Cross Docking include:

  • Direct and indirect labor savings resulting from operational efficiencies gains
  • Increased inventory accuracy, reliable on-hand inventory information and improved data entry
  • Increased productivity
  • Increased customer retention due to faster, more accurate fulfillment

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: The 3 Secrets to Improving Your MO (Manufacturing Optimization)

Anthony Etzel 0 32222 Article rating: No rating
  1. Identify the key metrics. You need benchmark data so you know what realistic goals are, then track them and publish your performance along with a brief comment from time to time on how things are trending and how you compare with others, particularly your primary competitors. The best thing about this is that it is a system that develops a life of its own.
     
  2. Measure it. Automatically, people start to think about improving things. Then the fun part, stuff begins to improve by itself. Once in place, the system just hums along and the benefits appear, because it has motivated people to think about it, and figure out what they can do to make it better.
     
  3. Communicate it. Publish your numbers, and explain to people how what they do affects the company as a whole and its success/failure. Once they see the numbers, employees quite often start to modify their behavior for the better.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Gain Efficiency & Save Money – Evaluate Your Production Lines

Anthony Etzel 0 37065 Article rating: No rating
When is the last time you took a hard look at your production lines?
 
  • How are we moving product through our facility?
  • Do we have work instructions / drawings available where needed?
  • Do we have frequently used inventory available at the line?
  •  
  • Where are the bottlenecks?
  • Are processes automated, where possible?
 
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!

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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.  

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Kathy Barthelt

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