As we move deeper into 2011, it’s important to reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly of 2010.
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Plex Systems Inc. develops and markets Plex Online, an ERP system designed exclusively for manufacturing companies. Plex only offers its software as a service (SaaS is defined below), in the cloud. In other words, companies don’t have the option to license the software and install it on their own servers. They can only subscribe to it and access it via the internet.
After we implemented the ERP Action Plan, this aerospace manufacturer improved planning and shop scheduling accuracy by 20%. It cut budgeting and forecasting labour time by by 75%. Learn how we helped this manufacturer drive business benefits by optimizing its ERP system.
The Company: The client is a privately-held international manufacturer of polyethylene bags. It operates sales and manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe.
These days, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) to be competitive. ERP helps companies manage their global supply chains and forecast demand. SMBs, though, are advised to approach ERP very cautiously. Casualties from failed ERP implementations are like bodies strewn across a bloody battlefield.
Industry reports and promotional materials make ERP sound like manna-for-business, dropped down from the heavens above. They say that ERP can make your business more efficient, responsive, integrated, transparent, profitable, productive… and the list goes on. What you really want to know, though, is how ERP can help your business. And, what’s the catch?
Imagine that you owned a chicken that laid one golden egg after another. Then imagine that a thief broke into your barn every day and stole your precious golden eggs. If you caught the thief, you’d probably sue his pants off and consider administering other, less legal forms of punishment. And that’s exactly what Oracle is doing to Rimini Street, TomorrowNow and SAP– the suing part, that is.
Rimini Street recently took the offensive in its legal battle against software, database and server giant, Oracle. In my previous article on this lawsuit, I wrote about Oracle’s claims that Rimini – an independent 3rd party provider of ERP maintenance and support services – operates an illegal business model predicated on computer hacking and theft.
As we close out 2010, I reflect on an ERP system selection project that we’re just now wrapping up in time for the holidays. The client runs a multi-site manufacturing and distribution business. It is a strategic supplier to big-box retailers and leads the market in its product category.
In a recent ZDNet article, Alliances, Referrals, Kickbacks, Reselling: Where’s the independent advice in this?, author Brian Sommer sends a crystal clear message to IT buyers. He says that if buyers want to find the right-fit IT system, they had better ensure the independence and impartiality of their system selection consultants.
If the consultants are not free from bias, he warns, the buyer could end up with a system that fits the consultants’ bottom lines better than its operations.
