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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

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

Kathy Barthelt 0 79390 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!

BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: How is your relationship going... with your suppliers?

Anthony Etzel 0 51312 Article rating: No rating

Do you have a strong relationship with your suppliers? Do they know your every need/want? No? Well, why not?  

The key to any good relationship is communication. Have you established clear and consistent communication with your suppliers? Consider establishing a way for both of you to share information with each other electronically.

A portal is a good way to achieve this. Documents can be shared, updates on deliveries can be communicated with ease, and changes that can affect both your operations and theirs can be communicated efficiently and effectively.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: How is your relationship going... with your suppliers?

Kathy Barthelt 0 76070 Article rating: No rating

Do you have a strong relationship with your suppliers? Do they know your every need/want? No? Well, why not?  

The key to any good relationship is communication. Have you established clear and consistent communication with your suppliers? Consider establishing a way for both of you to share information with each other electronically.

A portal is a good way to achieve this. Documents can be shared, updates on deliveries can be communicated with ease, and changes that can affect both your operations and theirs can be communicated efficiently and effectively.

Optimize Your Manufacturing Today!

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

Anthony Etzel 0 54886 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!

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

Kathy Barthelt 0 75210 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!

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

Anthony Etzel 0 48930 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.

Have you looked at streamlining your processes?Are you using the ERP system, but everything seems cumbersome and takes more time than its worth? Ask yourself these questions:

  • 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 75559 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!

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Improves control over PO costing changes during invoice entry by replacing passive warnings with an intentional override action.

  • In ACP500D3 (Invoice Entry PO Costing), users previously could unintentionally accept changes by pressing ENTER, even when quantity to cost or amount to cost values had changed.

  • A new “F14 to Override” warning message replaces the old message:
    “Details have changed. Press enter again to accept data.”
    This ensures users acknowledge and confirm significant changes explicitly.

New System Parameter:

  • “Apply GRN Costing Tolerance for PO Costing” (optional):

    • Within tolerance: Displays the original message —
      “Details have changed. Press enter again to accept data.”

    • Outside tolerance: Triggers the new override requirement —
      “F14 to Override”

Benefits:

  • Enhances oversight and reduces unintentional cost acceptance.

  • Enables better control of PO costs when invoice details differ from expectations.

Last

Tips: LN | Baan

Kathy Barthelt

Infor LN & Baan OPERATIONS Tip: MPS Planned vs. MRP Planned

When deciding what items should be MPS (Master Production Schedule) planned and what items should be MRP (Material Requirements Planning) planned, it's crucial to understand the nature of the items and their demand sources. Here's a breakdown:

  • Master Scheduled Items:

    • Master Scheduled Items are typically finished goods or service items.
    • These items receive their requirements from both Independent and Dependent demand sources.
       
  • Independent Demand:

    • Independent demand cannot be calculated from higher-level demand in the product structure.
    • It is driven by forecasts or actual customer orders, primarily applicable to Finished Goods or Service parts sold to customers.
       
  • Dependent Demand:

    • Dependent demand is derived from higher-level demand in the product structure.
    • It includes components, raw materials, and sub-assemblies.
    • Dependent demand items are not typically part of Master Production Scheduling (MPS).
       
  • Service Parts:

    • Service parts can have both independent demand from forecasts or customer orders and dependent demand from higher-level demand if they are used in sub-assemblies or other products.
       
  • Cumulative Lead Time:

    • Cumulative Lead Time is a concept used in MPS.
    • It combines the fixed lead time and variable lead time required to produce a product.
    • It represents the longest path through a Bill-of-Materials (BOM).
    • Your ERP system will calculate the cumulative lead time (Critical Path) based on MPS setup options.
       
  • Infor LN Approach:

    • Infor LN does not differentiate between MPS and MRP planning.
    • It uses Enterprise Planning (EP) with one set of planned orders.
    • While you can set up items and generate orders at plan levels, it's not always necessary.
    • In theory, you could treat plan level 1 similar to MPS items.
       
  • Defining Independent Demand in LN:

    • In LN terms, independent demand is demand not related to other planned items.
    • Dependent demand comes from related planned items higher up in the BOM structure.
       
  • COLT (Cumulative Order Lead Time):

    • COLT exists in the purchase and manufactured planned items.
    • It considers non-critical and critical lead times based on components marked as critical.
    • Once calculated, COLT can be used to update the order and planning horizons of a planned item.

Relevant Sessions:

In Baan IV:

  • Maintain Item Data (tiitm0101m000)
  • Generate MPS (timps3201m000)
  • Maintain Master Production Schedule (timps3101m000)
  • Display Planned Inventory Movements by Item (timrp1510m000)
  • Display Planned MRP Purchase Orders (timrp1521m000)

In Baan V:

  • Plan Item Data (cprpd1500m000)
  • Item Master Plan (cprmp2101m000)
  • Time-Phased Overview (cprrp0520m000)

In Infor LN:

  • Item – Planning (cprpd1100m000)
  • Item Master Plan (cprmp2101m000) - Same as Master MPS if used


For more information and assistance, you can contact Crossroads RMC at 800.762.2077 or via email at solutions@crossroadsrmc.com.

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