Manufacturing SystemsWe have provided analysis and product
information on systems that are targeted to organizations seeking a manufacturing
solution that could include work orders, MRP, production scheduling and shop floor
control. In order to make sense of the many systems, it is useful
to allocate each system to a tier, as shown in the chart below. There is usually
something wrong if you are considering products that are more than one tier from
each other. We have used customer revenues in the chart below to assist in identifying
which tier would make sense based on company size. Revenue is just one indicator
of company size and the need to spend more dollars. Other factors include complexity
of business process, volume of data, and company vision. We have also used the
license fees of the products and ratio of implementation to license fees as criteria
to allocate products to tiers. The implementation fees are naturally higher for
the higher end systems because they have more complexity.
| |
Tier 1 | Tier
2 | Tier
3 | Tier
4 | Tier
5 | | Customer
Revenues | > $200M |
$50M-$199M | $10M-$49M | $5M-$9M | <
$5M | | Customer employees
| >500 | 100-499 | 50-99 | 10-49 | 1-9 |
| License Fees | >
$300K | > $150K | >
$50K | > $5K | >
$100 | | Implementation
Fees : License Fees | > 2:1 | >1.5:1 | >1.25:1 | >1.25:1 | <1.25:1 |
| In the following charts, we have segregated the
financial systems by tier and have provided links to: - the vendor's
web site in the system column
- case studies that we may have conducted
-
results from our survey of the system including information on costs, applications,
target market, install base, technology, unique features, and more than 100 specific
questions on product functionality.
- differentiators of the system - many
systems do the basics well and it's hard to tell them apart if just looking at
the basics. We have provided our assessment of their differences.
| | | System | Brief
Description | Case Study | Survey | Key
Diff's | Review |
| Glovia | Glovia's
features include 1) Ability to support multiple manufacturing modes simultaneously;
2) Control and track an item from design through manufacturing to maintenance;
3) Allow multiple companies to operate in own currency in single installation;
4) Full support for project based manufacturing and after service
| | 2005 | | |
| Microsoft
Business Solutions - Axapta | Axapta was purchased by Navision
before Navision was purchased by Microsoft. Axapta is the high end product from
Microsoft Business Solutions. It's the only one that is web-based and has features
that allows it to compete with Tier One products. | | 2006 | Yes | |
| mySAP
ERP | SAP is the largest ERP vendor and the
third-largest independent software company in the world. The company employs more
than 28,909 people in more than 50 countries. There are more than 44,500 SAP installations
in more than 17,500 companies in 50 countries. | | 2004 | | |
| Oracle
E-Business Suite | Oracle is the world’s largest enterprise
software company when you consider ERP applications software, collaborative software,
and development tools. If just including ERP, Oracle would be #3. Oracle has over
13,000 ERP customers with revenues of about $13 Billion. | | 2005 | | |
| PeopleSoft | PeopleSoft
became the second largest provider of ERP software in the world by completing
its acquisition of J.D. Edwards in 2003, with $2.8 billion in annual revenues,
12,000 employees, and more than 11,000 customers in 150 countries. | | 2005 | | |
| | | System | Brief
Description | Case Study | Survey | Key
Diff's | Review |
| e by Epicor | With
over 15,000 customers, and $155 Million in revenues, Epicor offers an integrated
solution including Customer Relationship Management, Financials, Manufacturing,
Supply Chain Management, Professional Services Automation and Collaborative Commerce. | Yes | 2006 | Yes | |
| ERP
for iSeries by Mapics | MAPICS offers a proven enterprise
software solution, optimized on and provided specifically for the IBM iSeries
platform. | | 2004 | | |
| JD
Edwards | JD Edwards was purchased by PeopleSoft in August
2003. It's now called EnterpriseOne and World. Before the purchase, JD Edwards
had about 6,500 customers. | | 2005 | | |
| Lawson | | | | | |
| MFG/PRO
by QAD | QAD has more than 5,200 sites worldwide in 80 countries,
over 1,200 employees and revenues of about $230 Million. QAD focuses on the automotive,
consumer products, electronics, food and beverage, industrial products and medical
industries. | Yes | 2004 | | |
| Microsoft
Business Solutions - Great Plains Professional Edition | Great
Plains was the 1st major Microsoft accounting software acquisition and it's the
one that seems to be getting the most attention from Microsoft R&D. For example,
Great Plains was the first of the accounting systems to be integrated with Microsoft
CRM. Great Plains should be considered if you're a mid market company with "out-of-the-box"
functionality. It's particularly strong in financials and is even more so with
the addition of Analytical Accounting in Version 8.0. Great Plains has more than
120,000 customers. | Yes | 2006 | Yes | |
| Microsoft
Business Solutions - Navision Professional Edition | It
was said that Navision was purchased by Microsoft in 2002 partly to obtain access
to markets outside of North America - primarily Europe. But Navision has won many
fans in Canada and the US because of its speed, reliability and flexibility especially
with customization. Navision has more than 40,000 customers. | Yes | 2006 | Yes | |
| Movex
by Intentia | With revenues of about $480 Million, Movex
has about 3,000 employees, 3,400 customers in the manufacturing, maintenance and
distribution industries via a global network spanning some 40 countries. Movex
specializes in the food and beverage, and fashion industries | | 2005 | | |
| mySAP
All-in-One | MySAP All-in-One is targeted at companies
with revenue of $100 million to $250 million. It's the mySAP Business Suite scaled
down and preconfigured for specific industries. | | 2006 | | |
| Ross | Ross
was designed specifically for the needs of manufacturers that make and package
their products through recipe- and formula-based processes. Specifically, they
focus on the food and beverage; life sciences; chemicals; metals and natural products
industries. | | | | |
| SSA | The
company has boosted its revenues fivefold over the past 2 1/2 years. It is expected
to reach $650 million this year through internal growth and acquisitions and to
crack $1 billion next year, During the same period, its customer base has increased
from 5,000 to 16,000, and the goal is now 20,000 customers. SSA acquisitions include
Baan and Infinium. | | | | |
| | |
System | Brief Description |
Case Study | Survey |
Key Diff's | Review |
| AccountMate
SQL | AccountMate is one of a few products that offer source
code and encourage their client to make changes. AccountMate was purchased by
Softline, which was then purchased by Best. In May 2004, AccountMate was sold
again, but this time to the AccountMate management team. | | 2006 | | |
| Adonix | Adonix
has more than 20 years of mid-market focus and and experiences with nearly 8,000
customers. | | 2005 | | |
| Agilisys | Agilisys
provides solutions for the automotive, food, complex manufacturing, beverage ,
CPG, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. | | | | |
| ASW
by IBS | IBS ASW has provided distribution and
manufacturing solutions for over 25 years to over 5,000 customers in more than
40 countries. | | 2004 | | | | Carillon | | | 2005 | | | | CBS | CSB-System
has more than 470 employees and specializes in food & beverage, chemicals
& paints, pharmaceuticals & cosmetics, and retail & logistics. Features
include, traceability and COOL, Slaughterhouse and yield management, and paperless
HACCP
| | 2005 | | |
| CMS | CMS,
with over 2400 sites worldwide, provides ERP solutions to manufacturers operating
in supply-chain-intensive manufacturing environments | | | | |
| Compiere
ERP/CRM | Compiere is an Open Source ERP software application,
which provides a solution for small-to-medium sized enterprises (SME) in distribution
and service on a global basis and covers all areas from customer management and
supply chain to accounting. Compiere is Open Source software and by definition
is free. Training, support and documentation are available as extras if you ever
need them. | | 2005 | | |
| ERPDBO | | | 2004 | | |
| Exact
Macola ERP | Exact has approximately 180,000 clients worldwide
for all its products and with about 18,000 Macola worldwide. Macola includes accounting,
distribution and manufacturing as well as workflow, document management, human
resources management, customer relationship management and project management.
| Yes | 2006 | | |
| Frontier
by Friedman Corporation | Friedman Corporation develops
enterprise computing solutions for the discrete To-Order Manufacturer. One of
Friedman's strengths is their integrated configurator. | | 2004 | | |
| Integra
| JBM Logic, with headquarters in Montreal, developed INTEGRA
e-Business – an integrated business management software to fulfill the needs of
multiple business segments running on the Oracle database | | | | |
| Intuitive
ERP | Highly rated manufacturing system and product architecture
is 100% based on Microsoft .NET platform. | | 2004 | | | | IFS | IFS,
the global enterprise applications company, has 79 Offices and is represented
in 48 countries with over 2,600 employees worldwide. IFS has more than 500,000
users across seven key vertical industries: aerospace and defense, automotive,
high-tech, industrial manufacturing, process industries, construction and facilities
management, and utilities and telecommunications. IFS' component-based enterprise
software suite, IFS Applications, is available in 54 countries, in 20 languages. | | | | |
| Lilly
Software | Purchased by Infor | | | | |
| Made2Manage | Made2Manage
works with discrete manufacturers and distributors servicing a variety of industries,
including fabricated metals, industrial and commercial machinery, electronics,
and rubber and plastics products. Made2Manage has about 1,600 customers. Made2Manage
was purchased by Battery Ventures for about $30 Million US in August 2003 | | 2006 | | |
| MAPICS
SyteLine | MAPICS has 10,0000 customers for all products
and about 5,000 for Syteline. Annual revenue is about $160 million. SyteLine is
built using Microsoft's .NET technology. SyteLine has advanced manufacturing features
including its own configurator and APS planning engine. | | 2004 | | |
| MAS
200 | Best, developers of MAS 90 and MAS 200, is owned by
The Sage Group, which is, according to Best, the #1 PC-based vendor of accounting
and business solutions in the world with worldwide revenues of $815 Million US,
profit of $212 Million US in 2002 and 3.1 million installations. Best is also
reportedly #1 in the US, UK, France and Germany. MAS 200 has 26 modules covering
Financials, Distribution, EBusiness, light manufacturing, CRM, payroll and HR
solutions. MAS 200 is a client-server technology and is recommended over MAS 90
once you exceed 15 concurrent users. | Yes | 2006 | Yes | |
| MAS
500 | MAS 500 is the most powerful member of the Best Software
family of business management applications. This SQL Server based software system
includes customer relationship management (CRM), project accounting, distribution
and wholesale distribution, discrete manufacturing, inventory management, warehouse
management, and human resources. | Yes | 2006 | Yes | |
| Momentis
Fashion System | Momentis provides software solutions to
self-sourcing retailers and manufacturers in the soft and hard goods industries. | | | | |
| OpenMFG | OpenMFG
is tailored to the needs and budgets of small entrepreneurial manufacturing companies.
OpenMFG is built with open-source tools such as the "Qt" toolkit for
C++, the PostgreSQL database, and the Linux operating system. | | 2005 | | |
| ROI
Systems | On July 9, 2003 Epicor announced that it has completed
the acquisition of ROI Systems, a privately held competing ERP provider of manufacturing
software solutions for approximately $20.7 million. ROI is now called Manage 2000. | | | | |
| SAP
Business One | From February 2004 from AccountingTechnology
- "When people think of SAP, they often think of high-end software. However, with
SAP’s BusinessOne, designed for small and midsized businesses, the company
is out to change people’s minds"..."BusinessOne was created in 2000, and
acquired from TopManage and renamed BusinessOne in 2002." | | 2006 | Yes | Yes |
| Sentai | Sentai's
TRAX Inventory Management software includes inventory control, distribution, remote
order entry via PDA's, and paperless warehouse. | | | | |
| SYSPRO | Includes
manufacturing, distribution and accounting software, CRM, APS, and SYSPRO e.net
solutions. | Yes | 2006 | | |
| WinMan | The
system supports traditional (push), modern lean (pull), JIT, agile and flow manufacturing
processes | | 2005 | | |
| | | System | Brief
Description | Case Study | Survey | Key
Diff's | Review |
| Abaci ERP
| Features include an intergrated time attendent & shopfloor
data collection system and an undo function for all transactions, orders, and
invoices. | | 2006 | | |
|
Accountmate LAN | AccountMate is one of a few products that
offer source code and encourage their client to make changes. AccountMate was
purchased by Softline, which was then purchased by Best. In May 2004, AccountMate
was sold again, but this time to the AccountMate management team. | | 2006 | | |
| ACCPAC
Pro Series | | | | | |
| Coss
Manufacturing | COSS provides manufacturing software for
small to mid-sized companies and is integrated with ACCPAC. | Yes | 2005 | | | | Foundation | Foundation
includes built-in EDI and uses the
Gordon Graham system of inventory management.
| | 2005 | | |
| Industrios | Funcionality
includes customer and vendor management, order fulfillment, materials planning
and procurement, production control and scheduling, and inventory control. | | 2006 | | |
| MAS
90 and MAS 200 | Best, developers of MAS 90
and MAS 200, is owned by The Sage Group, which is, according to Best, the #1 PC-based
vendor of accounting and business solutions in the world with worldwide revenues
of $815 Million US, profit of $212 Million US in 2002 and 3.1 million installations.
Best is also reportedly #1 in the US, UK, France and Germany. MAS 90 has 26 modules
covering Financials, Distribution, EBusiness, light manufacturing, CRM, payroll
and HR solutions. | Yes | 2006 | Yes | |
| Minotaur | Minotaur
has been providing configured business management and ERP solutions since 1985
and now has about 250 customers. They focus on the food, chemical, metal, plastics,
and mining industries. | | 2006 | | |
| MISys | MISys
has been developing manufacturing software for ACCPAC Advantage Series accounting
since 1983. | | | | |
| Platinum
for Windows | | | | | |
| Seradex | Seradex
offers ERP Software including a Product Configurator that integrates to ACCPAC,
Great Plains, Business Vision, QuickBooks and AutoCAD. | | | | |
| SouthWare | SouthWare
supports Windows NT/2000/98/95, Linux, Unix, AIX and networks such as Novell. | | 2005 | | |
| Traverse | | | | | |
| WinFDS
by Mulvany Attard | Mulvany Attard provides computer software
specifically for the Food Distribution and Processing Industry since 1978. | | 2005 | | |
| | | System | Brief
Description | Case Study | Survey | Key
Diff's | Review |
| Proven
Solutions Accounting | Canam Systems, developers
of Proven Solutions, has offices located in Toronto and Barrie. Canam has developed
solutions for Canadian Health Services, Construction Management, Service & Repair
with Dispatch, Point of Sale, Job Costing, Sports Club Management, MRP Manufacturing
and Waste Management,. | | 2005 | | |
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