EnterpriseWise™

Accounts Payable, Purchase Order, ERP Software Solution

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:44:00 GMT

Question: Without receiving purchase orders and creating receivers to match, what is the best way to record "prepayments" for purchase orders to suppliers?

Customers would like to pay an invoice now for product that will not leave from their supplier for a while. They don’t want any purchase order items to show up in inventory, or create a payable. Yet they must record the pre-payment which will be “wired” from their bank to the supplier.

Initial thoughts:

Post an invoice for the exact amount
Pay the invoice without a receiver match and issue the wire payment
When the inventory arrives in a few months receive the purchase order
Input a new invoice for the amount
Generate a credit/debit from the manufacturer in Accounts Payable
Post the credit/debit as payment on the invoice

Or issue a “credit/debit” from the supplier, actually the payment, and apply it to the invoice posted at the time of the future receipt of the purchase order.

Solution: From the AP perspective, it is best to make a payment and let it stand as an unapplied debit/credit against the supplier. It is called “reinstate” an invoice, allowing a payment to standalone as a “debit” (credit-note in AR terms) which can be applied to the receiver/invoice when product is received. So, with this process, you are prepaying the order and will receive and apply the payment/debit to the invoice when product arrives? All ledgering and accounting remains the same - no additional steps are required.

What other problems does this process solve?

Does not affect inventory
Does not require "remembering" what was done
Does not cause accounting errors or reversing journals
Allows business to flow unimpeded

For more help contact us today.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

If you are interested in learning more, you can take it for a test drive. Start a Free 21 Day SYSPRO trial. There is no risk, no obligation and no deposit required.

DataRapt ERP AP Prepayments System

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:11:00 GMT

DataRapt new product enables suppliers to be prepaid before goods or services are received.
The AP Prepayments system enables you to record prepayments to suppliers for goods or services before they are received regardless of whether the supplier has provided an invoice. The AP Prepayments system can benefit any company that pays for goods and services upfront.

You can be prompted (selectively with optional filters such as supplier branch, currency etc.) to post a prepayment when a purchase order is created or after a supplier invoice has been registered. Alternatively, prepayments can be posted manually either with or without a link to a purchase order or registered invoice. Setup options determine whether the payment can be processed immediately. When the supplier’s invoice arrives and is captured or the registered invoice is approved, the supplier’s invoice can then be matched to the prepayment. The AP Prepayments Query facilitates control of the prepayments control account and visibility of prepayments made to suppliers.

Datarapt Utilities for SYSPRO enable users to readily monitor, maintain and prove the integrity of their sub-ledger control accounts. Transactions posted in the source modules are checked at each step of their paths to the General Ledger control accounts and any differences between them are shown. Users are provided with the information required to take corrective action.

Reconciliations are available for the following SYSPRO modules:

Accounts Payable	Goods in Transit
Accounts Receivable	GRN Suspense
Cash Book	Dispatch Notes
Assets Register	Work in Progress
Inventory	WIP Inspection

For further information download the fact sheet:

Did you know SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

Reengineering the Sales Process - APICS ERP Events

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:11:00 GMT

"Reengineering the Sales Process"
Presented by, Justin Roff-Marsh, Founder of Ballistix Management Consultancy.

Airtel Plaza Hotel & Conference Center (map)
7277 Valjean Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Phone: (818) 997-7676
Thursday February 9, 2012 – 5:30-9:00 pm

Imagine salespeople with four business-development appointments a day; five days a week! This is the hallmark of an effective sales process. How to achieve it, is the subject of this presentation. Our speaker will argue that sales, today, is conducted in similar fashion to production, 150 years ago. The modern salesperson is effectively an artisan: a person responsible for the entire end-to-end sales and customer-service function.

As a consequence, a typical salesperson performs just two true business-development appointments a week. Justin will show how to apply lessons from the recent history of manufacturing to multiply the effectiveness of the sales function. He’ll show you how to apply division-of-labor to the sales process to significantly increase throughput. He’ll then show you how to protect process integrity using standardization and — this is where it gets controversial — centralized scheduling.

The speaker will devote special attention to major-account-sales environments — demonstrating the importance of tight integration between sales and production, and showing how sales process engineering can deliver this. Justin will introduce you to both the logical basis for sales process engineering, and to its practical application. He’ll be happy to field questions — and, yes, even challenges — from the group.

Regardless of whether or not you ultimately choose to apply sales process engineering within your organization, this presentation will recast sales as a formal discipline — and give you tools you need to manage the sales function scientifically.

Who Should Attend: Anyone who is concerned about improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations will gain from this presentation.

About our Speaker: For 12 years, our speaker’s deep thinking and writing on the subject of sales process engineering has blazed a trail for others to follow. Justin Roff-Marsh is the founder of Ballistix — a management consultancy with operations in both the USA and Australia.

He's the author of Reengineering the Sales Process and is currently in the process of completing The Machine (his second book). His blog is popular with managers and business owners the world over — and he’s a sought-after speaker. (sample)

Justin’s approach to the sales function is as revolutionary as Deming’s was to manufacturing. He argues passionately that the application of scientific management principles to sales is industry’s next great uncharted frontier.

His message is always controversial, but he never fails to delight audiences with his fast-paced presentation style, his encyclopedic knowledge of business and his impeccable logic.

Blog: www.salesprocessengineering.net
Founder: www.ballistix.com
More: www.justinroffmarsh.com

Please register by Thursday, February 2nd to receive the $5 discount. Free parking is provided for all attendees.
No-shows who do NOT cancel at least 3 days before the event, will be billed for their meal.

To cancel, send an e-mail to meeting@apics-sfv.org and put Cancel PDM in the subject of the e-mail. Please include your name and the number of people who will be canceling (if you made a reservation for more than 1).

For questions concerning registration only please contact:
meeting@apics-sfv.org.

You can now pay by credit card prior to the day of the meeting or by check at the door on the day of the meeting. Credit Card payments are processed through PayPal. If you do not want to use PayPal please choose the "Pay By Check Or Cash At The Door" link. You do NOT need to set up a PayPal account to pay by Credit Card.

To register for the meeting please clich here:

Location:
Airtel Plaza Hotel & Conference Center (map)
7277 Valjean Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Phone: (818) 997-7676

Registration/Networking:
5:30 - 6:30 pm

Dinner/Presentation:
6:30 - 9:00 pm

Cost: Member
$30 - Register by previous Thursday, February 2nd

$35 – February 3rd or later

Cost: Non-Member
$35 - Register by previous Thursday, February 2nd

$40 – February 3rd or later

Cost: Student (full time with Student ID, or with APICS PDM discount card)
$15

See you there!

Did you know SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

for

Cadacus ERP Warehouse Management

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:24:00 GMT

Cadacus Handheld Solutions for SYSPRO harnesses the power of Windows Mobile devices and SYSPRO e.Net Solutions to maximize efficiencies throughout the warehouse.

Key Benefits
• Maximize productivity by eliminating redundant processes
• Achieve up to 100% inventory accuracy
• Boost order accuracy, fill rates and on-time shipments
• Eliminate excess inventory
• Direct UPS/FedEx/DHL Labeling and Manifesting
• Ease of deployment
• Fast configuration
• Designed for easy customization

Why Handheld Solutions for SYSPRO?

Cadacus Handheld Solutions for SYSPRO utilizes local processor and resources to minimize RF traffic. Weak signals are no longer a concern as the handheld units will continue to operate in areas where the RF signal cannot reach.

Cadacus Handheld Solutions for SYSPRO configurations are achieved within SYSPRO. No additional servers or software to install. Installation, updates and management is all done from within SYSPRO standard menus.

Warehouse management made easy, fast and efficient with full enterprise process integration. Adding other tools like Advanced Order Management, Freight Calculator, EDI Shipping System, Seagull Scientific Bartender Enterprise for full label design and control gives fulll enterprise solution credibility.

Cadacus Handheld Solutions for SYSPRO is the ONLY solution that fully supports Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) initiatives integrating fully with SYSPRO EDI System.

Fully-integrated
Version independent
Robust functionality
Fast ROI
Easy administration
Easy deployment

Did you know SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

for

SYSPRO?

Kindle Fire Not for ERP Software

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:11:00 GMT

People no longer care if computers contain PC operating systems because their work can be done by mobile devices. What they want is computing systems with industrial reputations which work reliably. In 2012, devices and operating systems are as varied as micro organisms. All of them are contending for enterprise inclusion, most without prior business experience are coming in startup-fashion expecting enterprise approval.

Enterprises are not quick to move on untested brands or technologies. There are many parameters to be satisfied and the batch list to choose from is long and varied. One thing in their favor is relative low entry level costs. Until you decide on a path, you can choose loosely and test randomly. However when you decide on the long term product choice, prolonged existence is a must. Your infrastructure, IT resources, corporate training, user support, application choices, and cost to integrate and implement are not easily replaced. Selection of a stable platform and vendor choices are being filtered by industry. Soon, we will have the “Blue Chips” of the mobile devices qualified and trusted.

Here are a few considerations:

Costs and Plans: Does the device require an Internet data plan from a provider? What is the base cost and the cost fully accessorized to your needs? How many devices are required and what operational benefits are gained? What are the costs of enterprise support, maintenance, replacement and upgrades? What is the total cost of ownership (TCO)?

Multitasking: Does the device let you do more than one thing at a time? Usually this means the user needs to be able to switch from sales order picking to internet queries to email and back and forth. Maybe have all of the applications open and screen swap.

Camera: Does the device support a front and back facing camera with a flash? Can it allow applications like VOIP and Internet meeting sessions to be hosted or joined on the fly?

Processing Power: Processor speed and memory are key to ease of use and productivity. If the speed and memory do not allow enough running fast enough, you may be unable to participate with relative information.

Application Library: Does the device support off-the-shelf industry applications for business in your sector. Do the applications your business depends on operate on the devices in question? Can you develop low cost integration to your ERP? Does what it takes to get it all done give you a roadmap to your future using all interchangeable systems and technologies? Can you be vendor independent based on what choices are available today for your future mobility?

Communications: WIFI and 3G/4G communications for in house and on the road operations. In today’s business environments, dead ended devices are soon a thing of the past and investments of time and money are disappointingly wasted. Learning and utilizing these handheld computing devices can be real productivity enhancers, making sure your investments pay long term so you can realize ROI. Can your selected/available devices connect too your resource library without extra programming and costs?

Accessories: Selecting available options for selected devices and applications may help filter your list to a few emerging standards. Late comers have much to contribute but may not have the resources to stay for the long haul. This is why brand recognition and longevity are top reasons to choose products. Some things to think about for accessories are blue-tooth devices, infrared scanners (barcode reader), docking stations, keyboards, mice, screen resolution, camera resolution, pens and styli, speakers and microphone.

Video Display Quality: Important because both to watch, record and forward captured content is necessary. In the factory or on the road, capturing visually what is happening now can be mission critical to outcomes for both product and company data. Both native resolution and aspect ratios are considerations for making use more enjoyable and productive. If you cannot see clearly what is in front of you and must enlarge for clarity, you lose content and usefulness.

Batteries: Fast becoming a necessary consideration because of their critical impact to the device reliability and cost of maintenance, availability and replacement factors. Batteries are one of the most overlooked resources for mobility devices yet may be the single reason they get rejected for lack of support. Battery life, charging cycles, replacement cost, availability and overall reliability can make mobility decisions painful and costly.

Security: Enterprise security, data integrity and backup and reovery are more meaningful when considering all of the remote access and mobility infractions possible. Secure communications and portals are even more at risk because the data does not flow over only your in-house infrasrtucture with built in virus and intrusion protection. Mobile device security and technologies are not componentized into enterprise end-point protection.

Summary: What works today and will work tomorrow is unknown. The industrial application of these devices is a fairly new science and one which most of us will participate in framing. The advent of cloud and all it promises and delivers makes mobility a must to not only simplify but extend the enterprise by including late or previously non-participants. When a mobile device, light weight and functional can be handed to a user, executive, factory operator, customer and vendor portals opened up, the reach and value is priceless. When all of our enterprise is connected to a single DNA allowing both integrated and disparate systems and technologies to interoperate, we rest better knowing information is both reliable and secure. So is the Kindle Fire for your ERP or another one of those on the market? Your decision will have a lasting valuable impact on your business.

Did you know SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

Factory Scheduling Enabling and Enhancing ERP

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:11:00 GMT

Factory Scheduling (Advanced Planning and Scheduling - APS) is designed to enable and enhance, rather than replace ERP software. It provides the detailed planning and scheduling functionality required for many companies to be more agile and respond to changes in demand.

Factory Scheduling, a core part of SYSPRO ERP, offers tight, seamless integration with the factory floor. Hundreds of customers worldwide benefit from Factory Scheduling sub-modules; Graphical Planning Board, Finite Scheduler and Advanced Scheduler.

Easy Integration
Importing and exporting of orders, routing and completion updates can be internal or external message driven enabling tight integration with SYSPRO.

Materials Constraints
Using BoM information provided by ERP, producing and consuming orders in Factory Scheduling can be linked to reflect material dependencies during schedule generation.

Increased Visibility
Easy to see the current load and identify late orders using Factory Scheduling's interactive Gantt Charts and plots.

Optimized Sequencing
In Factory Scheduling Order and Operation attributes can be used to optimize sequences on resources to minimize changeovers, and maximize efficiency.

What-If Capability
The planner can carry out multiple what-if scenarios and compare the options before updating ERP. They can also run ad-hoc CTP enquiries with multiple level BoMs.

Enabling and Enhancing ERP:

ERP software systems in themselves are critical tools for every manufacturing vertical. However adding Factory Scheduling can take manufacturing ERP into another league without disturbing the existing functionality of SYSPRO.

ERP systems typically do not have the data to model a system in enough detail to manage the shop floor. ERP’s long term plan does not easily provide functionality required to manage production on a day-to-day basis. Factory Scheduling would seem to overlap with ERP but in fact it provides complementary features.

ERP is good at costing, inventory and transaction control for key business processes. Factory Scheduling is good at drilling down to the shop floor managing individual orders or individual resources in real time.

Factory Scheduling generates achievable production schedules which take into account all potential or existing constraints on the shop floor. It can increase throughput, reduce work in process and raw material inventory. While providing a ‘crystal ball’ for the planner to use at shop floor level.

Factory Scheduling Scalable Models:

Graphical Planning Board
Finite Scheduler
Advanced Scheduler

With each additional model complimentary functionality is added to the business solution. For example: some companies only Graphical Planning Board is necessary. Graphical Planning Board allows a "visual factory" displaying jobs, work cells, drag and drop capability, capacity thresholds and a "picture" of your factory floor.

Benefits proven by Case Studies:

Up to 45% improvement in delivery performance
Improved lead times
Improved sequencing
Increased capacity
Up to 40% decrease in materials inventory/stock
Reductions in planning time
Reduced work in progress
Improved quality of material and information flow between departments
Decentralization of knowledge from expert staff to a system
Improved visibility and the ability to react to unexpected events
Improved delivery performance and customer satisfaction
Fast implementation time
Fast ROI, often in weeks

Businesses worldwide implemented SYSPRO Factory Scheduling across the following sectors:

Automotive & Aircraft
Food, Beverage & Tobacco
Machinery & Equipment
Electrical & Optical Equipment
Glass, Ceramics & Misc Materials
Metals & Fabricated Metals
Paper, Publishing & Printing
Precision Engineering
Rubber, Plastics & Leather
Furniture & Wood Products
Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Petroleum
Textiles & Textile Products

Did you know SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

The ERP Software Visionary

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:11:00 GMT

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012, a year offering the best opportunity for growth possible since the early 80’s. Enterprise technologies and processes are merging into a new wave of productive synergy. We have been waiting almost 20 years to get all of these pieces to work together effectively and efficiently to bring value and benefit without compromising or degrading business results.

I am no ERP Software Visionary, but I see big things happening in 2012 for your company.

Frustrated as we have all been with emerging technologies and resulting infant systems, we have the opportunity, today, to make these fears a thing of the past. Investing in your future with strong systems places you ahead of the pack. Taking another look at what you are currently doing and using, gives light to the possibility of seamlessly integrating all facets of your operation.

Let’s take it from the top down. Visionaries want planning, with reliability, throughout the enterprise. With systems and technologies in disparate cycles of progression and regression, historically, it was not easy to choose successful paths. If you decided on an open enterprise architecture and wanted selective systems to integrate, you might be disappointed. Technologies and reliability were not seen as synonymous. You were not able, necessarily, to stay the course of your chosen systems because they all did not “click” together.

So, then, what is so good about today’s ERP Software compared to yesterday?

Today you can buy an ERP solution which integrates, seamlessly, with your other mission critical enterprise systems. Such as Customer Relationship Management, Warehouse Management Systems, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management, Internet Commerce, data warehousing, backup and recovery and lean operation principles. Architecting a complete business answer under one umbrella was, historically, too costly and near impossible to achieve without an unlimited budget to back it up.

A single source of the truth is possible with enterprise systems like SYSPRO which has become the industry standard bearers.

As Elizabeth Barrett Browning almost put it, “Let me count ‘a few’ ways”

One ERP system for the life of your business
No software conversions - ever
Platform for low cost integration
Full Integration of all systems
Business Intelligence for a Single Version of the Truth
Modern standards-based technologies
Off the shelf, out-of-the-box, complete enterprise functionality
Modular scalability – what you need, when you need it
Tailorable for personalization and Ease of use
Quick, award winning, implementation methodology
Multiple platforms
Cloud and Premise options
Reporting, Analytics and Executive Dashboards
Mobility for 24X7 collaborative operations
Lean and ERP integrated enterprise
Fast turn ROI (return on investment)
Longevity, reliability, trustworthiness
Security, compliance, quality and regulatory conformance
Metrics for KPI management and reporting
Happy customers for 30+ years long term user community.

For more information about ERP features and benefits for your company, please contact us for your personal tour, on-site or in the cloud.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

Warehouse Management Function-by-Function

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:11:00 GMT

Extend the power of SYSPRO^™ to your warehouse floor. Data entry is as easy as scan-ning a barcode. Automate inventory physical counts, purchase order receiving, job issues, inventory movements, sales order picking, and much more with riteSCAN Mobile Warehouse for SYSPRO™.

Advanced features of riteSCAN virtually eliminate data entry errors such as shipping the wrong product or collecting erroneous stock take counts. Error correction can be completed right from the warehouse floor through Quantity Adjustments.

riteSCAN Function-by-Function

Inventory Query

View real-time inventory data right from the handheld screen by simply scanning in a stock code. Inventory Query displays warehouse and bin quantity on hand, allocated, available and much more.

Warehouse Transfer

Update SYSPRO with inventory movements as they happen. Simply scan in the stock code, source and destination warehouses and enter a quantity and SYSPRO is updated immediately.

Bin Transfer

Like Warehouse Transfer, updating inventory movements between bins is as simple as scanning the barcode and entering the quantity.

Stock Take

If you dread taking inventory, or avoid it all together, the Stock Take function is your answer. Conducting an automated stock take is fast, accurate, and easy.

Quantity Adjustment

Adjust the on-hand quantity right from the warehouse floor with riteSCAN. Simply scan the stock code barcode and enter the adjustment quantity. Full traceability is covered with notation and entry fields captured by riteSCAN.

Expense Issue

Now you can record the issue of stock items from inventory for miscellaneous purposes in real-time. The quantity entered in riteSCAN Expense Issues is immediately subtracted from the quantity on hand.

Miscellaneous Receipt

Receive inventory anytime, anywhere without a PO. Scan the stock code and warehouse and post the new quantity immediately into inventory.

Sales Order Picking

Automate sales order picking by scanning the sales order number to retrieve all S/O lines. The stock code and quantity are validated against the sales order ensuring accuracy and avoiding costly shipping mistakes. Simply check a box and the order status is automatically changed to "Ready to Invoice."

Purchase Order Receipt

Scan the purchase order number to retrieve all P/O lines. Receive all lines or receive individual lines with the option to change quantity received. Items are validated against purchase order to ensure accuracy and avoid costly mistakes. The purchase order is updated immediately with quantity received & inventory on hand.

Goods in Transit IN

Receive a Goods in Transit order at the destination warehouse. Scan the GIT Reference # and scan or select the stock code to be received. Post the quantity immediately into inventory in the receiving warehouse.

Goods in Transit OUT

Create Goods in Transit transfer orders from the warehouse floor. Scan the origin and destination warehouses and the stock code and quantity. Additional items with the same originating and receiving warehouse will be added to a GIT transfer.

Job Receipt

Receive finished goods into inventory from jobs by scanning the job number. Review job details easily before completing a partial or complete receipt of the job. Capture manufactured quantity, serial number, bin location, lot number, concession number, and more at the point of job completion.

Job Issue

Issue raw materials or components to jobs in real time. Scan the job number to retrieve a list of allocations. Scan the stock code and the quantity issued as you pick items. As components are issued, the inventory quantity on hand is automatically reduced and the WIP value for the job is increased. Substitutions are made easy by adding or deleting allocations "on-the-fly" with riteSCAN.

Backflush

Backflushing enables you, in one process, to issue materials from inventory, apply standard labor costs, and receive the finished goods back into stock in real-time and right from the handheld.

Kit Issue

riteSCAN performs Kit Issues.

Issue materials, as kits, partial or full, just like in SYSPRO.

Santa Clarita Consultants is a riteSCAN and SYSPRO Partner, your EnterprseWise™ support specialists since 1987. We look forward to helping you move your enterprise to the next level.

For more information on features and benefits, please contact us for your personal tour, on-site or in the cloud.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

PLM and ERP Software Sustainable Agility

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:11:00 GMT

ERP Plus PLM Creates Sustainable Agility
Excess stock mass marketing internet-based companies are making a killing on industry mistakes and oversights. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a match made in the cloud. When we think of enterprise sustainable agility we may think of products which are off the mark, over-stocked, slow movers and unmarketable inventory. PLM is a leveraging tool which uses embedded data providing a target for product development which renders more profit, cost management and sales targeted to customer and industry needs.

How does PLM work? PLM software stores product data and history in common files accessed by product development teams from designer to manufacturer. When everyone is on the same page and calendar, PLM technology saves time and money compared to serial processes which involve extensive paperwork increasing time and costs.

Version and release controls. When customers want what your product offers but there are issues with particular versions or releases (sales, customers, etc.) making them inadequate or outdated. PLM helps gather data for your development teams enabling them to focus on "fixing" the problem or replacement. By the time companies take time to talk about product problems, the market has moved on and hurry-up costly scenarios can ensue.

Keepers, Losers and Weepers. PLM's benefits are welcomed in industries struggling under rising manufacturing costs and consumer demand for low-cost durable products. When you get the results of combined teams focused collaboration products match demand. PLM helps decisions to keep, lose, or add. Revision controls, market satisfaction, material, planning, budgeting and forecasts are better managed. Product seasonality and market sensitivity are indicators which are controlled. There are costly side effects of Inventory gone-bad. For example it takes up valuable storage, limits sales, production, supply-chain and customer satisfaction.

Common Platform for Stakeholders. Because PLM resides centrally, common data, processes and results are available to your development teams. Each having the benefit of direct input for development decision support.

PLM and ERP Integration. Integration is critical because ERP is the engine running the company’s backbone operations. Data for planning, forecasting, production, inventory models with their respective sales performance fluctuations are used to help determine phasing of a product's lifecycle. Without tight integration you are back to a paperchase, adding costs, time delays and errors.

Fast paced industries like apparel, medical devices, food and beverage and consumer goods where regulations, standards or customers change almost daily, we need a tool to assess markets and quickly align product trends.

PLM and ERP are tools designed to seamlessly cohabitate in the enterprise landscape enabling the best information exploitation for sustainable agility.

SYSPRO ERP and Agile PLM Interface option are matched up for your business assuring the best of your products and the world align for optimal profit and sustainability. Combined with robust data management and operational data, SYSPRO is positioned to help in a variety of industries.

For more information or to ask for help, consider Santa Clarita Consultants EnterpriseWise™ ERP Support Services.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

All company names and products mentioned in this release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Awesome ERP Software Desktop Stats, Charts and Graphs

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:11:00 GMT

Executive Dashboards are more than just pretty faces. They are the best presentation of your data, in "human" form, translating "machine" numbers into valuable decision support.

Business owners and managers continally look for an easy way to present information and transform and see visually demonstrating results. Outcome-based decisions are difficult, if not impossible to be available without clarity and simplicity. Coalescing relevant and meaningful data into a chart or a graph allows ease-of-use on a new scale.

If your data are locked up in data tables and cannot be paired with other relavant information t is like living on an island, the only way you see what s gpoing on is if you take a slow boat.

ERP Executive Desktop Gadgets on Windows 7

Desktop Gadgets, a Windows 7 utility, enables you to selectively add SYSPRO Executive Dashboards onto your desktop as gadgets.

Gadgets are mini-programs offering information at a glance providing easy access to frequently used tools and data. Gadgets can be configured to report on different SYSPRO companies. Secure remote access to SYSPRO data is provided through the SYSPRO Windows Communications Foundation (WCF) Service. WCF is installed as part of SYSPRO 6.1 core.

Activate Windows 7 Sidebar

Hers is how you can run the Windows Sidebar executable which enables you to display gadgets on your desktop.

You would typically follow this procedure on a 64-bit machine as the Windows Sidebar executable does not start up automatically for these machines.

Open Windows Explorer.
Locate the sidebar executable Program Files (x86) > Windows Sidebar > sidebar.exe
Double-click the sidebar.exe file.
A 32-bit version of the sidebar executable is started in the background.

Installing SYSPRO Desktop Gadgets

The following steps describe how to install the SYSPRO Desktop Gadgets.

Ensure that you have installed the SYSPRO WCF Service on the SYSPRO application server.
Ensure that you have a valid SYSPRO Executive Dashboard license.
Ensure that Adobe Flash Player is installed on the client.
If you are running on a 64-bit machine, then ensure that you have activated the Windows Sidebar executable manually. For 32-bit machines this is activated automatically.
Open Windows Explorer.
Locate the SYSPRO Desktop Gadgets installation file Base > ManagedAssemblies > SYSPROEXEC_GADGET.GADGET.
- Install SYSPRO Desktop Gadgets.
- Double-click the SYSPROEXEC_GADGET.GADGET file.
- Select Install.

A SYSPRO Gadget window should appear on the desktop.

Adding a SYSPRO Gadget to the desktop:

The following steps describe how to add a SYSPRO Executive Dashboard Gadget to the desktop.

Open the SYSPRO Executive Dashboard Gadgets program.

Right-click on the desktop.

Select Gadgets from the shortcut menu.

Double-click the SYSPRO Executive Dashboard Gadget.
Add a new executive dashboard gadget to the desktop.
Select the Options icon for the SYSPRO Desktop Gadget.
The SYSPRO Executive Dashboard Gadgets window is displayed.
Enter the Windows Communication Foundation Services address at the SYSPRO WCF Services Address field.
Enter the operator code at the OperatorCode field.
Enter the operator password at the Password field.
Enter the company name at the Company field
Enter the company password at the Company Password field.
Select the required executive dashboard from the drop-down menu at the Dashboard Name field.
Select the Refresh Available Dashboards icon at the Dashboard Name field to update the drop-down menu with a list of available executive dashboards.
Indicate how often you want to refresh the data for the SYSPRO Desktop Gadget, at the Refresh Interval (minutes) field.
Specify the color you want to assign to the dashboard heading.
Select OK.

The Executive Dashboard should be displayed on the desktop.

For more information on SYSPRO 6.1 features and benefits, please contact us for your personal tour, on-site or in the cloud.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

All company names and products mentioned in this release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Big-Pharma Industries Wakeup Call for ERP Software

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:11:00 GMT

Big-Pharma Industries Wakeup Call
Past decades witnessed Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices sector profits soar despite other diminishing sectors across industry. Today industries must take a fast hard look at their operational efficiencies. Starting with process and procedure profiles, systems and technologies, accounting, business integration, utilization of systems and personnel from the ground up. If these costs are not shored up, it may spell an agonizing loss of business to new “upstarts” with a well defined strategic, advanced approach.

Link to the McKinsey Quarterly article for more details. (Requires registration)

With ERP software and other linked resources such as manufacturing, distribution, supply chain and marketing architected into a single "DNA" enterprise application, process and procedure are looked as synergistic enhancers. Big-Pharma and Medical Device companies require the promise of integrating all systems to provide a “snapshot”, reliably representing KPI analytics, for decision support.

With ERP systems growing into “holistic solutions” expectations and expansion into more business modeling, testing and outcome-based scenarios has brought much reward. This reward is seen in ways such as capability to include global operations under a single platform. Mobile operators taping into system resources 24X7. The realization of advanced integration levels for operations, finance, distribution, manufacturing, sales and marketing, customer and vendor portals. All these disparate activities and systems now can be viewed and expected as “one” system representing “The Single Source of the Truth.”

Let’s take a step back and look at the promise made almost 15 years ago by industry moguls and software strategists. The word was “one day all systems will integrate under one umbrella”. Today, we see how far we have come and what it means to day to day business.

ERP is growing in functionality daily expanding value add and function
Business is getting lean and streamlining processes
Customers are getting integrated into the supply chain
Vendors are responding to higher volumes and better quality
Supply Chain management is global and connected
Demand and supply are dovetailing to form a tight managed materials and product chain
Efficiencies are mandated upon all levels of business
Lack of integration may cause a business to fail
Competition has become a fever pitch creating rush to new paradigms
Businesses scramble to correct the “ship’s” course

Considering all of the news and proliferation of demand and supply challenges, is it time to schedule a call to realign your enterprise?

What factors are causing you the most grief?
How have you responded in the past and what is necessary to catch up?
Is your business agile and streamlined or stiff and chaotic?
What will it take to correct the past quickly and prepare for your future?
How does it feel knowing you may be swallowed up without warning?

The wakeup call of “Big-Pharma” is a call to action for the rest of us. If we don’t get our ducks lined up, we may be scrambling, last minute, for what could have been done proactively. We have gone global in supply and demand causing a rethink (paradigm change) about how we operate and what can be done to manage costs and grow profits. This creates either an opportunity and growth point or challenges of cost and proportions causing resources to be worn thin.

In the end, we must know our current position, what we have and do not, and what is takes to become agile and flexible to take what comes reliably depending on those enterprise systems to deliver on these promises.

For more information or to ask for help, consider Santa Clarita Consultants EnterpriseWise™ and ERP Support Services.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

All company names and products mentioned in this release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Reverse Engineer ERP Using Enterprise Architect

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Reverse Engineering ERP With Enterprise Architect
With the need to understand operational alignment to enterprise functions, knowing what you think you are doing versus what is actually going on may be very different.

SEAM is a new operational system for SYSPRO. SEAM gives you a composite view of your enterprise execution, devolving what settings have been made. Visually presenting your ERP in “swim lanes” so you can take a real look at what you have enacted within your system.

To understand what we “see” we are doing, we must first have strong knowledge into what the “system” is doing. Then we can take it apart, reverse engineer and rebuild against what we agree is the best practice and utilize the freshest of technologies to help. Sort of like an ERP “WYSIWYG” (want you see is what you get).

Here is a brief yet description of SEAM and SPM and what they can to for your business.

Business Processes Management

Business Processes Management has been taken to a new level in SYSPRO 6.1 with the introduction of SYSPRO Workflow Services (SWS), SYSPRO Process Modeling (SPM) and SYSPRO Enterprise Analysis and Modeling (SEAM).

Built into the SYSPRO product, SYSPRO Workflow Services is a workflow engine which provides the capability of designing and visibly (WYSIWYG) presenting workflow processes, thus allowing greater clarity and transparency of the organization’s business processes. This is based on off-the-shelf Microsoft technology.

SYSPRO Process Modeling (SPM) provides preconfigured and modeled process patterns on which the user can model the company’s unique process requirements. It provides the user with a model-driven architecture supporting management by aligning IT with company strategy, business objectives and sustainability. Furthermore, it provides a transparent view of the users uniquely modeled processes and organizational roles.

SYSPRO Enterprise Analysis and Modeling (SEAM)

Customers increasingly expect a greater level of personalization from the enterprise solutions they buy. They expect control over the look-and-feel of the user interface and want to be able to incorporate their own data and their own special ways of processing their data in SYSPRO.

This need is recognized and has developed an innovative, highly configurable User Interface (UI), tailorable according to users’ needs. SYSPRO 6.1 allows users to modify the behavior of any SYSPRO application and to extend business functionality. The end result is a highly configurable system designed to adapt as business needs evolve. Such changes are not affected by standard software upgrades.

SYSPRO 6.1 also allows users to present information in the graphical format of their choice by using a combination of standards-based functionality. Each user is therefore able to shape their own aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-understand graphical format. We call this tailoring the environment.

SYSPRO Enterprise Analysis and Modeling (SEAM) provides empowered, personalized implementations. It embraces SYSPRO Process Modeling (SPM) (Enterprse Architecting) and can be used to record all discussions and decisions made during sales and implementation. This information can be utilized to configure the SYSPRO application and provide insight into the structuring of the associated data.

Together SPM and SEAM provide “The Single Source of Truth” as well as end-to-end alignment and understanding of all entities in an organization.

For more information on SYSPRO 6.1 features and benefits, please contact us for your personal tour, on-site or in the cloud.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

All company names and products mentioned in this release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

STAR Business Consults Successful Owner Meetings

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:11:00 GMT

STAR Business Consulting wants business owners to be successful!
We want to share STAR Business Consulting with you. STAR Business Consulting has a program, The Wise Owners, geared to help and grow your business. Ken Keller, CEO, has many such groups for business success.

The Wise Owners is a group of about ten to twelve motivated business people who gather once a month to learn around the dinner table.

Participants each have the chance to share updates since the last dinner and ask the group for input on solving a relevant issue.

Expert facilitator and coach, Ken Keller, leads a stimulating discussion based on thought-provoking questions.

Each meeting, new business-building tools are introduced that can be used the very next day.

The Wise Owners offers a dynamic and confidential environment to learn, share and grow. You can expect:

Camaraderie and support from motivated professionals
Focused discussions by a talented business coach
Fresh perspective on handling problems and challenges
Renewed energy and enthusiasm
To make new friends

Participants get new business tools to be applied to:

Reach new prospects and increase client retention
Set goals and take action
Improve leadership and management skills
Growing top line and bottom line

Join us for dinner and build a more successful company.

Do you want 2012 to be a better year?

Participate in THE WISE OWNERS in Tarzana,Pasadena,WestlakeVillage, Santa Clarita or on the Westside!

Who is a good candidate for The Wise Owners? Six answers will determine:

Do you want to increase your revenue in 2012?
Will you create a written plan and goals to grow your revenue in 2012?
Would you benefit from having consistent accountability in 2012?
Are you open to learning from and listening to others to achieve your 2012 goals?
Can you calendar 3 hours a month for a key business meeting that includes dinner?
Will you accept the responsibility of keeping what others say and do confidential?

If the answers are all “yes” you should consider The Wise Owners.

Here are the details:

Ten to Twelve Professionals at the Table for a Monthly Facilitated Business Forum with Dinner
Forum starts promptly at 5:30 pm and ends at 8:15 pm
Participants are a Diverse Group of Professionals and Business Owners who Serve as a

Trusted Board of Advisors to each other; Competition-Free

100% Confidential – what is said in the room stays in the room
An Annual Business Plan is developed as the foundation for participation
Monthly accountability for previous month results vs. Annual Plan
New business tools to grow revenue, find, grow and retain clients
Monthly Investment includes all materials and dinner; No initiation or sign-up fees
Interested professionals may attend their first Wise Owners Business Forum Dinner for free to see how the program works
Kick-off dinner will take place soon. Call or email for details.

STAR BUSINESS CONSULTING Testimonials:

My business has grown and matured; I bought out my partners along the way, and my fellow Wise Owners were there by my side through every step of the way.

— Joe Velas, Owner, Manufacturing Company

Wise Owners has armed me with the ideas and strategies to overcome all obstacles. I had to make some difficult decisions on long-time personnel who had not grown with the company. Because many of my fellow Wise Owners have been there and done that, I was able to make the needed changes quickly.

— David Siegel, Owner/COO, Nationwide Medical, Inc.

Enterprse businesss means serious results. Having the right ERP tools in your arsenal is critical to operational success. Knowing how these tools are used can diferentiate your business and help strategize for success.

With STAR Business Consulting, you can imagine and construct your vision with the help of others to keep you on track and hold you accountable for results.

Questions?

Please call Ken Keller at 661.645.7086 or email him at KenKeller@sbcglobal.net

Visit online at www.the-wise-owners.com

WANT TO GROW YOUR COMPANY'S REVENUE?

Learn how you can attend your first Wise Owners dinner event FREE!

STRATEGIES
TACTICS
ACTION
RESULTS

STAR BUSINESS CONSULTING
Taking You to the Next Level of Success

ERP and EDI Data Process Integration

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:11:00 GMT

Enterprise Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Integration
Understanding EDI Enterprise Integration
Integrating EDI into the enterprise offers significant benefits from small to large businesses.

The Current EDI Environment

The goal of modern enterprise is end-to-end business integration. Because of the increasing importance of electronic commerce and EDI as core competencies in businesses today, integration of EDI information across an enterprise is extremely important. Integration of EDI data means that manual processes can be automated; turn rates increased and resources used most effectively.

Successfully integrating EDI data however can be difficult. Generally EDI is processed in batches using a broad range of formats, standards and modes of transportation requiring dedicated applications for processing. If not done properly, these specialized applications can actually become barriers instead of enablers.

The key to maximizing the value of the data processed through EDI is to be able to transform it into the formats needed by the various enterprise applications.

EDI in the Enterprise

For more than 25 years EDI has powered e-business and more than 80% of the B2B transmission of information uses EDI. It is used across virtually all industries, including manufacturing, retail, healthcare, education and government agencies. Often referred to as a paperless technology. Using EDI, which is the electronic exchange of standardized business documents, can save more than $1,000,000 per year. EDI Integration can be a simple communications network that links the computer systems of various trading partners. Ideally this is accomplished with a minimum of human involvement, minimizing the associated error and cost. EDI is considered an investment in future savings and transaction process standardization.

The EDI Business Environment

EDI was developed to address inherent problems with paper-based methods of exchanging information.

Some of the obvious problems:

Inefficient
Labor Intensive
Not easily tracked
No visibility into the process
Data entry (often redundant)
High error rate

EDI, properly implemented, addresses these problems. EDI technology can standardize the various document formats, allowing businesses to share content with the various back end business applications that support the enterprise. Enterprises of all sizes see efficiencies not only in reduced time in manually handling and entering the information, but also in improved accuracy and reduced re-work of exceptions. In addition, EDI technology is purposefully designed to insulate the user from the huge number of EDI formats and standards that exist. EDI technology standardizes the internal formats from the external EDI standard formats used for document exchange.

New Business Drivers:

Virtual Enterprise

The Internet has radically altered traditional business models. The Internet provides a model that integrates trading partners into a single value chain. While this model depends heavily on the Internet, it enables the coordination of trading partners into a virtual enterprise, where the combined enterprises operate as a coordinated entity.

Virtual Market Place

Virtual marketplaces are formed electronically, utilizing WEB technology. Buyers and sellers come together in a paperless environment. There are no paper based contracts, price sheets or schedules. This virtual marketplace increases an enterprise’s need for information beyond what traditional enterprise business systems can easily provide.

Internet versus VANs

The Internet is driving major changes in how enterprises approach B2B (business to business). It is seen as a less expensive, more robust solution than traditional VANs. Couple that with its speed and flexibility and it is easy to see that the Internet will soon replace traditional VANs (Value Added Network) as the primary EDI transport vehicle.

The Result

The technology facilitating EDI has often been viewed as a separate part of an enterprise’s IT organization and hasn’t really been integrated into the overall architecture. In the past the integration often required complicated and costly custom coding.

EDI users cannot fully realize benefits of the Internet in eCommerce applications until business processes supporting EDI are optimized. This means automating and optimizing end-to-end process flows of EDI throughout the enterprise.

SYSPRO EDI translation software has been deployed at thousands of customers and is managing millions of EDI transactions dollars every day.

Summary:
ERP and EDI are part of a larger system of enterprise technologies, process management, lean initiatives and profit center management. For businesses of every type, ERP is key to successful sustainability. With an ever increasing playing field, software and operations technologies are comingling forming the integrated enterprise. Purchase, lease, renting, pay-as-you-go, hosted or on premise are a few of the options offered to help your business benefit from the unrestrained management tools within ERP. Getting started, from the beginning, with the best ERP software is our wish for every business in every industry.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

ERP and Lean Initiative Testimonies

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:11:00 GMT

Today's ERP and Lean Initiative Testimonials
Monitoring and tracking many internet activities relative to business, manufacturing, lean and beneficial technologies helps us stay up to date. In business, change is what we must do just to keep up with the pace. We should change "business" to “CHANGENESS” because it never stops. Just when you thought you had your ducks lined up, the game switches and you need a new tool set.

With ERP and lean process management, flexibility and scalability are primary factors. When you need new functionality do you wait for programmers or reconfigure your system and realign operations?

In a previous blog we explored the integration of Lean and ERP Aligning for Success. In that discussion we pointed out a few cases which Lean and ERP not only are ready partners in enterprise management, but without clarity your ERP and Lean may not work for an organization.

Google Alerts results for Lean Operations, the following testimonials showed excellence in Lean Initiatives adding value. Reading only the headlines, a few things become clear.

Diversity of business models and sectors implement Lean Initiatives
Even the government and politicians think Lean Initiatives are worth pursuing.
Payback, business strategy, and profits are just some of the benefits.
Lean involves a top-down remapping based on a strategized outcome, creating flexibility while supporting sustainability.

Survey: Lean Industrial Market Intelligence Teams Could Focus More on SCM and ...
PR.com (press release)
With their focus on lean manufacturing practices, international industrial companies tend to have lean and efficient market intelligence functions. Smaller teams for market intelligence are likely to be related to the shake-out of middle management in ...
See all stories on this topic »

Can Lean Six Sigma Really Save the Government $500 Billion Dollars a Year?
Sacramento Bee
Gingrich is just one of the latest politicians to sign up to campaign group Strong America Now's pledge to get politicians to use Lean Six Sigma to improve government operations. In this special edition of Process Perspectives, listen to a recording of ...
See all stories on this topic »

Ridley Inc. Reports Financial Results for Fiscal 2012 First Quarter
MarketWatch (press release)
Administration expenses were higher by $0.6 million in the period due to exceptional items such as the reallocation of certain managerial salaries from manufacturing overhead and consulting fees related to implementation of lean manufacturing ...
See all stories on this topic »

Discrete Manufacturers Focus on Labor to Become High Performance Operations
Supply Chain Digest
In industries ranging from automotive to high tech to apparel, the desire to be a highly productive, lean organization is second nature to the manufacturing community. Yet, while manufacturers are willing to invest billions of dollars in technology ...
See all stories on this topic »

TriMas Corporation Reports Record Third Quarter Results
MarketWatch (press release)
The Company continued to generate significant savings from productivity and lean initiatives which funded investment in growth initiatives and offset economic cost increases. Third quarter 2011 income from continuing operations was $17.0 million, ...
See all stories on this topic »

Standex Reports Double-Digit Sales and Profitability Growth in First Quarter ...
MarketWatch (press release)
... the successful expansion and automation of manufacturing capabilities and diversification efforts in emerging markets, the ability to continue to achieve cost savings through lean manufacturing, cost reduction activities, and low cost sourcing, ...
See all stories on this topic »

What if your company was to embark on a Lean Initiatives Project? What would you gain? What is your investment? What is the return on your investment?

Santa Clarita Consultants supports Lean Initiatives with professional training and consulting services since 1987.

VPN Tunnels For ERP And Bacrode

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:04:00 GMT

VPN is used to connect two or more locations, physical or conceptual allowing them to operate as one network. By virtue of their "secret tunnel" you know the other side is secure and trusted. So enterprise and ERP network "traffic" (corporate data)passes as it does on your local network, without scrutiny, because you have created the VPN and traffic is authenticated.

Lets take VPN to another level and talk about which traffic you may allow and why. Standardizing user access and information to share and pass between locations is a mission critical task. In the SYSPRO world, as in other applications, you need to join "web services" to the other networks so the devices can "see" each other.

Here are a few reasons for a VPN:

Remote users - either corporate, home-based or contract.
Users in other company locations performing standard transactions and document sharing
Portals for customers and vendors to assess data on your network safely.
Confidential corporate information only available to a select few.
Warehouse management, barcode scanners and label printers.
Backup and restore of off-site data and computers.

With so many reasons not listed, these few can indicate to you the need for a VPN at your company. With all of the unauthorized access, a VPN tunnel is your "secret tunnel" to pass corporate data. Such data for example as accounting and material controls, or operations management. All of your data is much more secure because of the VPN's inherent cloaking characteristics. It is not easy to "break into" a VPN, unlike standard Internet connections such as T1 or DSL.

For more information or to ask for help, consider using Santa Clarita Consultants EnterpriseWise™ and SYSPRO Support Services.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

ERP Tips and Tricks Lean Efficient General Ledger

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:11:00 GMT

One more reason to upgrade to SYSPRO 6.1: Fewer touch-points for GL transactions.
AR Cash Receipts: Let’s take a case in point: Pre-6.1 AR Cash Receipts in Figure 1. –

Process and touch-point reductions from six to two steps, plus less secondary processes such as printing journals, and distribution reports. It all gets done "automatically" so no one must remember either how or why to do all of those little tasks. Streamlining accounting procedures and simplifying day-to-day processes enables general ledger accuracies and financial reliability.

Processes are shown here for the Accounts Receivable Cash Receipts in Figure 1.

Recently, I received a support call from a customer, indicating their Work In Process journals and GL Distribution were not posted. These process errors were due to operators not printing these reports. Realizing the error, they printed all reports, and the data successfully posted to the GL.

Figure 1 - Cash Receipts GL Integration in SYSPRO 6.0 and earlier versions (6-steps, 3-printing cycles)

History: Historicaly, computer processing power and RAM were very expensive. The transaction processing features of SQL database management systems did not exist at the time. This necessitated the writing of data back to disk (i.e. data files or database tables) at points during this overall integration process to ensure data integrity.

For SYSPRO 6.1, it was decided to address these issues. Different forms of GL Integration are available for 6.1 to allow for those who don't like giving up the perceived control of a multi-step integration process to a full real-time operation. However, all this integration is performed by a single set of logic ensuring consistent integration. The two extremes of integration allowed in 6.1 are depicted in Figures 2 and 3 respectively.

Figure 2 - Cash Receipts GL Integration in SYSPRO 6.1 without Real-time GL enabled (5-steps, no mandatory printing cycles)

With writing to disk being an expensive, time-consuming exercise compared to in-memory processing in modern hardware. Using the normalized data model (Wikipedia), in line with relational database theory we can process all sides of the transaction concurrently. The Accounts Receivable module data are updated, transactions and journals are posted and General Ledger accounting, balance sheet and income statements are updated in real-time.

Figure 3 - Cash Receipts GL Integration in SYSPRO 6.1 with Real-time GL enabled (2-steps, no mandatory printing cycles)

SYSPRO 6.1 upgrade results: Accounts Receivable module data are updated, transactions and journals are posted and General Ledger accounting; balance sheet and income statement are updated real-time. Accounting and processes are now concurrent, requiring only transaction initiation rendering decision support and analysis of meaningful data for increased value, relevance and ROI.

Our hat's off to SYSPO for their vision and dedication spanning 30+ years an ERP product, today, which is more relevant and valuable than the competition.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:52:00 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving from your EnterpriseWise™ Team!! Enjoy the holiday!!

We will be back blogging about more exciting Enterprise topics on Monday, 11/28.

ERP TIPS AND TRICKS ABOUT PDF

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:11:00 GMT

4 ERP and PDF things for you to know.
Using a PDF creator-editor allows ease and simplicity of document (image) management storage and retrieval.
ERP Transactions, statements, purchase orders, sales orders and journals, to name a few, must be saved for audits, analysis and reporting. With PDF for ERP you can catalog, save, segment, store and retrieve financial and operational documents. Creating standard repositories for all ERP documents (going paperless and green) saves time and organizes procedures for day-end, month-end and year-end reports.

After almost 20 years in existence, Portable Document Format (PDF) remains the global standard for digital document sharing. Originally conceived in 1993 as a replacement for physical paper, PDF is designed to display identically on any machine — regardless of operating system, system environment, or anything else.

In short, it’s the closest thing we have to true, electronic paper.

1. What is PDF?
PDF is a defined specification with a series of guidelines that dictate how various objects within the file — text, images, forms, comments, and more — display on-screen.

2. Adobe does not "own" PDF
A common misconception is that PDF is a proprietary format, belonging to Adobe Systems. This isn’t particularly surprising: cofounder Nitro PDF John Warnock rather ingenuously conceived the format more than 20 years ago (check out the ‘Camelot’ paper for an interesting little piece of history) but handed over control to the International Standards Organization in 1997, giving birth to open standard (ISO 32000-1).

3. Some of the obvious benefits

Ubiquity. Thanks to the commonality of PDF viewers — an estimated instance on every internet-connected computer — it’s one of the few formats anyone can open.
Consistency. As a ‘final form’ format, PDF files will render identically on any machine.
Collaboration. PDF is the only format that supports both text and drawing markups, and provides an experience more comparable to reviewing physical paper.
Compactness. Generally speaking, PDF files enjoy a relatively compact file size — lengthy, multi-page documents containing graphics can be easily compressed to email-friendly sizes.

4. You can edit PDF, and it’s easier than you might have thought
Despite the previous references to ‘final form’ documents, PDF can be edited relatively easy. Whilst this isn’t exactly its intended purpose (it’s not necessarily an authoring format) piecemeal changes to text, graphics — and pretty much everything else within the document — can be conducted with relative ease.

Nitro Pro 7 gives you everything you need to create, edit, convert, sign, and share PDF files — in a simple and easy-to-use package. It’s PDF made easy.

Take the tour: Video Tour Learn more from this new Nitro Pro video.

Try Nitro Pro: Try Free Get your full copy of Nitro Pro.

Summary: PDF is meant for ERP. PDF lends simplicity and standardization to ERP document control, allows your company to go green and paperless without stressing about the "data" in the company. It is a secure, encrypted, and compact method of storage and retrieval of all enterprise documents. Nitro is a cost effective and reliable solution to ERP document control needs.

Santa Clarita Consultants is partnering with you offering a complete line of enterprise utilities integrating operations management software solutions.

For more information on Nitro PDF and your enterprise system options, please drop us a note and we will help you design your optimal doument printing, storage and retrieval strategies. Please register for an on-site assessment of your enterprise and ERP technologies.

ERP APICS PDM With Joel Barker: A Short Look at the Long View

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:49:00 GMT

"New Technologies: A Short Look at the Long View"
Presented by, Joel Barker, World Renowned Author and Futurist.
Joel Barker collects his readings and research into a forty minute fly-over of the next twenty years to identify new technologies and new ways of solving some of our most troublesome problems. He will then finish his presentation with a twenty minute overview of a tool he has developed for uncovering long term implications, especially Black Swans. His basic theme will be: solutions are available/we must understand the long term consequences of our choices!

Joel Barker was the first person to popularize the concept of paradigm shifts for the corporate world. Paradigms can explain revolutionary change in all areas of human endeavor. We are all living in a world of accelerating technological change. If you are interested in surviving and thriving in these turbulent times, you should attend this presentation. Learn to stay relevant in your job and in your life.

Who Should Attend: Anyone who is concerned about improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations will gain from this presentation. In particular, members of management, individual contributors, suppliers, and customers who are providing leadership in resource management activities should find this presentation valuable.

About our Speaker:
Joel A. Barker is one of the best-known futurists in the world. His videos on the future have been translated into 20 languages and have been seen by more than 100 million people. His book on paradigms is a standard text in more than 100 universities and has been translated into 20 languages, the most recent, Russian.

He popularized the concept of paradigm shifts and started the corporate discussion of the importance of vision in with his video, “The Power of Vision.” Industry Week Magazine has referred to his videos as one of the most influential series of programs in the business world.

His last book, Five Regions of the Future, co-authored with Dr. Scott Erickson, came out in 2005. It is about how technology is beginning to cluster in technological ecosystems and what that means to our future.

His most recent focus is on “innovation at the verge”—a new place for finding the big ideas for the 21st century. He is coupling that work with new tools for identifying the long-term implications of change.

Formerly Director of the Futures Studies Department of the Science Museum of Minnesota from 1975 to 1978, he has since spoken to more than one million people in North America, Europe, Asia and South America and Australia.

He has received numerous awards including two honorary doctorates. In 2008, he was identified as one of the top 100 thought leaders in personal leadership and organizational Leadership by Executive Excellence Publications.

Where:
The Odyssey Restaurant (map)
15600 Odyssey Drive
Granada Hills, California
Thursday November 17, 2011 – 5:30-9:00 pm

To register for the meeting please use one of the following links:

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER & PAY BY CREDIT CARD

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER IF YOU WILL BE PAYING BY CASH OR CHECK AT THE DOOR

ERP and related technologies are on the forefront of business process management and results oriented enterprises. Attend this professional development meeting and learn how you too can achieve and sustain better business and growth in your organizaton.

ERP Phantom Assemblies or Ghost Parts

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:11:00 GMT

Phantom Assemblies or Ghost Parts
Do you make multi-level products to order? If so, with SYSPRO you can simplify job scheduling and planning by using "phantom assemblies" to consolidate and reduce the number of jobs required.

In SYSPRO, "phantom assemblies" can be useful for multi-level products that are made to order. Instead of making all the various subassemblies each on its own job, you can use phantom assemblies to make them all within a single job.

Phantom assemblies are also useful for making items with customized options. Product options can be represented by phantom assemblies, which can be copied into jobs as needed to suit different product configurations.

How Phantoms Work

A "phantom" bill of material can be thought of as a made to order subassembly. A phantom is a set of components that is always assembled within a job for a higher level bill of material. A phantom is never stocked or made on its own job and cannot have its own routing.

A phantom bill of material is defined with its own set of components. Once the phantom bill of material is created, the phantom parent can be added as a component in other bills of material.

At time of job creation, SYSPRO automatically generates job detail lines for the complete set of phantom assembly components, multiplied by the phantom parent quantity.

Phantom assemblies can also be copied into jobs as needed to represent product options. You select the phantom, indicate a quantity and a routing sequence, and job detail lines are generated for the phantom assembly components with appropriate quantities.

My hat's off to SYSPO for their vision and dedication spanning 30+ years with a product, today, which is more relevant and valuable than the competition.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

Media Tablet Devices Fit ERP and Enterprise

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:11:00 GMT

Media Tablets in the Enterprise
Should every organization be examining how and where media tablet devices fit and how best to deploy for maximum benefits? Industry experts, like Gartner in the article above, suggest we should begin exploring applications and viability for business pusposes.

Tablets are ultra-portable computing devices enhancing collaboration among Executives, warehouse and sales members. These devices, using a growing list of applications, connect employees and processes integrating ERP systems. With enterprise applications and data structures able to support local and remote users, you are prepared to start testing. A cross-section of the industrial landscape finds tablet device use is growing and gaining capability and power. With business mobility is becoming a focal point for collaboration and cost, performance and reliability metrics. Requiring speed and delivery of information, enterprises are looking for faster ways to collaborate. Some points:

Data are growing at an alarming rate
Customers demanding faster responses
Inventories are being reduced
Managing cashflows
Delivering to demand
Speed to market and recognition
Getting what you paid for to pay you back (ROI)

Enterprise mobility, whether we talk about PCs, Laptops, smart-phones, or tablets, the investment experience is, generally, worthwhile. Going mobile can make you faster, save money, create and capitalize on opportunities, give you more presence and make life easier. These new devices are worth investigating in the true business sense.

What data will be accessed?
What will it take to connect the data-center and the devices?
What level of access s required: local, remote or both?
What does it take to benefit and exploit these capabilities?
Is your enterprise ready?

Some Pros, Cons and Uses:

Pros	Cons	Uses
Intuitive, easy to use Instant-on – open and use Tactile and convenient Excellent video/web browsing Low cost alternative to PCs Low / no Training Personal Interaction	Security concerns Loss prevention Not a PC/Laptop Fragile for industrial use Adoption and trust Cost of data-plans Business Application Shortage	ERP Software Extension Board Books Executive Dashboards Warehouse Management Sales force automation Product Configurator Customer Presentations

Summary:

These devices aren't just “play-things” or “giant cell-phones” but real business tools to be used like other enterprise computing resources. Tablet devices come in a variety of types, styles, options, accessories and brands. You can benefit from instant delivery of information. What you need, where you need it and when you want it. All in the convenience of a small handheld, lightweight computer with crystal clear graphics capable of connecting corporate resources and users. They are low cost and hold very good potential to be a piece of your overall IT solution.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets:

Santa Clarita Consultants brings you comprehensive, cost-effective enterprise solutions in deployment options suited to your small or midsize businesses.

Learn more at www.scc-co.com or signup for our Enterprise4X4 on site assessment.

ERP and Supply Chain Management Produce Rapid Business Improvements

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:11:00 GMT

ERP and Supply Chain Management Produce Rapid Business Improvements.
Supply chain management is a mature concept which Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) increases accuracies. (Wikipedia: Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers (Harland, 1996)). ERP has greatly increased the performance of the supply chain.

Treating your customers, suppliers and the company as an integrated supply chain provides the best return on investments in systems, processes and supporting technologies like ERP and SCM software.

ERP with Supply Chain Management enables planning your resources in the business enterprise effectively. Establish working systems and operating performance which helps manage operations achieving business objectives. Defining your ERP and SCM includes your trading partners; internal and external customers and suppliers. ERP and SCM is for companies seeking rapid operational improvements.

An assessment of ERP and SCM depends on the size of your operations and may take about three to five days. Careful measurement of your organization’s objectives, implementation and effectiveness of the existing systems and processes are assessed based on an ERP model well-matched to your business.

The components of Supply Chain Management are Planning, Sourcing, Producing, Delivering and Returns management. Proper SCM relies on integrated information in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software. ERP integrates the data in a single application and therefore benefits SCM management. When SCM and ERP applications have a single-source-data it makes implementation faster.

Investing in ERP systems provides a platform enabling effective answers to the changing supply chain. An integrated ERP system improves Supply Chain Management performance by achieving global visibility. It is essential to optimize the investment in inventory and offer great customer service in today’s global market. It is important to know about your inventory throughout your Supply Chain and this data is available with an ERP system. Manufactures develop the best plan for production and make only what is required by having the knowledge of the inventory location and availability. This information also helps to provide customers with inventory and product availability information. Real-time data helps to make quick and correct decisions with the help of ERP.

ERP and SCM work together by developing a better customer interaction. Data analyzed from different sources such as sales, marketing and supply chain systems enable product decision support. ERP offers this integrated view to help understand customer needs better. Providing better products and services which helps increase profits. ERP and Supply Chain Management help in lean manufacturing, supplier integration and global sourcing. Achieving higher performance as the measurement and performance systems are linked together. ERP systems include analytics, enabling standard metrics bringing speed, accuracy and increasing quality.

Some ERP and SCM Models:

Job Shop - Job Shops have a unique manufacturing model. They need to perform like fast turn manufacturers, but each job is unique and typically built to customer specifications. Finding the right ERP solution accommodating job or batch process in manufacturing is critical.
Process Manufacturing - Process Manufacturing is a batch oriented method of manufacturing liquids, chemicals, foods, or other formula/recipe based products. Traditional MRP software does not work due to the unique requirements such as yield factors, re-blending, and container management.
Semiconductor - Semiconductors have a manufacturing process that is unlike any other. Managing the photolithographic and chemical processing steps in your fabrication require specialized software. Wrapping that with a financial system creates a set of industry specific requirements.
General Manufacturing - This focuses in on the discrete manufacturer. This is a company which is using or would like to use MRPII in their manufacturing process. This type of manufacturer makes discrete products. This covers most general manufacturing.
Aerospace Manufacturing - The Aerospace Industries are complex supply chain with unique requirements. Often under OEM (original equipment manufacturer) constraints, the typical aerospace manufacturer delivers on time in a cost competitive environment.

Summary:
ERP and SCM are part of a larger system of enterprise technologies, process management, lean objectives and profit centers. In businesses of every type, ERP is the key to their successful sustainability. With an ever increasing playing field, software and operational technologies are coming together forming the integrated enterprise. Purchase, lease, renting, pay-as-you-go, hosted or on premise are a few of the options we offer to help businesses benefit from the unrestrained management tools within ERP. Getting started, from the beginning, with the best ERP software is our wish for every business in every industry.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

SYSPRO Upgrade Is Already Paid

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:11:00 GMT

Considering Upgrading to SYSPRO 6.1?
Why consider upgrading and what does it do for your company? SYSPRO ERP, since Issue 008 was retired, has about 1,200 enhancements. What your current ERP version did for your business and what the latest version will do is the real difference.

Case Study Research : Syspro 6.1 upgrade ignites Black Cat Fireworks

Black Cat Fireworks is reporting "a quantum leap forward" following a major upgrade to its ERP software, bringing it up to SYSPRO v6.1.

Matthew Broad, Black Cat's IT administrator, states that the company has been using various versions of SYSPRO, from K3, since 1991… he says: "It was high time to make the change, as our existing software was out of date. Clearly, we would benefit from accessing the new features within Syspro 6.1, such as easier integration and the ability to customize reports and create executive views ... about customer orders and stock status."

…he reports that the company can indeed do much more with SYSPRO 6.1 and says it was a good investment, having given the company a flexible and future-proof system that speeds up sales order processing, which was a key requirement for the upgrade.

And, Broad adds, that Black Cat suppliers, including its logistics partners, have also benefited from the upgrade…

This has been of particular benefit to the company's logistics partners who can simply import the order and delivery data into their transport planning systems to help with their scheduling.

Source:

Here is a summary of what you may be missing:

SYSPRO 6.1 – 131 Enhancements

SYSPRO 6.0 SP2 – 339 Enhancements

SYSPRO 6.0 SP1 – 310 Enhancements

SYSPRO Issue 009 – 347 Enhancements

These enhancements add additional business financial, technical, functional and operational, process and workflow benefits gained by pursuing your upgrades. Since you are paying for these features and benefits to be available for your business, consideration to enhance your company may be in your best interest.

Consider the following information and notice a couple of things. First, SYSPRO does not orphan your company if you are on old versions, even though they may have retired your “current” version. Support, and technical expertise on older versions may be waning, but you can stay there if you wish. Hopefully, we can impart some reasons to consider upgrading.

Product	Original Release	Current Release Phase
SYSPRO 6.1	Aug 2010	Mainstream (current product)
SYSPRO 6.0 Issue 010 SP2	Mar 2008	Extended (end of life extended)
SYSPRO 6.0 Issue 010 SP1	May 2007	Retired in Jan 2011
SYSPRO 6.0 Issue 010	Aug 2006	Retired in Jan 2011
SYSPRO 6.0 Issue 009	Nov 2004	Retired in Jan 2011

Examining the facts:

1,200 enhancements have been added to what is already a sophisticated and competent enterprise software system.
Taking a serious look into the details of what else these systems can do to help your business in ways unknown unless you take the time.

SYSPRO 6.1 enhancements bring value and benefit to your company. Don't get left behind, call us today for help move your company forward.

Did you know that SYSPRO continues to receive awards for its ERP software?

SYSPRO was in the news which said they had recently received another award.

SYSPRO Wins Golden Bridge Award for Software Innovation: SYSPRO Honored in Global Competition for SYSPRO STARS FastTrack Implementation Methodology

If you are interested in learning more, you can take it for a test drive.

Sign up for you Free 21 Day SYSPRO trial and learn why SYSPRO, for over 30 years, continually receives awards and helps companies maintain a competitive edge.

There is no risk, no obligation and no deposit required for your trial.

Santa Clarita Consultants is partnering with SYSPRO user companies like yours since 1987.

Barcode Printers for ERP Warehouse Management (WMS)

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:11:00 GMT

Barcode Printers for ERP Warehouse Management (WMS)
Barcode printers live in a hostile environment. Statistic: 9X out of 10 warehouse operators don’t care about the life of the printer... they just want to get their job done.

Barcode label printers, ranging from products and packaging to shipping, receiving and containers, need to be ruggedized and connected. When you add barcode label printers to your warehouse arsenal you get what you pay for. Printing and reliability have become standard expectations in warehouse environments. Deploying stationary and portable printing is both cost effective and indispensable.

Today we are featuring the Datamax-O’Neil brand of portable and stationary industrial barcode printers.

Rugged Portable Barcode Printers

For example: The RL4 is RUGGED, redefined. It is built to survive multiple drops to concrete and still print high-quality labels, every time. Enhance your printer offering with one of the most reliable, high-performance mobile label printers available in the market.

Datamax-O'Neil's RL4 is built rugged enough to survive multiple 6' drops and still print high-quality labels every time. It integrates seamlessly into any operating environment, handles unique 802.11 security and encryption situations, and is compatible with the industry's most popular WMS and label design software packages, such as Seagull Scientific Bartender Enterprise.

Industrial Stationary Barcode Printers

Their broad range of Industrial Bar Code Printers satisfies a variety of applications and duty cycles to meet your needs in many industries. Industrial printers cover a broad range of solutions from printing less than 4000 labels per day to 24/7 mission critical printing needs.

RFID printer/encoders give you a broad range of UPC UHF Gen 2 and HF RFID printers supporting diverse demands of today’s constantly advancing RFID implementations. Whether it's shipping and distribution, item level tagging or any other business enhancement project, these printers provide you with high quality, reliable performance.

Thermal desktop printers are compact, cost effective, and easy to use. They are designed to fit and operate in small tight areas where space is limited without sacrificing print quality, reliability, or price.

These printers will redefine your expectations for rugged.

Santa Clarita Consultants is an authorized Datamax-O’Neil printer partner offering a complete line of durable and rugged barcode printers integrating warehouse management software printing solutions.

For more information on barcode printers and your enterprise hardware options, please drop us a note and we will help you design your optimal barcode printing strategies. Please register for an on-site assessment of your enterprise and ERP technologies.