On February 6th Global Shop Solutions will be giving our first quarterly webcast. Each quarter, one of these webcasts will be highlighting a business goal and, how Global Shop One-System ERP Solutions™ can help businesses achieve that goal. This week’s topic is “Trust Global Shop for Increased Sales.” (more…)
In preparation for our appearance in The Manufacturing ERP Experience, Global Shop Solutions paid a visit to one of our oldest and favorite customers, Wilshire Precision Products. Currently in its third generation with Global Shop Solutions One-System ERP Solutions™, we couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to present the benefits derived from implementing our software.
“Global Shop is a huge part of our success”, praises Tom Lewis, President of Wilshire. Tom goes on to describe how rapidly he’s watched his business expand after implementing Global Shop Solutions in 1986. “Our business has easily increased by at least 30% in the past few years without adding any new personnel,” (more…)
Living in the Internet Age has meant a couple of things: Living faster, and doing business much differently. Small and medium-sized businesses, in particular, may be feeling the greatest impact. With advances in technology breaking down geographic barriers, even companies with just a few million dollars in annual revenue find themselves operating on a global scale, with customers, suppliers, and other business partners located the world over.
Most small business owners welcome these changes because they have given them access to markets that previously were open only to the largest corporations. On the other hand, small business owners are realizing that competing with mega-enterprises for access to markets also forces them to deal with many of the same problems that confront big organizations. (more…)
Nothing’s small when you own and operate a small business. This is especially true when your small business just happens to be in the manufacturing sector. Small manufacturers encounter many of the same challenges that medium and large companies do, including pressure from competitors; global economic volatility; the need to attract and retain new customers; and the need to reduce expenses and increase profitability.
However, many small manufacturers have myriad other issues to contend with that big businesses don’t have, or have an easier time facilitating by virtue of economic scaling. Certainly, in today’s tight credit markets, limited access to financial resources is a key hurdle for small businesses. This is exacerbated by increasingly higher operational costs and the constant difficulty in finding qualified people to work for you. (more…)
Over the past three decades enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) have become ubiquitous throughout the manufacturing industries. They have become foundational for most companies looking for an application that enables them to perform basic business operations in the most efficient way. At the other end of the needs spectrum, ERP packages also incorporate a large amount of industry specific business functionalities that ensure the costs of such systems are not as exorbitant as is usually the case in completely custom software packages. In short, the vertical hierarchy of ERP software helps organizations adopt the system faster and too a large extent help provide growing organizations by provide a framework of processes for their business.
One of the distinct advantages of using a robust ERP system is that it is an integrated solution for the entire business. Typically, before implementing an ERP system, a manufacturing business (large or small) will employ multiple and disparate operations software systems that usually don’t communicate with each other very well. Additionally, custom-built applications not only become difficult to manage, but they also pose unique challenges in terms of upgrade or adaptation to the latest technology standards. (more…)
Beyond the top ten lists of how to implement an enterprise resource planning software system (ERP), there comes a time when a company must simply turn the thing on and get moving forward. However, there are always a vast number of businesses that struggle with actually completing an ERP implementation. What’s even more surprising is that companies that have committed time and resources to ERP implementation actually “freeze up” when completing the task of going live with their new system.
Of course, a good ERP implementation team that has done its homework will already have thought through this stage/issue with their installation consultant. Let’s assume, for a moment, a company that hasn’t considered the actual completion of the implementation; that they have not set up benchmarks that even identify where that stage might be. In this scenario we identify the first issue of completion hesitancy: lack of clarity of what completion looks like. (more…)
When you want to buy a new car, you make a plan. You take the time to search for what you want, why it fits your needs, and how you’re going to go about getting it. This might mean developing tactics to use with salespeople and in finance. In fact, just about everything of significance that we do in life incorporates some sort of planning very early on in the process.
Implementing an ERP software system is something that necessitates not only a strategy, but also a written strategy at that. Why is a written plan for ERP software implementation so important? Simple: It removes the ambiguity from the process, establishes deadlines for achieving key milestones, and provides a tool for ensuring that all individuals and departments stay on track. Furthermore, a written plan serves as both a guidepost and a guiding force behind the implementation. (more…)
Even when people know that change is necessary and/or good for them, they will often resist to some degree. Therefore, every successful ERP implementation must include a concerted effort to get employees to buy in to the new system.
Start by expecting some resistance to occur, and then seek to understand the reasons. For example, some people—especially those who have been on the job a year or more—may resist simply because it feels more comfortable doing things the old way. Others may feel the current system is working fine, so why fix what isn’t broken? A few may consider ERP an invasion of their turf and resist out of fear and/or company politics. The more you know about why people resist the change, the better you can address their issues and improve your chances of a successful implementation. (more…)
The RFP’s have gone out, the demos have been made, and the negotiations finished. Your company is excited about the ERP software selection that’s finally been made. The ink is not yet dry on the contract you’ve just signed with your new ERP provider when the buzz about the system hits your shop floor. Everyone’s wondering if the new system will function better than the old one, is easier to operate, and, most importantly, will it last.
Then, the software consultants show up and installation begins—so far, so good. Software is deployed, data converted, and all seems well as the process starts. Along the way, though, implementation hits a couple of bumps, things slow a bit. “No problem,” explain the consultants, “There are always a couple of things at the beginning of every implementation.” This is true, but in your instance the problems seem to exponentially increase, not decrease. To make matters worse, no one knows who the company leader is, who is the champion of this implementation process.
You are now witnessing the twilight zone of a bad implementation. (more…)
Maybe you’ve heard the stories about implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions. Maybe some of the stories were encouraging tomes of great success, where implementation was a walk in the park, smooth as silk, a veritable joy ride. Or, perhaps, what you’ve heard has been one constant horror story after another, tales of tragedy and frustration strewn with the debris of battle royal.
Of course, these are the extremes, and they’re the sorts of things for some that make news and anecdotes worth the telling. Depending upon the ERP system you choose, and the preparations you make for it’s implementation, the chances are pretty good—that your efforts will probably fall somewhere in the middle, where disaster is avoided, but there is the occasional hiccup along the way.
The question is: How do you reduce the hiccups? (more…)
