The
Buyers Report in Plastics Business
magazine will provide information for a specific product or service that is
applicable to the plastics processing industry. Vendors who provide the
product or service will be profiled, with information provided in several
categories. In this first issue of the magazine, ERP software application
providers are profiled.
Wikipedia supplies this basic description of ERP software applications:
Enterprise Resource Planning
systems (ERPs), or Manufacturing Resource Planning systems (MRPs), are
software systems that integrate and automate many of the business practices
associated with the production and distribution aspects of a company engaged
in manufacturing. ERP systems typically handle the manufacturing, logistics,
distribution, inventory, shipping, billing, accounting, quality management,
and human resource management for a company. In the absence of an ERP
system, a manufacturer may find itself with many software applications that
do not talk to each other and do not effectively interface.
The
companies featured in this Buyers Report are those who graciously responded
to our inquiries after their software was suggested by MAPP members and
other industry representatives. These companies do not represent a
comprehensive list of ERP software package providers, but do represent
common ERP applications used in the plastics processing industries.
CMS Software
(905)
224-2222
www.cmssoftware.com
CMS
Software, Toronto, Canada, is a major supplier of ERP solutions for supply
chain-intensive manufacturing and distribution companies, including
enterprises with lean IT departments, demanding customers, and stringent
requirements for traceability, on-time delivery, and order accuracy. CMS
Software was founded in 1986, has over 120 employees, and supports more than
2,500 manufacturing plants in 13 countries. The company has a sizeable
customer base in the plastics industry and among automotive suppliers.
Key Features:
CMS
offers a Total ERP Solution,
including MRP II, capacity planning, financial functions, payroll functions,
multiple plant functionality, EDI, manufacturing/distribution, and supply
chain functions. Through its partnership with Mattec Corporation, the
leading supplier of real-time production and process monitoring systems for
plastics, CMS is able to provide robust
plastics-specific functionality that fully integrates the shop
floor with the front office. This includes family-parts integration;
integrated mold and die maintenance; integrated EDI with strong bar-coding
and traceability; multi-plant/multi-lingual capabilities; seamless
compatibility with Mattec plant-wide production; and process monitoring
systems, which include real-time OEE, machine down-time analysis, real-time
production scheduling/production reporting, SPC, and cavity-pressure
control.
Competition
Differential:
CMS
systems offers a total ERP package. Most customers purchase the software
including all functional modules, an unlimited user license, and with all
future enhancements included in the basic service agreement. This is in
distinct contrast with other suppliers who bill for additional capabilities,
more users, and even for upgrades and enhancements. 95 percent of CMS
customers find that their needs are covered by the standard software
package, with no modifications required before installation. Users get up
and operating quickly and realize a return on investment faster.
Customer Care:
CMS
Software is a one-stop, turnkey solution provider, with an in-house staff of
implementation, education, training, support, and hardware professionals
ready to work directly with customer staff to fully explore CMS Solutions’
strengths - harnessing functionality to meet customers’ unique business
challenges. This turnkey approach, along with the fully integrated nature of
the CMS solutions, translates into a low short-term and long-term cost of
ownership.
IQMS
(866)
367-3772
www.iqms.com
IQMS, a leader in ERP software and the industry’s only single-source
database solution, provides all the functionality required to efficiently
manage and improve business processes. Its flagship product, EnterpriseIQ,
is capable of handling all manufacturing and financial needs without
requiring expensive third party interfaces. IQMS offers one cohesive ERP
package that’s easy to use, maintain, and implement. All system modules are
developed and fully supported by IQMS.
Key Features:
IQMS
provides a single source solution
with EnterpriseIQ, the only software that is designed by one company, as a
single system. The software proves that you do not have to give up powerful
features for ease of use. EnterpriseIQ handles all ERP needs, including
manufacturing, sales and distribution, financial management, production,
inventory, supply chain management, and warehouse management, without
requiring expensive third-party interfaces or third-party software. All
modules are written, developed, and supported by IQMS and are designed to
operate as a cohesive unit in the framework of EnterpriseIQ. IQMS is
customer driven, dedicated to its
customers and their demanding requirements. Software updates are driven by
the customers and the needs of their businesses, today and in the future. As
the technology changes and as more demands are placed on manufacturers, IQMS
continues to improve its product with enhancements asked for by its
customers.
Competition
Differential:
IQMS
software features an industry-specific design. Each industry, whether it is
automotive, medical, plastics, or other, is considered when the software is
designed. This means that the terminology is familiar to the users and that
industry requirements are met.
Customer Care:
IQMS
is proud of its partnership with its customers and their loyalty to the
software that helps them improve business process and business profits year
after year. IQMS boasts a 98 percent customer retention rate. Customers
receive support through IQMS’s award-winning telephone support, always-on
internet and email resources, an active user’s group, and a global network
of implementation and training professionals. Customers also enjoy superior
performance, reliability, scalability, reduced implementation times, and
lower maintenance fees.
Made2Manage Systems, Inc.
(800)
626-0220
www.made2manage.com
Made2Manage Systems, Inc. has spent twenty years in the business of
delivering ERP software and services that enable small and mid-size
manufacturers to achieve continuous business process improvements. In August
2004, Made2Manage Systems acquired DTR Software International, a leading
provider of manufacturing, distribution, and financial management software
designed for the industry-specific needs of plastics processors.
Key Features:
DTR
Plastics ERP features a drag-and-drop
scheduling control center,
allowing users to generate forward finite, queued, and just-in-time
scheduling for all workstations and secondary operations. Scheduling
provides greater visibility into machine setup and tear down times,
preventative maintenance, tooling, and raw material shortages. Within the
DTR application’s Bill of Manufacture
(BOM), users easily can identify build-to-stock jobs with minimum and
maximum reorder levels, standard stock colors, and/or custom orders. In
addition, users have the ability to capture costs within the BOM and
schedule secondary operations, such as label application and silk screen
printing services. The inventory
management tools manage raw materials, assembled work-in-process
items, and finished goods. Users also can view costs for any manufactured
part, including detail on materials, labor, workstation, setup, overhead,
and tooling, while extruders can leverage plastics-specific inventory
management tools to keep track of materials at multiple warehouses and
locations and/or manage lot codes and serialized inventory. The system’s
manufacturing tables make product costing
simple. Users can quickly run a variety of different cost scenarios by
indicating the quantity breaks and factoring in data on multi-cavity and
family molds, the percent of planned time expected to be used, the percent
of regrind allowed in the process, and tooling within the tables.
Competition
Differential:
Unlike
generic enterprise resource planning solutions, DTR Plastics ERP is designed
specifically for and sold directly to the plastics industry. It is
well-equipped to manage the unique functionality required in both the
process and discrete manufacturing operations of more than 300 plastic
processors from a variety of niche industries, such as injection molding,
blow molding, bag and film processing, extrusion, and thermoforming.
Customer Care:
It’s
not about software only. Made2Manage Systems has developed the people,
processes, and services to help its customers gain continuous value from
their ERP solutions. DTR Plastics Solutions provides dedicated account
management, experienced implementation consultants, and customized education
plans. Support for users includes a comprehensive customer support web site,
expansive support and maintenance services that include unlimited education
for all users, and 100 percent customer-focused product development.
OpenMFG
(757)
461-3022
www.openmfg.com
OpenMFG was created to solve a growing problem afflicting small
entrepreneurial manufacturers (SEMs). Smaller, independent companies were
falling behind the technology curve, while their larger competitors
purchased big-ticket enterprise software packages to interact with suppliers
and customers. OpenMFG’s founders consulted with the American Society for
Production and Inventory Control (APICS) and other manufacturing
organizations and interest groups to understand the manufacturing processes
and functions that were most important to small, entrepreneurial
manufacturers. The company then proceeded to build a modern, affordable
software, designed to be as accessible as possible, using open architecture
and standards that give growing companies the flexibility they need, along
with the ability to work with partners and customers over the Internet.
Key features:
OpenMFG offers SEMs real-time visibility
across the entire supply chain process, from ordering raw materials to
manufacturing to shipping. All of these functions are supported by
integrated financial applications to handle accounts receivable, accounts
payable, and the general ledger. This level of control means that at any
moment, SEMs have the information necessary to redirect resources, answer a
customer inquiry, or promise a shipment. The OpenMFG ERP Suite includes
inventory management, part definition and costing (including bills of
material and bills of operation), master scheduling and MRP, capacity
planning, work order management, sales order management, purchase order
management, shipping and receiving, and sales analysis. Accounting Modules
include accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, and bank
reconciliation. OpenMFG also includes a full-featured
open source report writer,
OpenRPT, as part of the
system. OpenMFG does not price by the module. Instead, customers have the
option of a flat annual site license or a traditional per-seat perpetual
license. OpenMFG sells through certified channel partners and its own direct
sales operation, pricing its software according to an affordable annual
subscription model.
Competition
Differential:
OpenMFG truly addresses the needs of small entrepreneurial manufacturers.
OpenMFG provides small companies with technology on par with vendors
providing software targeted to much larger manufacturing companies. Since
its inception, OpenMFG has focused primarily on bringing sophisticated
manufacturing functionality to its customers.
Customer Care:
OpenMFG’s professional service team assists each customer in choosing the
OpenMFG solution that’s right for its business. APICS-certified consultants
in the company’s industrial engineering group learn about customer
operations by talking with key stakeholders, and then recommend a solution
tailored to that customer’s business needs. Every OpenMFG software
installation comes standard with unlimited business-hours technical support.
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In
upcoming issues of Plastics Business magazine, the Buyers Report section
will feature clean room services and advances in bar coding technology. If
your company would like to be considered for inclusion, please contact
Dianna Brodine, Assistant Editor, at [email protected] or (785)
271-5801.