We have a philosophy at SYSPRO that precludes innovation simply for the sake of innovation. There is an organizational commitment around here to productive development that doesn’t really leave much wriggle room for frivolity. ERP software is a serious business after all… isn’t it? (more…)
There’s a cliché that people can become victims of their own success. Like most clichés, it might be annoying but it’s also true. But what does it mean in the business world, and more importantly, how do we avoid it? (more…)
It’s a long time since the sales team got all the glamour and recognition for being the business heroes, now it’s just as likely that the buyers are out celebrating with the champagne. The impact of procurement to the profitability and sustainability of a business is dramatic. Consider a distribution business with a revenue turnover of $100m with a cost of sales of $70m [...]
Death. It’s guaranteed, the one thing we can’t avoid. Its imminent arrival sparks many emotions, debates, rites and rituals. People spend thousands each year on funeral policies and think up elaborate last wills and testaments to plan for what will happen to them once the grim reaper has paid them a visit. With so much time, energy and expense invested in what happens after we [...]
I’ve been in the ERP business for a while now and have helped all sorts of organizations with their systems from non-profit, to government, to businesses small and large. One of the most interesting and complex ERP deployments that I’ve had the pleasure of participating in was for Santa (and Santa generously gave me permission to share what we did for him so that other businesses [...]
The disconnect between Sales and Operations in manufacturing companies is so common that it is almost a cliché. I’ve experienced it myself and I’ve met plenty of people at other companies going through the same struggles. Maybe you see some of this in your own company. Sales perceives Operations as incompetent, unable to deliver the right products at the right time. Operations perceives Sales as [...]
Most ERP vendors offer ERP solutions for Mining, but is there such a thing as a single ERP solution that solves the issues of an entire industry, especially one as complex as mining? One of the biggest mistakes that mining corporations, and businesses in general, can make in today’s technology driven climate, is to accept blanket ERP solutions. No two businesses are exactly the same, so [...]
One of the biggest difficulties that consultants going down-market have is getting the price for their services in the right ballpark for small- and medium-sized businesses. Speaking from the perspective of an ERP vendor, we often come across prospective clients who have misleading expectations for the price of ERP set by a consultant who didn’t understand the lower end of the market. (more…)
Looking to the future, the variation of customer demand globally will require that manufacturers adopt production proximity – having a few plants around the world that produce standard platforms and components, then doing final assembly in local factories which can better serve local needs. This trend is playing out on two fronts – re-shoring of global plants, and local assembly. Both of these trends [...]
Continuing with our topic of manufacturing technology trends, fast decision-making will be one characteristic of successful manufacturing operations of the future, and technology is providing faster access to a greater volume of information both from the factory floor and from external sources. (more…)
