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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

Industry Insights: Planning Your Cloud Journey Together

Crossroads RMC 0 310 Article rating: 5.0

Cloud migration can feel overwhelming, especially for organizations that have invested years in building and refining their ERP environment.

Infor's Leap program was designed to help organizations evaluate modernization opportunities through cloud readiness planning, industry-specific best practices, and a structured implementation approach.

The most successful cloud journeys begin with a clear understanding of your business objectives, integrations, reporting requirements, and long-term growth plans.

Whether you're actively evaluating cloud options or simply planning for the future, Crossroads RMC can help you assess your current environment and understand the available paths forward.

Learn more about Infor Leap

→ Contact Crossroads RMC to discuss your modernization strategy

Is Your ERP Environment Ready for What's Next?

Crossroads RMC 0 284 Article rating: 5.0

For many manufacturers, ERP has been the foundation of their business for years. It manages orders, inventory, production, purchasing, and financials. But as technology and business demands continue to evolve, many organizations are beginning to ask a different question:

Is our ERP environment ready for what's next?

For some, that conversation includes cloud migration. For others, it's about integration, visibility, analytics, or supporting future growth.

The good news is that modernization doesn't have to start with a major migration project.

Start with the Business, Not the Technology

One of the biggest misconceptions about modernization is that it begins with selecting a new platform.

In reality, the most successful projects begin by understanding the business challenges you're trying to solve.

Questions worth asking include:

Integration Services: Connecting What Matters

Kathy Barthelt 0 517 Article rating: 5.0

Disconnected systems don’t just create inefficiencies, they limit visibility, increase risk, and slow growth.

Across Infor LN/Baan and LX/BPCS environments, we help manufacturers connect their ERP with key business platforms so data flows accurately and in real time.

Quick Insight

Integration challenges are rarely about tools, they’re about how systems are connected and how data flows between them. When integration is built around your ERP, it creates a reliable foundation for efficiency, visibility, and scalability.

Real-World Example

A leading U.S. based pharmaceutical manufacturer needed to connect their Infor ERP with external platforms to eliminate manual processes and support growing volume.

Crossroads RMC implemented an ION-based integration that automated data exchange and created a secure, bi-directional flow of information.

The result:

  • Eliminated high-volume manual entry
  • Reduced errors and improved accuracy
  • Increased visibility into key processes
  • Enabled scalable growth without adding resources

→ Read the full case study


If you’re looking to connect systems more effectively or support growth without added complexity, we’d be happy to share what’s working.

Talk with our team 1.800.762.2077

Industry Insights: Simplifying Integration Across LN and LX with Infor ION

Kathy Barthelt 0 1497 Article rating: 5.0

Why this matters

Many integration challenges come from systems that don’t communicate effectively. Data is often duplicated, delayed, or manually transferred between applications, creating inefficiencies and limiting visibility.

What this solves

Infor ION provides a structured way to connect applications and enable consistent data flow across your environment, helping reduce manual processes and improve how information is shared.


How it works

Infor ION acts as a central integration layer, allowing systems to communicate using standardized messages.

In Infor LN, ION is natively integrated, enabling streamlined data exchange across applications.
In Infor LX environments, ION can be used as part of an integration strategy to connect ERP with external systems and platforms.

This enables:

Case Study: Driving Real-Time Performance with NextTrack Insights

Kathy Barthelt 0 1458 Article rating: 5.0

NextTrack Insights

Where teams struggle:

  • Limited visibility into production performance
  • Delayed or inconsistent reporting
  • Difficulty tracking scrap and efficiency
  • Data spread across systems

Quick insight
When production and scrap data are visible in real time, teams can identify issues earlier and take action before they impact performance.

Real-World Example
Manufacturers using NextTrack Insights are improving visibility, reducing delays, and driving performance across production.

→ Read the full case study

If improving visibility is a priority, we’d be happy to help.

Talk with our team 1.855-410-2334

Infor ERP Tips & Tricks: Gain Insight into Inventory Variances with Cycle Counting Analytics

Applies to: Infor LN Baan environments

Kathy Barthelt 0 2489 Article rating: 5.0

Why this matters

Inventory discrepancies are often identified, but not fully understood. Without clear visibility into where and why variances occur, teams are left reacting instead of improving processes.

What this solves

The Cycle Counting Variances session (whinh8352m000) provides a visual way to analyze inventory discrepancies, helping teams identify patterns and root causes across warehouses and counting activities.


How it works...

Infor ERP Tips & Tricks: Improve MRP Visibility with WebTop Grid Support

Applies to: Infor LX BPCS environments

George Moroses 0 2045 Article rating: 5.0

Why this matters

In MRP inquiries, limited visibility and paging behavior can make it difficult to review data efficiently—especially when working with larger datasets or modern web interfaces.

What this solves

This enhancement enables full compatibility between MRP320D Master Schedule Detail Inquiry and the WebTop Grid, allowing users to view and work with complete datasets more effectively.


How it works

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

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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