Discussing ERP's intervention in small and Medium Enterprises

ERP for small business calls for voluminous investments. The amount was fairly affordable to small business entities. There is no doubt or two say about its benefits. But the question that kept ringing in the market was can everyone afford it. The answer was a stubborn no initially but not anymore. ERP outsourcing, Open Source ERP's and ERP applications designed for S.M.E.'s (Small and medium Enterprises) have successfully overcome the above said limitations.


Some relevant issues concerning ERP for S.M.E.'s are the following:


Evolution of ERP in S.M.E.'S


Enterprise Resource planning was a term restricted purely to elite class. This scene was witnessed in the IT market for some long time ever since ERP was introduced. The large organizations went ahead with ERP process unmindful of negative consequences, not to forget mentioning the fact that they took every proactive measure to curb the same. Needles to say firms were interested in serving such large players. So the fate of Small and Medium enterprises remained unanswered. ERP for S.M.E's remained a mere dream.


ERP Vendors and Corporate giants


It so happened that the number of larger companies without ERP turned out to be nil. Thanks to the awareness created by vendors and IT researchers. No doubt companies were initially hesitant lot and apprehensive on just hearing the word ERP. However the industry proved them otherwise. Then came a stage where a company could not exist but without ERP. Even if their performance was satisfactory they were not able to gain any competitive advantages.


This explanation of how goliaths adapted to ERP has lot of significance in studying their intervention with S.M.E. These bigger companies were not providing the required business to ERP vendors. Even though there are many big companies the number of vendors was always greater in multiples. This means only the best could strike deals and there was no possibility for mediocre or average vendors (in terms of performance).The best players also found that they had none to serve after a point of time because almost every company in the market successfully established ERP (whether on the first or further attempts).


Stabilization of ERP in S.M.E.S


SO they had to naturally look for greener and fresher pastures. S.M.E.'S was the only answer. The next question was how to provide best services at an affordable cost and still make profit. In this case the vendors had to be worried only about the number of sales they could make and not the quantum of profits because the number of vendors was few and far between when compared with the number of S.M.E.'S choosing to go for ERP. As the saying goes "necessity is the mother of Invention" vendors had to devise cost effective applications to meet the demands of the Small and Medium enterprises. This was the origin of ERP for S.M.E.'S. This benefited them in terms of business .On the other hand the firms enjoyed greater benefits by making use of this application. Hence ERP and S.M.E. was weighed on the same scale.


Conclusion


S.M.E.'s are becoming the popular choice of ERP vendors. There is an increasing awareness of ERP in S.M.E. market. It has practically helped to unravel the myth that ERP is exclusively meant to business empires. ERP and S.M.E have become important part of enterprise studies.


Original Source: Discussing ERP's intervention in small and Medium Enterprises

Squirrel Restaurant POS System for Apple iPad and iPhone to Make U.S. Debut at International Restaurant Foodservice Show of New York

Squirrel Systems today announced the launch of its latest addition to the Squirrel Mobility suite of products, Squirrel Professional for Apple mobile devices, at the International Restaurant Foodservice Show of New York, which starts Sunday, February 27th, 2011 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Squirrel Professional is a point of sale solution that allows restaurants, bars, and hotels to manage their food and beverage operations from stationary terminals as well as mobile tablets and handhelds like the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.


"We're extremely pleased that our Squirrel Professional point of sale software is now compatible with Apple mobile devices. This solution not only gives our customers an efficient way for taking orders at the table, but they also now have the ability to manage operations from anywhere in their establishment," says Bob Mackett, President of Squirrel Systems. "From updating special promotions to changing menu items and prices, users can do it all from Squirrel POS software running on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch."


Customers get the same Squirrel Professional experience whether using a stationary terminal or Apple mobile device since the same software runs on both. As a result, little to no training is required when implementing an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with the easy-to-use Squirrel Professional system.


Squirrel has leveraged considerable experience in the industry as well as with touchscreen technology to remain at the forefront of POS innovation. Bob Mackett says, "In 1984, Squirrel pioneered the first restaurant point of sale system with touchscreen technology and since then, we have continued to introduce hospitality industry innovations --- we were the first POS company to launch a 24/7 help desk for customer support. Squirrel Professional for the Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch represents the next evolution of Squirrel's point of sale offerings."


Original Source: Squirrel Restaurant POS System for Apple iPad and iPhone to Make U.S. Debut at International Restaurant Foodservice Show of New York


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Valley Manufacturing selects NGC's apparel ERP system

NGC announced that Valley Manufacturing, a full-package manufacturer of high-quality sportswear and sleepwear for U.S. brands, has implemented NGC's ERP software to bring new efficiency and productivity to the company’s expanding business. Located in El Salvador, Valley Manufacturing has been managing its supply chain with NGC solutions since 2003. The company wanted to increase operational efficiency throughout its organization, and selected NGC's apparel ERP system to help integrate and consolidate all company departments into a single solution.

“In working with NGC for over seven years, NGC has proven to be a reliable, highly professional partner, and we look forward to our expanded relationship.”

NGC's ERP software provides Valley Manufacturing with many significant benefits, including better work flow, higher profitability, reduced costs, superior customer service, improved inventory turns and visibility into the entire enterprise. NGC’s ERP software includes a customizable, configurable EDI system, sophisticated financial accounting, flexible reporting features and other highlights such as:

Flexible Customer Order Processing: NGC’s ERP enables users to spotlight and report on key indicators specific to any business and project profitability.

Purchasing: Time-phased raw material requirements lets Valley Manufacturing's users purchase what they need, when they need it.

Manufacturing/Contractor Management: This feature allows Valley Manufacturing to manage the entire manufacturing process from capacity planning, work order entry and release to factory to inventory control, quality and inbound shipment management and receiving.

Import Management: With a workflow calendar embedded throughout the system, NGC's ERP helps ensure timely deliveries to Valley Manufacturing's customers while maximizing efficiency and profits.

Inventory Control: NGC's software allows users to easily see how current inventory and work-in-process will satisfy open orders within specific delivery windows.

Allocation: Advanced allocation allows users to segregate inventory by warehouse, customer and/or style.

“NGC’s excellent customer service and knowledgeable implementation teams made our decision to move forward with NGC’s new ERP system simple,” said Salvador Llort, executive vice president, Valley Manufacturing. “In working with NGC for over seven years, NGC has proven to be a reliable, highly professional partner, and we look forward to our expanded relationship.”

"Valley Manufacturing has a solid reputation for quality products, and the company has been a loyal customer and friend to NGC for many years,” said Mark Burstein, president of sales and marketing, NGC. "We are excited to continue working with Valley Manufacturing to ensure that they take full advantage of all the benefits of NGC’s ERP system.”

NGC (New Generation Computing) is a leading provider of PLM, global sourcing, ERP and compliance and testing solutions for brands, retailers and consumer products companies. NGC helps our customers increase profitability of private-label merchandise, reduce cost of goods sold, improve speed to market and product quality, and manage compliance and testing.

NGC has offices in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, China, India, Mexico, and El Salvador and is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Software Inc.


Original Source: Valley Manufacturing selects NGC's apparel ERP system


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DEACOM Integrated ERP System Version 10.4 Includes Inventory, Quality Control Enhancements

Deacom, Inc. has released the latest version of its integrated ERP system for building component and process manufacturers. DEACOM Version 10.4 includes significant enhancements to Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and Quality Control (QC) functionality.


Wayne, PA (PRWEB) May 13, 2009 -- Deacom, Inc. this week released the latest version of its DEACOM Integrated Accounting and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software System for building component and process manufacturers, rolling out significant enhancements to the integrated ERP system's Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and Quality Control (QC) capabilities.


DEACOM 10.4 builds upon the software's established functionality, which encompasses all the business processes of a manufacturer, from sales and purchasing to production, reporting, and accounting.


Now the integrated ERP system combines sales and production MRP data in one easy-to-read report. Manufacturers can view current or time-phased material requirements for their entire organization - including on-hand inventory, issued and reserved inventory, items in QC hold, job requirements, sales requirements not yet scheduled as jobs, pending purchase orders (POs), forecasts, and inter-company transfers - from a single screen.


"So if you need it, you see it," explains Deacom Implementation Specialist Paul Heinmiller. "This improvement will give users better data visibility so they can make better planning and purchasing decisions."


The MRP software functionality also lets users satisfy material shortages by creating production jobs, POs, and inter-company transfers directly from the MRP report. Users buying several different parts from the same vendor also can build a multiple-item PO directly from this screen. And built-in drill down capability lets users view the real-time detail behind any MRP quantity by double-clicking the number.


In addition, DEACOM 10.4 includes improved QC capabilities. Now manufacturers can perform production QC testing during the job cycle - running multiple passes until achieving the desired test results - or after production is complete, on a pass/fail basis.


"The addition of post-production QC makes the system more flexible," Heinmiller says. "It's particularly helpful for manufacturers using third-party testing services."


DEACOM continues to permanently store all QC data for extensive research and reporting.


To learn more about the DEACOM Integrated Accounting and ERP Software System or to schedule an online demonstration, call 610-971-2278 ext. 15 or visit www.deacom.net.


About Deacom, Inc.
Headquartered in Wayne, PA, Deacom, Inc. is the producer of DEACOM, a complete accounting and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for building component and process manufacturers with difficult-to-handle requirements. The DEACOM System seamlessly links all departments within a manufacturing company, providing a comprehensive view of the entire operation. By making complex issues simple, Deacom helps streamline manufacturing business processes to maximize productivity and profitability.


Original Source:  DEACOM Integrated ERP System Version 10.4 Includes Inventory, Quality Control Enhancements


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MiniFrame, LG Electronics partner to provide multi-seat offering for the POS market

Offering include new LG network POS (Multi POS) monitors and MiniFrame's SoftXpand desktop virtualisation software


MiniFrame, a provider of software desktop virtualisation offering, and LG Electronics (LG), have entered a strategic partnership to provide a joint offering for the Point of Sale (POS) market.


The joint offering includes new LG network POS (Multi POS) monitors and MiniFrame's SoftXpand desktop virtualisation software. 
MiniFrame said that with SoftXpand, any PC can be shared among multiple concurrent users providing virtual desktop workstations.


In addition, each workstation operates independently and offers performance and flexibility enabling each user to run several applications simultaneously, including POS-oriented programs.


Both the companies provide a total POS multi-seat offering where 1 PC is connected to approximately 5 POS virtual workstations over a network.


Each POS workstation may include a Touch Screen Monitor, audio output, a receipt printer and other POS peripherals; and is connected over a TCP/IP network to the host PC running the SoftXpand software.


MiniFrames CEO Raz Rafaeli said the partnership shows the momentum of IT infrastructure moving to desktop virtualisation and by combining LG monitors with their desktop virtualisation software SoftXpand creates the optimal offering for today's cost-conscious businesses.


"We strongly believe that the joint multi-seat offering has the potential to be a game-changer for the POS market, where the emphasis is on helping customers and businesses achieve the most cost efficient offerings, eliminating high investment in IT infrastructure and maintenance," Rafaeli said.


Original Source:  MiniFrame, LG Electronics partner to provide multi-seat offering for the POS market


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Top Five Reasons to Use CRM Software

Customer Relationship Management was once used only by large enterprises because of the high cost associated with the product, but the tides have turned, says Sue Smythe, co-owner of CMIT Solutions in Everett.




A CRM tracking tool gives users countless benefits, usually at a decent price. Besides just managing sales, CRM software has applications enabling increased satisfaction in customer service. Providers of CRM software include Salesforce.com (News  - Alert), SugarCRM, ACT, Microsoft Dynamics, and NetSuite among others.




NetSuite Inc. sells cloud computing business management software suites helping companies organize core key business operations into a single system, which includes Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Accounting, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Ecommerce. NetSuite's (News - Alert) "real-time dashboard" technology provides an easy-to-use view into up-to-date, role-specific business information.




NetSuite CRM+ software delivers powerful customer relationship management (CRM) functionalities, including sales force automation (SFA), marketing automation, customer support and service, and flexible customization, all in a Web-based CRM solution.


Unlike most CRM solutions, NetSuite CRM+ includes standard powerful sales performance, order management and marketing effectiveness capabilities.


NetSuite CRM+ is the only CRM solution that is completely integrated with the back office—order management, fulfillment and financials—that help to decrease manual entry and various errors, as well as increasing the time a process can be completed. This perfect integration enables a business to be able to operate on the same customer and transactional data—and offers complete visibility into the customer lifecycle—from beginning to end.


Original Source:  Top Five Reasons to Use CRM Software


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IntegrateIT develops the ultimate ERP solution for SME's

It is no secret that all businesses need some sort of system to process paper work. Quick books, spreadsheets, the back of a napkin or a big pile of receipts the accountant has to sift through. Some system has to be in place to ensure your customers are billed properly and your vendors are paid what they are owed. As a small business deciding the right system for you doesn’t seem like a big deal, but as you grow and more people are involved the  issues become larger and larger.

SME’s will tell you this system stuff is a real pain in the back side. What system should you use, how much is it going to cost and how long with this last before an upgrade or change of systems is in order again. The last point is one of the biggest issues even though most don’t realize it. The cost of continually changing systems effects the bottom line and the culture of the organization. If you have a system that does not meet your needs it can stunt the growth of the organization. The training and retraining can be costly.

IntegrateIT has developed a product and process that will make the decision for ERP Software for SME by providing a system (ERP123) the is scalable and affordable. ERP123 offers a full suite of functionality for manufacturing and distribution companies. So much in fact that when your first starting out it is too much. The beauty of the system is that you only need to use what is required today and turn off the rest. As you and your staff become more comfortable with a fully integrated system you can expand its use and reap more benefits of automation with out changing the system or paying for more software. When you buy ERP123 you get all modules up front.

Starting out small and growing into a system is not only a good idea it is the most sure fire way to ensure you are successful. Ask around and it won’t take long to find many horror stories of failed ERP projects. The biggest reason is that organizations try to do too much too fast. ERP is not Excel, your people need time to understand the concepts and the flow of information in a system. The key to success is to integrate the system into your business at a pace your people can handle. Expanding the functionality utilized by your organization in manageable, logical chunks.

There is no predetermined path, it truly is based on what you company needs and where the bottle necks or problems are within your organization. IntegrateIT has developed ERP123 and over 50 hours of training videos to enable companies to take a staged approach to software implementation. Low cost of initial ownership and training aids allow you to buy the software when you are small. As requirements grow you don’t have to replace the system, just expand its use, no retraining, no purchasing new software and upsetting the apple cart.

Investments of time, energy and most importantly money into a system that you know you will outgrow is a thing of the past. IntegrateIT provides you a path to success so your organization can focus on running the business instead of sourcing new business management software every 3 or 4 years.

Source:  IntegrateIT develops the ultimate ERP solution for SME's

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Solarsoft’s Tropos ERP Solution a Key Ingredient for New Bloomer Candy Company

Solarsoft Business Systems, a leading provider of business systems for mid-sized manufacturers, announced today that chocolate manufacturer and distributor New Bloomer Candy Company of Zanesville, Ohio, has selected Solarsoft’s Tropos ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution for process manufacturing.


“Solarsoft’s Tropos ERP platform and their expertise in the food and beverage industry were a real plus to New Bloomer Candy Company,” says Jerry Nolder, New Bloomer Candy Company’s CEO. “Tropos will enable big ERP capabilities for a small manufacturer like us. Tropos’ applications will give New Bloomer Candy a competitive edge over similar candy companies.”


For more than a century, New Bloomer Candy customers have enjoyed its gourmet chocolates which are blended in precise detail from family recipes. To continue this tradition New Bloomer Candy wanted to find the right solution to replace its decade-old legacy computer system and manufacturing-distribution ERP.
After an evaluation process which reviewed 51 ERP vendors, New Bloomer Candy selected Solarsoft due to its suite of products meeting or exceeding New Bloomer Candy’s business requirements: 

• Real-time information
• Recipe management
• Bill of Materials
• Sales management
• Lot traceability
• Inventory management
• Integrated financial applications.

In Tropos, New Bloomer Candy gains: 

• An out-of-the-box comprehensive solution that integrates core ERP functions with touch-screen enabled shop-floor data collection and mobile bar-code scanning of inventory. The extensive built-in functionality also includes forecasting, capacity planning, drag-and-drop production scheduling, and quality.

• Easy identification of potential stock shortages.

• An ERP solution designed from the ground up to meet the demands of process manufacturers, without the need for customized bolt-ons or add-ons.

About Solarsoft Tropos 

Tropos is an enterprise resource planning solution developed for process manufacturing. Tropos’ real-time, accurate information maximizes performance for food processors and packers, pharmaceuticals, mills and metals processing, specialty chemicals and general manufacturing in process-oriented industries, particularly those supplying the major retailers or those distributing short shelf-life products.

About Solarsoft Business Systems 

Solarsoft provides modern enterprise software and IT services to manufacturers, distributors and wholesale businesses in North America, Europe and Asia. The company has grown organically and through acquisition since 1986 and has worldwide revenues of US$100 million. Solarsoft employs more than 400 professionals providing local support across 16 time zones. More than 2,000 companies rely on Solarsoft to bring clarity and efficiency to their daily operations.

Original Source: Solarsoft’s Tropos ERP Solution a Key Ingredient for New Bloomer Candy Company

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Data Virtualization Links CRM, ERP and SCM

Data virtualization could be the next big thing in the customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise applications space.


If you can imagine an environment where you can integrate on-premise, cloud and SaaS applications quickly, easily and securely, you're on your way to understanding the potential of data virtualization. Next, imagine that you can automatically link your PeopleSoft, Vantive, Salesforce and SAP systems to provide a single continuous view of the customer.


These pretty radical concepts are already available in a product from Queplix, a leader in data virtualization. Other players in the field include Informatica, Pervasive Software, Composite Software, DataFlux and VisionWare. And the giants are also on the move.


"IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP are all data management big guns with interests in the cloud, master data management and enterprise applications," said John Abbott, co-founder and chief analyst of The 451 Group.


Abbott said IBM (NYSE: IBM) has made a series of integration acquisitions, while Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) acquired product data-quality vendor Silver Creek Systems earlier this year to boost its data management credentials. And SAP (NYSE: SAP) is in the process of assimilating Sybase.


But what exactly is data virtualization? Well, Wikipedia defines data virtualization as "the presentation of data as an abstract layer, independent of underlying database systems, structures and storage."


Data virtualization allows companies to get critical customer care, sales force automation and other important CRM applications working together to improve business operations and provide better service to their customers, said Michael Zuckerman, chief marketing officer of Queplix.


Last month, Queplix released Queplix Virtual Data Manager (QVDM), a product that can manage a simple integration between two applications or scale easily to integrate multiple instances of a complex application such as Siebel or SAP.


The core of the product is its persistent metadata server, which is accessible to all applications and provides a common source of data information and truth, said Zuckerman.


"Data virtualization offers a fundamental change in the way application and data integration problems can be solved," said Abbott. "Once virtualized, the data is available for secure reuse, with potential incremental return on investment with each application."


Original source: Data Virtualization Links CRM, ERP and SCM


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Open Source ERP Can Solve The Issue Of Outgrowing QuickBooks

Recent surveys have found that small and medium businesses (SMB) are increasingly willing to consider open source solutions. Not surprisingly, SMB and large enterprises are predisposed to different categories of open source software. 


Survey data suggests that open source ERP is one such OSS category where SMBs are more likely to adopt OSS than their large enterprise peers.
Several open source ERP vendors are vying for a share of the action. Small and medium business owners and/or IT department heads should consider whether an open source ERP package could meet your business needs as your company grows.


Growing adoption of OSS in SMB
Just fifteen months ago, Forrester published survey data that suggested SMBs were much more apprehensive about open source software then large enterprises. In summarizing the Forrester results, I wrote:


The Forrester study also found that more than half of SMBs (57 percent) also expressed concern that open-source software would be complex and hard to adopt, but only 32 percent of enterprises expressed a similar sentiment. In addition, 68 percent of SMBs cited the availability of service and support for open-source software as a concern, compared with 47 percent of enterprises.


More recently however, Jay Layman of The 451 Group reported that a study from CompTIAsuggested SMBs were more willing to consider and invest in open source products. Layman wrote:


In terms of open source, the study indicates nearly 20% of SMBs polled plan to begin using open source software in the next year. We believe that is a significant figure, particularly when we consider all of the open source software - from OS to middleware to applications - that SMBs may already be using, but just are not necessarily aware it is open source (via SIs, resellers, service providers and others that are increasingly using and incorporating open source).


Open source ERP usage small, but larger in SMB
Forrester analyst Jeffrey Hammond's recent LinuxCon keynote contained a wealth of data, including a view of OSS adoption by software category across company sizes.


According to a 4Q2009 survey of over 1,900 IT decision makers, companies with 20 to 999 employees were 50 percent more likely to have adopted open source CRM and ERP business applications than companies with more than 1,000 employees.


It should however be noted, that only 9 percent of companies surveyed with 20 to 999 employees were using an open source ERP offering. The adoption rate was however higher than Portals, such as Liferay, or Business Intelligence tools, such as Jasper Reports, across companies of all sizes.


All this begs the question, "could an open source ERP package be right from my midsize business"?


When to consider open source ERP products
Ned Lily, CEO of open source ERP vendor xTuple, explained in an email that his company is seeing strong interest from two types of customers.


First, companies with revenues of $5 to $50 million annually that are outgrowing the capabilities of QuickBooks. Previously, their only logical choice was an SMB version of SAP or Oracle Applications. However, the complexity of an SAP or Oracle Applications implementation and the time required ultimately forced customers to make due with QuickBooks.


Second, midsized companies that adopted an ERP package in the lead-up to Y2K, and are now beginning to consider alternatives that provide greater flexibility without the need for an army of consultants and at a much lower cost. Access to source code, either directly or through service providers, is a key attraction to companies in this second camp. Lily explained


We hear anecdotally from partners and customers that implementations are faster because of open architecture and ability to make low-impact changes to the source code or extensions around the core.


xTuple recently announced new customers, a Cloud-based offering, a user community of over 25,000 active members and over 400,000 downloads to date.


Openbravo and Compiere, both previous winners of InfoWorld's Best of Open Sourcein the ERP category, are two other leading open source ERP products.


In addition to a traditional software package, Openbravo offers its ERP package as a software or hardware appliance to further simplify and cut deployment costs. Openbravo also boasts a large partner network, which can help midsize companies evaluate and adopt an appropriate product.


Compiere on the other hand was recently acquired by Consona Corporation. Coverage of the acquisitionsuggests that Compiere needs to refocus on its users, partners and community if it hopes to grow again.


The list of open source ERP vendors is not exhaustive by any means. Midsized enterprises considering an ERP package are encouraged to evaluate several packages - which, of course, is made easier through the low barrier for open source offerings.


Original Source: Open Source ERP Can Solve The Issue Of Outgrowing QuickBooks




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