|
||||
Feel free to peruse any of these industry reports so you too can become better versed on the symptoms and effects of “Heinous at First Only to get Worse Later Business Decision-Making Syndrome” (HAFOTGWLBD-MS)
ARTICLE I
"Suites are Sour... and I Am Not Alone" –ERP suites are too complicated, too expensive and most importantly, they don't fulfill the real need. The corporate landscape is littered with failed ERP-SCM projects. But recently, there have been signs of a change in the way the industry has traditionally approached ERP suites. Companies no longer have the IT budgets to support large implementations of complicated licensed solutions, nor the consulting engagements required to make all the pieces work, or the maintenance fees that accompany it. Taking these significant changes into account, I believe it's time to finally point out the elephant in the room: ERP suites are too complicated, too expensive and most importantly, they don't fulfill the real need. One CIO I was talking to said it best...he is having "suite fatigue." Read more … IndustryWeek Jan 22,2010 ARTICLE 2
Supply Chain Graphic of the Week –ERP versus Best-of-Breed Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) The situation is then further complicated by more hybrid situations, such as when an ERP vendor such as Infor acquires several Best-of-Breed WMS system vendors itself. Both sides, of course, claim the advantage, and for now SCDigest believes we are seeing a somewhat stable market situation, with the shares of new WMS deals for each side remaining about the same over the past two years. So, what are the claimed advantages of each side? The graphic below was taken from the most recent edition of The SCDigest Letter, our monthly hardcopy newsletter focused on a single topic each month (click here to subscribe). The most recent issue focused on Warehouse Management Systems - a pdf version of this issue is available at our related WMS Resource page, where you will also find other WMS articles, expert columns, tools, vendor information, and more.  ARTICLE 3
Supply Chain Technology:ERP versus Best-of-Breed Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Is the Vision of a Single ERP Simply Beyond Realistic Expectations Complexity is a Killer, MIT Researcher Says; the Goal: Plug and Play Component SCDigest Says: A company software portfolio founded on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles could provide more flexibility and less cost and risk. In the never ending debate about ERP versus best-of-breed solutions, and the value of enterprise software generally, a recent article in MIT’s Sloan Management Review casts more doubt about the idea of a single enterprise system to manage the supply chain. The problem is complexity. The greater the scope of a single dominant system, the greater the complexity of stitching the entire system together across multiple processes. “These massive [ERP] programs, with millions of lines of code, thousands of installation options and countless interrelated pieces, introduced new levels of complexity, often without eliminating the older systems (known as “legacy” systems) they were designed to replace,” says Cynthia Rettig, in the Sloan Review. “In addition, concurrent technological and business changes made closed ERP systems organized around products less than a perfect solution: Just as companies were undertaking multi-year ERP implementations, the Internet was evolving into a major new force, changing the way companies transacted business with their customers, suppliers and partners.” Notes the Wall Street Journal’s Ben Worthen, “ERP systems are supposed to simplify business by giving companies systems with which store and track all their information– everything from employee records to customer orders to product inventory. Yet according to one study cited in the article, 75% of ERP projects are failures — they either never worked, didn’t work as intended, or were so unhelpful that different business units went out and bought their own alternative systems." ARTICLE 4
Revisiting the “Best-of-Breed vs. ERP” Debate in WMSPosted on Mar 04 2009 | By Steve Banker I hate multi-tasking. Give me one task at a time, and sufficient time to accomplish it, and I’m fairly happy. But that rarely happens. Even so, my work life has to be easier than a warehouse manager’s. Their main job, of course, is to make sure that customer orders are fulfilled accurately and on-time every day. This alone is more than a full time job. But consider all the other things they are often called upon to do: hire and layoff employees; create daily work schedules; ensure that workers are properly trained and that safety procedures are enforced; make sure that all equipment is properly maintained; ensure that the facility is in compliance with all regulatory and environmental regulations; and, if it is near the end of the fiscal year, work on next year’s budget. I firmly believe all distribution centers should use Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). But many warehouse managers accomplish the tasks I described above with a combination of word processing, spreadsheets, calculators, a calendar, and a filing cabinet. And in many cases, this approach is good enough. In contrast, large companies tend to have Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions that include Human Capital Management (HCM), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), and budgeting applications that could be used to standardize and automate these tasks. But should these applications be used? Do they fit the needs of the warehouse? Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. Read more … http://logisticsviewpoints.com/2009/03/04/revisiting-the-best-of-breed-vs-erp-debate-in-wms/ ARTICLE 5
Knowledge is critical to achieving the best resultsERP vs Best of Breed Before deciding whether an ERP system or a Best-of-Breed is better for your organization, many factors should be taken into consideration. Hear from the industry’s consulting community about how to determine the path that is right for you. Click for a video that reviews your options … http://www.redprairie.com/Resources.aspx?contentid=2f77ee4b-d7f2-42ed-9a44cd300d11c7d0&lid=1 |
||||
 |
click 