Welcome to ERP and More!

The simple answer is to improve your business methodology so that you reduce defects, thus reducing costs and increasing quality, thus increasing efficiency and ultimately, customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects.

In essence, Six Sigma is a business improvement strategy. It seeks to identify, reduce, and eliminate defects from every product, process and transaction. It uses a structured systems approach to problem solving and strongly links initial improvement goal targets to bottom-line results. Six Sigma is a way to achieve

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Karen Trisko

Leading Excellence, Inc. makes best practice techniques used by America’s best companies available through Web-based seminars.

(PRWEB via PR Web Direct) October 25, 2005 — The best companies in America, verified by the U.S. Department of Commerce Baldrige National Quality Award process, have mastered strategies for success that previously were not well known. Now their strategies can be quickly learned and adapted by anyone in any organization.

In the past, managers could learn success strategies only through reading lengthy documents describing success strategies, or attending conferences that require travel and extensive time commitments to learn from award-winning organizations. Now Leading Excellence, Inc. offers Performance Excellence Webinars to make the secrets widely known and accelerate the time that organizations spend making improvements.

The first Performance Excellence Webinar series titled “Continuous Improvement and Process Management” are available starting in November 2005. In the three-session Webinar series, participants will discover three essential, practical, and systematic techniques to improve their organizations’ results. Anyone can participate from home or their office – wherever there is a telephone and an Internet connection.

Webinar topics and dates are as follows:

1. Continuous Improvement 101: Fundamentals of process management and improvement. For managers, improvement coordinators, and new process owners, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST

2. Maximize & Sustain Improvements: Why and how to utilize process owners and the “Process Excellence Rating System.” For managers, improvement coordinators, and process owners. Friday, Dec. 2, 2005. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST

3. Strategy-Driven Improvement: How improvement initiatives should help achieve long-term strategic goals. For executives and process improvement managers. Friday, Dec. 9, 2005. 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. PST

Leading Excellence Performance Excellence Webinars are inexpensive, no-hassle, and skillfully led by one of the nation’s leading experts in organizational performance improvement, Karen Trisko. Trisko has 11 years experience successfully implementing the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. She has served as a senior examiner for the Baldrige National Quality Award program (2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005) and formerly chaired California’s award program. She has guided many organizations to achieve dramatically improved results and earn award recognition. See Karen’s profile and additional information at www.leadingexcellence.com.

Leading Excellence, Inc. is a consulting firm that specializes in performance improvement techniques that are useable by all sizes of organizations in any industry sector. The mission of Leading Excellence is to empower organizations to exceed the expectations of their customers, employees, stakeholders. Its performance improvement services can be applied quickly and easily to produce measurable results. The company aims to transfer competency in performance excellence techniques to organizations in minimum time, through practical hands-on workshops and provision of ready-made templates that organizations may immediately use. The approach helps companies leap ahead in performance results much faster than otherwise possible.

For further information about the November/December 2005 Performance Excellence Webinar Series, “Continuous Improvement and Process Management,” contact Karen Trisko at 951-894-6748 or visit the Web site http://www.leadingexcellence.com.

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http://www.leadingexcellence.com

Roger Meloy

Manufacturing ERP for ETOs profiled in Machine Design Magazine.

(PRWEB) October 13, 2005 — The October issue of Machine Design profiles Engineer-to-Order ERP Solutions in an article by leading manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler (www.trcutlerinc.com).

Roger Meloy of Encompix Inc., (www.encompix.com) an Engineer to Order (ETO) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software maker based in Cincinnati, said, “Ask most design engineers what an ERP system means to them and you are likely to hear ‘nothing’ or ‘more work,’” One reason for the perception: Most ERP systems are not integrated with CAD. That’s because traditional ERP systems were developed for repetitive, make-to-stock manufacturers where there is a clear demarcation between design and production.

In this environment design engineers create a product in CAD. After testing and prototyping, the item goes to engineers who tailor it for mass production and create a bill of materials (BOM). The BOM is based solely on how an item is to be manufactured, not on its design, all of which takes place in ERP software. The design engineer throughout the process has little or no interaction with the ERP system. Once a design is frozen there is little interaction between the design and production departments.

In ETO firms the role of design engineer is very different. Such companies build products specifically for individual customers. Design and manufacturing departments work together more closely. In many cases product design continues through production (design in process), incorporating several engineering changes along the way. These changes may be driven by the customer or by the manufacturer, necessitating a seamless flow of data between engineering and production.

Integrated CAD-ERP software lets ETO companies pass data both ways and handle engineering changes in both systems. Without it, designers are constantly re-keying data from CAD to ERP software, which wastes valuable engineering time or requires additional staff.

ETOs, unlike repetitive manufacturers purchase items only one time for a particular job. Typically the engineer will specify the item and its manufacturer, bypassing the ERP system altogether. Makers of ERP systems that collaborate with Product Life Cycle (PLM) vendors can address these needs. Information about ETOs can be found at the ETO Institute (www.etoinstitute.org).

Encompix
www.encompix.com
Roger Meloy
513-733-0066

http://www.encompix.com

Veronica Fredriksen

This DeveloperEye.com market study gives an overview of the ERP applications market, the key players as well as the benefits and obstacles with implementation of an ERP solution.

London, UK (PRWEB) March 31, 2005 — In general, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments’ particular needs.

ERP combines all departments within an organisation (HR, Manufacturing) together into a single, integrated software program that runs off a single database. In turn, the various departments can more easily share information and communicate with each other.

When one department finishes with an order, it is automatically routed via the ERP system to the next department. To find out where the order is at any point, you need only log in to the ERP system and track it down.

Segments within the ERP software Market
The ERP applications market falls into three primary segments by customer size: Enterprises, Mid-Market and Small Companies. The major ERP application vendors to each segment group is illustrated below:

Market Segment ERP Vendors

Enterprises:
SAP, Oracle/PeopleSoft

Upper Mid-Market:
Microsoft, Lawson, SSA Global, Geac, SAP, Oracle/PeopleSoft

Lower Mid-Market: Microsoft, Epicor, Exacta, Sage, Netsuite, SPA BusinessOne

Small Companies: Sage, Intuit, ACCPAC, Netsuite

Key Players
SAP is the market leader in the ERP applications market. SAP and Oracle have been in intense competition for customers in recent years. After Oracle’s acquisition of PeopleSoft, they are now ranked as the second leader of the ERP software market. SAP is holding the leadership within vertical sectors such as Government, Financial Services, Healthcare and Education across the European countries.

When looking at the leading ERP vendors for the European countries, SAP is the market leader in Germany, Spain and Italy. Oracle, on the other hand, has a strong market leadership in certain segments within the UK and France.

Most industry analysts are watching i2 Technologies, Siebel Systems, Broadvision, Ariba and CommerceOne as ERP solution providers that would like to have their share of the market.

In addition, there are also predictions that the ERP battle amongst ERP solution providers will move rapidly to the mid-market as Microsoft begins to actively compete with vendors such as SAP and Oracle for market share.

Benefits of implementation of ERP solutions
Integrate financial information - To avoid receiving conflicting information from the Finance-, HR- or Manufacturing Department, the ERP system creates a single version of the truth that cannot be questioned because everyone is using the same system.

Integrate customer order information - ERP systems can become the place where the customer order lives from the time a customer service representative receives it until the loading dock ships the merchandise and finance sends an invoice. By having this information in one software system, organisations can keep track of orders more easily, and coordinate manufacturing, inventory and shipping among many different locations at the same time.

Standardize and speed up manufacturing processes -
Standardizing a company’s processes using a single, integrated computer system can save time, increase productivity and reduce head count.

Reduce inventory - ERP helps the business process flow more smoothly, and it improves visibility of the order fulfilment process inside the company. In turn, this may lead to reduced inventories of the stuff used to make products (work-in-progress inventory).

Standardize HR information - Especially in companies with multiple business units, HR may not have a unified, simple method for tracking employees’ time and communicating with them about benefits and services.

ERP software challenges
·There is often a gap between package functionality and business needs
·ERP environments are costly to maintain
·ERP Implementation is costly and time consuming
·Larger companies typically have multiple ERP packages and vendors
·Integration of systems is complex
·Companies Are Simplifying Their ERP Environments

About DeveloperEye.com
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