News

News

• February 26, 2021 26 Feb'21

  Call to review critical supply chains praised, questioned

  The Biden administration is requiring federal agencies to conduct a review of critical supply chains, dividing analysts on what they see as the potential long-term effects.

• February 18, 2021 18 Feb'21

  Manufacturing outlook for 2021 focuses on resilience

  As midmarket manufacturers focus on recovery from the pandemic, many will take advantage of the opportunity to accelerate Industry 4.0 projects, according to BDO USA.

• February 12, 2021 12 Feb'21

  Digitizing the supply chain requires standards to succeed

  In this Q&A, Vector's Brian Belcher discusses why interest in digitizing the supply chain has soared recently and why standards are needed for wider use of digital technologies.

• February 10, 2021 10 Feb'21

  Kinaxis fuels Technicolor's supply chain digital transformation

  Technicolor Connected Home digitally transformed its manual supply chain operations with the Kinaxis supply chain platform, resulting in improved forecasting ability.

• February 05, 2021 05 Feb'21

  Vaccine supply chain needs Starbucks -- not stadium -- model

  In this Q&A, Sylvie Thompson makes the case for small, localized distribution at places like Starbucks for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

• January 25, 2021 25 Jan'21

  Supply chain trends for 2021 include reshoring, digitization

  The diversifying of manufacturing, including reshoring to the U.S. and the adoption of new technologies, will be top supply chain trends in 2021, according to industry experts.

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  ERP alternatives poised to take the stage in 2021

  The momentum for companies to adopt cloud-first and industry-specific ERP systems has created an opening for alternative ERP companies.

• December 29, 2020 29 Dec'20

  Salesforce Slack buy biggest step yet outside the CRM realm

  Salesforce has tried to buy its way into the rest of the enterprise before. Is Slack the golden ticket that will take it beyond CRM to directly compete with ERP vendors?

• December 21, 2020 21 Dec'20

  Supply chain faces greatest challenge with COVID-19 vaccine

  Developing a COVID-19 vaccine was only the first step in beating the pandemic. Now the supply chain must manage the challenges and complexities of getting those vaccines delivered.

• November 25, 2020 25 Nov'20

  Panorama Consulting's report talks best-of-breed ERP trend

  The top ERP vendors offer distinct capabilities to customers, paving the way for a best-of-breed ERP approach, according to Panorama Consulting.

• November 20, 2020 20 Nov'20

  At Signavio World, center stage belongs to customer excellence

  Signavio brings customer experience data into its process management platform with the Signavio Business Transformation Suite Customer Excellence Edition.

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  Epicor ERP 10.2.700 may entice manufacturers to the cloud

  The latest SaaS version of Epicor ERP includes new capabilities designed to appeal to midmarket manufacturers that want to move to a cloud-based system.

• November 10, 2020 10 Nov'20

  Bose builds supply chain resilience program that pays off

  An earthquake and floods in 2011 disrupted the Bose supply chain but better prepared the company for the risks and disruptions brought on by COVID-19.

• November 05, 2020 05 Nov'20

  Clevest acquisition bolsters IFS' field service management

  IFS strengthened its field service portfolio with the acquisition of Clevest, a firm that provides field service management capabilities specific to the utilities industry.

• November 02, 2020 02 Nov'20

  Coupa acquires Llamasoft for supply chain agility

  Coupa Software's acquisition of Llamasoft for $1.5 billion will bring AI-based supply chain planning and modeling capabilities to its business spend management platform.

• October 26, 2020 26 Oct'20

  Crafts Technology manages COVID-19 changes with ECI JobBoss

  Crafts Technology, a medium-sized manufacturer that performs small-volume jobs, is using ECI JobBoss ERP software to manage workplace changes from the COVID-19 pandemic.

• October 21, 2020 21 Oct'20

  Partnerships add more supply chain visibility to SAP LBN

  New SAP Logistics Business Network partnerships provide users with key logistics data on shipment location and estimated arrival times for road, freight and ocean shipments.

• October 19, 2020 19 Oct'20

  Celonis expands to action with Execution Management System

  Celonis released the Execution Management System, which enables companies to automate actions in operational processes, improving business capacity and process efficiency.

• October 16, 2020 16 Oct'20

  Unit4 plans to release next-gen ERP platform, Unit4 ERPx

  Unit4 said people-focused companies need people-centric ERP platforms. Unit4 ERPx, due out in March, aims to be just that.

• October 02, 2020 02 Oct'20

  Digital transformation requires upskilling and reskilling

  Manufacturers undergoing digital transformation must address workers' skills gaps, but new technology shouldn't be imposed from above without early input and buy-in from workers.

• September 18, 2020 18 Sep'20

  With cloud-based ERP, customers can focus on outcomes

  Infor general manager Rod Johnson discusses the company's strategy for delivering its Infor CloudSuite ERP systems, and why it's placing such an emphasis on customer experience.

• September 17, 2020 17 Sep'20

  Multi-tenant ERP's value touted at Inforum 2020

  The Infor CloudSuite approach includes industry-specific functionality intended to make cloud ERP implementations more efficient and less complex while yielding a faster ROI.

• September 17, 2020 17 Sep'20

  What's next for Epicor after its sale

  Epicor Software Corp.'s newest owner, private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, may deliver new investments in the firm's ERP systems -- at least, that's the hope.

• September 08, 2020 08 Sep'20

  TikTok data could be gold mine for ERP, HR systems

  TikTok's data and AI tech may have applications beyond marketing. That could be why Microsoft and Oracle, two enterprise tech powerhouses, may be interested in the company.

• August 20, 2020 20 Aug'20

  Time is right for connected worker platforms

  In this Q&A, Parsable CEO Lawrence Whittle explains why the COVID-19 era may make a strong case for connected worker technologies.

• August 13, 2020 13 Aug'20

  GE Digital's transformation rocky but ongoing

  In this Q&A, GE Digital CEO Patrick Byrne discusses how the company is back in the GE fold, GE's digital transformation lessons, and how the COVID-19 crisis affects manufacturers.

• July 20, 2020 20 Jul'20

  SAP, Siemens partner to advance digital manufacturing

  A new deal between SAP and Siemens combines SAP ERP systems with Siemens Teamcenter PLM platform, enabling companies to develop an end-to-end digital thread for manufacturing.

• July 02, 2020 02 Jul'20

  Manufacturers turn to servitization for competitive advantage

  Servitization leads to more resilient and profitable businesses, but only a few manufacturers are fully enabled to adopt the new model, according to IDC.

• June 12, 2020 12 Jun'20

  Epicor Eclipse distribution ERP helps Yesco through COVID-19

  Yesco Electrical Supply is using new features in its Epicor Eclipse ERP system to transform some processes and make it easier to deal with changes caused by COVID-19 disruption.

• June 02, 2020 02 Jun'20

  ERP implementation projects need not stop during crisis

  In this Q&A, Unit4's Andy Brockhoff discusses the COVID-19 crisis and why organizations may find it a good time to keep going with ERP modernization projects.

• May 29, 2020 29 May'20

  Cloud-based ERP rollout benefits from remote work

  Vertical Aerospace launched a cloud-based ERP project at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to remote work turned out to help -- not hurt -- the project.

• May 22, 2020 22 May'20

  Machine health systems play critical role in age of disruption

  As the COVID-19 crisis disrupts industries, manufacturers can keep lines running by using machine health monitoring systems to manage equipment and diagnose problems remotely.

• May 13, 2020 13 May'20

  Managed cloud ERP services keep businesses afloat in crisis

  In this Q&A, Ryan Etinson of Syntax discusses why companies that use a managed cloud services provider for their ERP systems don't have to worry about system stability.

• May 06, 2020 06 May'20

  Pandemic causes Hershey's to pause ERP project

  Major parts of The Hershey Co.'s ERP project, notably its supply chain, is being put on hold for a year as the firm adjusts to pandemic-related business needs.

• May 06, 2020 06 May'20

  Cloud-based ERP keeps SMBs running during pandemic

  Many SMBs have found that moving to cloud-based ERP systems has helped keep the lights on by allowing employees to access enterprise applications from home.

• May 04, 2020 04 May'20

  How to renegotiate your ERP contract during a pandemic

  ERP consultant Marcus Harris provides advice on renegotiating ERP contracts when the scopes of ERP implementation projects change due to the COVID-19 crisis.

• May 01, 2020 01 May'20

  ERP implementation challenges grow in COVID-19 crisis

  ERP implementation experts Marcus Harris and Daniel Saeedi tell how organizations can manage ERP project disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

• April 30, 2020 30 Apr'20

  Celonis process mining edges toward autonomous enterprise

  The Celonis process mining platform now has Operational Applications for accounts payable and supply chain that allow companies to take automated actions on processes.

• April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20

  Supply chain applications help ease COVID-19 crisis

  Supply chain applications from SAP Ariba, SourceDay and Kinaxis are helping companies find critical PPE, maintain manufacturing lines and plan for supply chain risk assessment.

• April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20

  COVID-19 crisis opens possibilities for 3D printing industry

  As the coronavirus outbreak disrupts supply chains, manufacturers may increasingly turn to 3D printing to move beyond prototyping and into producing quality parts.

• March 26, 2020 26 Mar'20

  Priority Software mobile apps open ERP systems

  Priority Software's mobile apps and Mobile App Generator improve access to its ERP systems and improve productivity for processes like inventory management and sales operations.

• March 25, 2020 25 Mar'20

  7 supply chain management best practices in a COVID-19 world

  Amid global disruptions due to coronavirus, businesses need to redo supply chain best practices immediately. Here are seven ways to get started down the right path.

• March 23, 2020 23 Mar'20

  Pandemic will delay, cancel ERP deployments and test vendors

  The pandemic will challenge ERP deployments in some unique ways. Travel restrictions are shutting down access to the people needed to plan and implement projects, and remote working may create a hurdle.

• March 17, 2020 17 Mar'20

  COVID-19 outbreak in China slows global supply chain

  The COVID-19 outbreak started in China, where a large percentage of major enterprises have factories. Here's what business leaders should learn from the resulting slowdown.

• March 16, 2020 16 Mar'20

  How to prevent a coronavirus panic buying bullwhip effect

  Widespread coronavirus panic buying is likely to cause a bullwhip effect in some areas -- such as toilet paper. Here's how suppliers can work to minimize the negative supply chain effects.

• March 11, 2020 11 Mar'20

  Cognitive automation helps processes run on their own

  Merck Healthcare has implemented cognitive automation technology from Aera Technology to drive a digital transformation of its supply chain operations.

• March 05, 2020 05 Mar'20

  Manufacturing outlook hopeful despite recession fears

  A new survey of midmarket manufacturing CFOs shows that most anticipate increases in revenue and profitability in 2020, in the face of an expected economic slowdown.

• March 02, 2020 02 Mar'20

  Connected worker platforms bring people into digital transformation

  A dairy production company is using a connected worker platform to fill in the gaps of ERP and manufacturing systems and tie in front-line workers to its digital transformation.

• February 27, 2020 27 Feb'20

  ERP Advisors Group: ERP for SMBs to come of age in 2020

  In this Q&A, Shawn Windle of ERP Advisors Group explains why 2020 is the year of SMBs for ERP, as SMBs find ERP systems more cost-effective and industry-specific options increase.

• February 25, 2020 25 Feb'20

  Cloud broadens scope of ERP support to focus more on users

  A truly modern ERP support strategy must consider the needs of both internal and external users and ERP's expanded role in the employer and customer experience.

• February 24, 2020 24 Feb'20

  Coronavirus outbreak puts focus on supply chain risk

  Global supply chains have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, and companies need to diversify suppliers and rethink strategies like lean and just-in-time manufacturing.

• February 19, 2020 19 Feb'20

  Panorama ERP report shows continued satisfaction

  Panorama Consulting Group's 2020 ERP report finds that satisfaction with ERP remains high and the cloud is now the main deployment choice.

• February 13, 2020 13 Feb'20

  Take care of ERP data security when moving to the cloud

  In this Q&A, ERP data security expert Greg Wendt of Appsian discusses data security needs to be addressed by organizations as they move ERP systems to the cloud.

• February 11, 2020 11 Feb'20

  Solid growth helps IFS ERP take aim at top-tier vendors

  Solid growth for 2019 may help IFS take on SAP and other top-tier ERP vendors, but it faces the same problems in moving customers to innovative cloud-based systems.

• February 05, 2020 05 Feb'20

  Analysts see Infor-Koch combo boosting ERP vendor

  ERP vendor Infor will soon be a subsidiary of Koch Industries, a $110 billion multinational firm.

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  For one company, an ERP project failure is now a court battle

  ERP projects often run into delays and cost overruns, but some actually fail. That's what happened to one Florida-based manufacturing firm.

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  Acumatica cloud ERP tightens focus on SMB market

  At Acumatica Summit 2020, the cloud-based ERP company announced new manufacturing features, a new Payroll module and a new acquisition of JAAS Systems.

• January 20, 2020 20 Jan'20

  Executive shuffle rolls through ERP industry

  2019 was a year for change in the executive ranks of SAP and other ERP vendors, as the companies face struggles in moving their large on-premises installed bases to the cloud.

• January 14, 2020 14 Jan'20

  SAP competitors see openings with S/4HANA qualms

  SAP customers may consider other ERP vendors as the clock speeds up for the 2025 support end for ECC, but some observers believe a move to another vendor may be just as difficult.

• December 13, 2019 13 Dec'19

  RPA in manufacturing increases efficiency, reduces costs

  In this Q&A, Shibaji Das of UiPath discusses why manufacturers should implement RPA to improve efficiency, help with ERP system upgrades, increase ROI and reduce costs.

• December 09, 2019 09 Dec'19

  Process mining software pulls back curtains on how processes work

  Here's what two vendors, Celonis and Signavio, offer in the emerging field of process mining software, which enables organizations to better understand business processes.

• December 05, 2019 05 Dec'19

  Epicor ERP system focuses on distribution

  Companies like Jergens Industrial Supply are favoring purpose-built ERP systems like Epicor Prophet 21 for distributors over comprehensive ERPs that need customizations.

• November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19

  7 demand planning strategies to beat the competition

  Today's supply chain management rests on refining your demand forecasting and creating partnerships. Here's a look at what that means.

• November 06, 2019 06 Nov'19

  With Scout, Workday acquisition strategy takes shape

  Workday's planned acquisition of Scout RFP, a sourcing and procurement platform, says one thing to analysts: It is pushing to become a full-service ERP vendor.

• October 29, 2019 29 Oct'19

  Epicor cloud, on-premises ERP get equal treatment

  Epicor upgraded its platform, and the improvements are available to both cloud and on-premises ERP users. The upgrade takes advantage of Microsoft Azure technologies.

• October 25, 2019 25 Oct'19

  Unit4 ERP software aims to prioritize people experience

  Unit4 promises to deliver features including the ability to self-drive, automate repetitive administrative tasks, integrate third-party applications and add customer extensions.

• October 24, 2019 24 Oct'19

  New small business ERP delivers SAP Business One alternative

  SMBs in search of an affordable ERP app can look to Priority Zoom a cloud-based platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage each phase of the sales cycle.

• October 23, 2019 23 Oct'19

  SAP's McDermott joins ServiceNow to push enterprise growth

  SAP's Bill McDermott will take over as ServiceNow CEO, replacing John Donahoe, in a move that analysts say could take the fast-growing ITSM vendor in new product directions.

• October 18, 2019 18 Oct'19

  Acumatica cloud ERP, IFS systems fit together well

  Acumatica and IFS share a similar manufacturing ERP industry focus but target different markets. In this Q&A, Acumatica CEO Jon Roskill explains how the vendors are working to integrate systems and services.

• October 10, 2019 10 Oct'19

  RPA basics: What it is, benefits, downsides, use cases

  Robotic process automation may be able to help your business, but first you need to understand what it is and what it can and cannot do. IFS VP of AI and RPA shares his take.

• October 09, 2019 09 Oct'19

  IFS acquires Astea in bid for FSM market consolidation

  The acquisition not only opens IFS up to a broader customer base, but also consolidates the field service management market during a time of growth and increased competition.

• October 03, 2019 03 Oct'19

  Infor positions CloudSuite ERP as alternative to S/4HANA

  Infor's Rod Johnson, general manager and head of Americas, said the company is focused on two things: getting its customers to the cloud faster and helping its customers get more value out of their investments.

• September 26, 2019 26 Sep'19

  Inforum 2019 focuses on ease of deployment and intelligent ERP

  Infor talked up AI, machine learning and embedded RPA as intelligent tools that will help make ERP projects more successful. But do customers need features like these?

• September 25, 2019 25 Sep'19

  At Inforum 2019, Infor takes aim at SAP

  Infor wants to take SAP head-on. At Inforum 2019, Infor executives described SAP's push to migrate customers to SAP S/4HANA by 2025 as an opportunity to do just that.

• September 20, 2019 20 Sep'19

  Oracle strengthens autonomous cloud positioning

  Oracle announced a host of new features for EPM, ERP and HCM clouds, including machine learning OCR and new jobs for the Oracle bot, and a new UX.

• September 18, 2019 18 Sep'19

  Sigfox network provides cheap, efficient connectivity for IoT

  IoT applications for manufacturing and supply chain don't require 5G networks to send small packets of data. Sigfox believes they're better suited for a 0G network.

• September 17, 2019 17 Sep'19

  Oracle ERP Cloud expands its digital assistants

  The Oracle ERP Cloud is increasing its use of digital assistants. These systems will interact with AI-type systems to help move the conversation along.

• August 29, 2019 29 Aug'19

  Supply chain digital transformation demands new skills

  Madhav Durbha's take on the evolving supply chain landscape includes a warning: Organizations will need to address the growing skills gap it is creating.

• August 22, 2019 22 Aug'19

  Shakeup in the Infor leadership tree

  Charles Phillips moved from Infor CEO to become chairman of the board of directors. He has been replaced by CFO Kevin Samuelson. Analysts believe recent revenue results may be behind the moves.

• August 14, 2019 14 Aug'19

  Updates to Infor Concierge aim to improve customer access

  With updates to Infor Concierge, the vendor intends to improve customer access to Infor ERP services and products to expedite the problem-solving process.

• August 12, 2019 12 Aug'19

  Cloud is driving force behind 2019 ERP industry trends

  Interest in deploying ERP systems to the cloud continued to increase in 2019, but deployments may be slowed by misunderstanding and uncertainty about vendor roadmaps and costs.

• August 06, 2019 06 Aug'19

  Aysling launches new vendor management software

  Vendor Management is a cloud-based software designed to help businesses manage their vendors and vendors' employees. It lets users track payments, store files, see invoices and more.

• August 05, 2019 05 Aug'19

  TraceLink Network delivers digital supply chain visibility

  Drug manufacturers can collaborate with customers, suppliers and contract manufacturers on the TraceLink Network, and build applications on the new TraceLink Digital Network Platform.

• July 25, 2019 25 Jul'19

  IFS, Acumatica take aim at top-tier ERP vendors -- together

  IFS and Acumatica now share the same corporate ownership with EQT Partners, which creates the potential for the two ERP companies to collaborate on technology and business resources.

• July 24, 2019 24 Jul'19

  Beta tester imagines financial modeling software future

  The Seattle Sounders FC's finance department is testing new anomaly detection capabilities in Adaptive Insights, but it also wants to see external data used to probe anomalies.

• July 19, 2019 19 Jul'19

  MRPeasy software helps growing cannabis business

  Here's how cannabis products manufacturer Papa & Barkley uses cloud-based MRP software from MRPeasy to manage its production and inventory processes in a highly regulated industry.

• June 20, 2019 20 Jun'19

  ERP vendor IFS makes a near-merger with Acumatica

  EQT Partners, which owns ERP vendor IFS, has acquired Acumatica, another ERP vendor. Both firms will be working together, sharing leadership and expertise in hope of each broadening market share.

• June 06, 2019 06 Jun'19

  Honeywell launches enterprise performance management product

  Released as part of Honeywell's new Enterprise Performance Management for Operations Technology category, Honeywell Forge for Buildings is available now.

• May 30, 2019 30 May'19

  ERP vendors get high marks in Panorama report

  A substantial majority of ERP customers are satisfied with their ERP vendors, according to a new report from Panorama Consulting. But whether they're realizing the benefits of ERP implementations remains unclear.

• May 29, 2019 29 May'19

  Revlon SAP ERP problems result in rare investor lawsuit

  An SAP ERP implementation at cosmetic maker Revlon disrupted some operations. After the news came out, the company's stock price suffered. Now, investors are suing.

• May 24, 2019 24 May'19

  Advanced 3D printing machines on display at Rapid + TCT

  While there won't be a 3D printer in every home any time soon, here's a look at three machines that were on display at the Rapid + TCT 3D printing industry tradeshow and are having an effect on manufacturing.

• May 22, 2019 22 May'19

  3D printing industry growth tied to specialized applications -- for now

  Specialized production manufacturing drives 3D printing in three industries, but prototyping will remain the key use case in more mainstream applications.

• May 15, 2019 15 May'19

  Sage cloud ERP services add production management module

  Sage has released the Production Management module for its cloud-connected ERP Sage 100cloud. The new module is designed to give users visibility into the production process.

• May 15, 2019 15 May'19

  Challenges slow the union between blockchain and ERP

  Rather than technical challenges, building the business networks and hammering out governance and rules of engagement are the toughest hurdles to blockchain-enabled ERP.

• May 03, 2019 03 May'19

  ERP upgrade sought job efficiency, not job loss

  Protecting jobs, not replacing people with automation, was an ERP system upgrade requirement by the Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired. It wanted efficiency without job loss.

• May 02, 2019 02 May'19

  Delays, change orders blow up ERP project budget for school district

  ERP projects are notorious for cost overruns and delays. That was the experience of the Manatee School District, which ran into major problems.

• April 30, 2019 30 Apr'19

  Epicor iScala 3.3 brings new productivity features to SMB ERP

  Epicor's newly released iScala 3.3 SMB ERP software update includes new reporting and analytics features, a revamped user interface and expanded localizations.

• April 26, 2019 26 Apr'19

  To avoid ERP implementation failure, start with clearly defined requirements

  Companies can avoid litigation caused by unsuccessful ERP implementations by defining requirements at the start of a project, according to ERP consultant Brooks Hilliard.

• April 18, 2019 18 Apr'19

  Epicor debuts EVA, an AI virtual assistant for ERP

  Epicor users will soon be able to talk to or text their ERP systems through Epicor Virtual Agent, a new AI-based voice command UI that promises to improve productivity.

• April 15, 2019 15 Apr'19

  Del Monte Foods makes SAP ERP migration to AWS

  Thanks to an acquisition, Del Monte Foods' IT had both on-premises and hosted systems, which proved costly and inflexible. It has since moved its IT systems to AWS.