Chris Shaul
There are many sources of information on how to select and implement software, but there is little information on how to negotiate and make the purchase of the software. The uninformed can spend thousands of dollars more than they need too. Those that know the “tricks” of the trade can save themselves enough to pay for several modules or a good chunk of the implementation costs. Read the rest of this entry »
New workflow, reporting and customizable dashboards are among the new features that SugarCRM Inc. is adding to the version 4.0 of its open-source Sugar Suite customer relationship management product due for release on Dec. 16.
The new version will include a business rules-based workflow management system designed to ensure the sales personnel and sales managers follow up promptly on important opportunities, said John Roberts, SugarCRM CEO. SugarCRM Boosts Workflow, Reporting Tools in 4.0 Edition
In association with Amazon.com, ERPandmore.com now has a complete bookstore to assist you in finding ERP, CRM, PLM, or other software/process books. To access this new store, please click on “books” at the top right of the page. We hope you find this to be a valuable part of the site.
Copyright 2005 Adele Sommers
When your enterprise decides to undertake a new endeavor –
whether it’s designing a new training program, planning a
new service, or revamping an existing product — this
endeavor is called a project. It involves people, funding,
resources, schedules, requirements, testing, fine tuning,
and deployment, plus a host of other activities.
You may have seen this phenomenon by now: projects are risk
magnets. Why is that? Read the rest of this entry »
VENDORS continue to disappear from the turbulent world of ERP software, but the message to manufacturers is not to fret, but take heart from the consolidation.
While manufacturers with ERP systems may feel uneasy about this unrest, SSA Global’s CEO Mike Greenough says it is exactly what the software market needed after a boom built on post-Y2K excesses.
Speaking at the company’s global client forum held in Florida earlier this year, he said there were so many ineffective software providers out there that it was a broken industry”.
There are substantial market opportunities for both horizontal- and vertical-specific applications, according to a series of survey studies by market advisory firm IDC focusing on Western European manufacturing IT adoption and future plans. In the former, heavy ERP investments will continue in European manufacturing and will continue to offer the largest revenue opportunities in the short term. CRM, content management and supply chain applications will have the fastest adoption among horizontal applications.
Digital Media Asia: News – Heavy ERP spending among Western European manufacturing firms to continue – report
The old equation of part cost plus profit equals selling price is no longer accurate. Rather, a fixed or decreasing price less part cost yields profit. If manufacturers want to increase profits under this equation, controlling cost is key.
Increasingly, discrete manufacturers with blanket annual volumes are turning to lean-enabled concepts in an attempt to reduce waste (thus costs) to improve profitability. Some, however, have missed an important point: Lean manufacturing is not limited to waste reduction within pure manufacturing processes. It should also include all supporting activities, such as supporting ERP software. The entire organization should focus on eliminating inefficiencies wherever they occur, while continually improving quality.
The Japanese call waste Muda, which is defined as the opposite of value. Training employees to recognize and eliminate Muda can lead to reduced costs and, thus, improved profits.
There are eight types of Muda, motions that contain no value: motion, waiting, conveyance, correction, over-processing, overproduction, inventory and knowledge. (See sidebar) The goal is to eliminate activities that do not add value.
Read more at:
Feature – Lean-Enabled ERP
Taking the concepts of the Toyota System and enhancing them with todays information systems technology has been the key to allow some manufacturers to unlock the door that leads to a short-cut in process improvement projects. They are rethinking the good ideas of lean manufacturing and are using todays factory floor information tools to quickly and easily improve factory floor performance, customer responsiveness and their bottom line.
Process improvement through a leaner approach and finite scheduling for the factory floor can be demonstrated in a number of ways: Read the rest of this entry »
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