If you’re unfamiliar with Infor CloudSuite ERP, let espi provide a brief overview of the software’s impressive credentials. In 2022, Gartner recognized Infor as one of the top four leaders in Cloud ERP, placing it alongside industry giants such as Oracle, Microsoft, and SAP. Furthermore, Infor CloudSuite excelled in 3 out of 6 of Gartner’s use case scenarios for critical capabilities, earning the highest scores.
However, that’s just a report. The more important question is: what can Infor ERP do for your business? This blog delves into some details, highlighting why Infor CloudSuite is an exceptional solution for manufacturing companies looking to expand their operations and enhance profitability.
Key Features of Infor CloudSuite
Infor CloudSuite Industrial is a powerful ERP solution designed specifically for manufacturing companies. It streamlines business processes and enhances operational and financial visibility through robust functionality. Some essential core functionality includes:
- Infor Document Management: Infor Document Management is a powerful tool designed to enhance business efficiency by managing and organizing documents effectively. Key features include centralized storage, sharing, document access, improved collaboration, version control, and audit trail capabilities.
- Material Requirements Planning (MRP): The MRP module in Infor CloudSuite ERP streamlines inventory management by optimal levels of raw materials, components, and finished goods. This feature reduces inventory costs and improves cash flow, helping businesses identify potential supply chain disruptions and proactively minimize their impact.
- Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS): Infor CloudSuite ERP’s APS module optimizes production processes by managing resources and reducing lead times. It allows businesses to create detailed production schedules considering resource availability, capacity constraints, and customer demand. This results in improved customer service and asset utilization while minimizing operating costs.
- Service: Infor CloudSuite ERP’s Service module enables businesses to provide exceptional customer support by streamlining service processes and improving communication. The module offers tools for managing service contracts, tracking service requests, and monitoring technician performance. As a result, businesses can improve customer satisfaction and build long-lasting relationships.
- Project Management: The Project Management module in Infor CloudSuite ERP streamlines processes and ensures project success by offering tools for planning, scheduling, and tracking progress. This module promotes collaboration among team members, simplifying information sharing and task coordination.
- Quality: The Quality module in Infor CloudSuite ERP helps businesses maintain high-quality standards throughout their operations. With tools for managing quality control processes, tracking non-conformances, and conducting audits, businesses can ensure that their products meet customer expectations and comply with industry regulations.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Infor CloudSuite ERP’s CRM module strengthens customer relationships by providing a comprehensive view of customer data, tracking interactions, and identifying trends. This feature enables businesses to make informed decisions, improve customer satisfaction, increase sales, and enhance customer loyalty.
- Factory Track – Shop Floor Module: Infor CloudSuite ERP’s Factory Track Shop Floor module provides businesses with real-time visibility into their shop floor operations. The module offers tools for tracking work orders, monitoring machine performance, and managing labor resources. As a result, businesses can use the Factory Track Shop Floor module to identify bottlenecks, improve productivity, and reduce manufacturing costs.
- Factory Track – Warehouse Mobility: The Warehouse Mobility module helps businesses streamline their warehouse operations by providing real-time access to inventory data and improving communication among warehouse staff. With tools for managing inventory, tracking shipments, and optimizing warehouse layout, businesses can reduce errors, increase efficiency, and improve customer service.
As an Infor Channel Partner, espi is well-equipped to help you implement this robust ERP system and achieve a high return on investment (ROI).
Industry-Specific ERP Solutions
What sets Infor CloudSuite apart from other ERP solutions is its industry-specific functionality built into the system rather than being added as an afterthought. This approach allows manufacturers to rely on Infor’s comprehensive ERP to address all their manufacturing vertical needs, including industrial products, machinery, aerospace, chemicals, food, and oil and gas, without requiring extensive integration or customization.
The ERP system natively supports all manufacturing types, such as lean, discrete, repetitive, and process manufacturing. Additionally, it offers standard functionality for configure-to-order, engineer-to-order, make-to-stock, assemble-to-order, and make-to-order fulfillment approaches. Moreover, Infor’s ERP delivers regular updates, ensuring manufacturers can access the latest enterprise features, as each industry has unique requirements.
Another distinct advantage of Infor’s Cloud ERP system is its understanding of compliance regulations and requirements for each industry. Infor provides periodic updates to facilitate regulatory compliance.
The result is a one-of-a-kind ERP solution featuring a streamlined user experience and network analytics powered by artificial intelligence (AI), allowing users to access the system, perform analytics, and connect data between departments wherever they have an internet connection.
Extensibility and Insight
Infor CloudSuite offers a comprehensive range of integrations with leading, first-party tools and software, ensuring a seamless and adaptable experience for your company’s growth and expansion. These integrations include:
- Intelligent Open Network (ION): A middleware framework that simplifies the integration of Infor and third-party enterprise systems, eliminating information silos. This cloud platform provides flexibility for complex enterprise systems and ensures long-term sustainability. ION allows applications to be upgraded or replaced without affecting the entire network, streamlines business processes and enables real-time information access. It also supports mobile monitoring of critical business issues and enhances overall business network efficiency.
- Configure Price Quote (CPQ): A software solution designed for manufacturers to improve the visual buying experience for inside sales, distributors, and customers. It provides an accurate, fast, and visually interactive experience for product selection, quoting, and ordering. Infor CPQ helps businesses grow opportunities, generate more quotes, improve win rates, and accelerate new product introduction by adapting quickly to market demands.
- Infor Birst®: An enterprise analytics platform offering business intelligence and analytics solutions for various industries. It provides industry-specific content and metrics and combines centralized and decentralized models for agile end-user self-service. Birst supports all skill levels, including visual data discovery, interactive dashboards, enterprise reporting, and self-service data preparation. In addition, its native cloud architecture ensures low cost, rapid deployment, and seamless integration.
- Infor Coleman® AI: An enterprise-grade AI platform for businesses to achieve rapid results from their data. Infor OS and Coleman AI offer a machine learning platform for building, deploying, and managing models at scale. With prebuilt templates, automated process triggers, predictive analytics, and customer insights, Infor’s AI solutions maximize asset life and improve sales and satisfaction.
Leverage these powerful integrations to deliver an adaptable, extendable, and unique experience tailored to your company’s needs and objectives.
How Infor CloudSuite Helps You Grow Your Business
Every situation is unique and that is why Infor CloudSuite offers you the select option that is best suited for your business. You can implement Infor CloudSuite on your on-premise hardware or in a private cloud or you can opt to take full advantage of a multi-tenant cloud experience. In all these situations you have the same functionality to achieve your business objectives. Over the years companies have implemented On-premises ERP systems and that may be the best situation for a particular business. The cloud architecture has evolved over the years and provides a highly reliable and robust environment to scale up your business. A cloud ERP solution like Infor CloudSuite can support business objectives in the following ways:
- The system is never outdated: Unlike other ERP solutions, you don’t have to purchase, manage, update, and maintain servers with Infor CloudSuite. Instead, the provider ensures the system is up-to-date and keeps the data safe and out of site.
- Adaptable and scalable system: Cloud systems have a proven track record of adaptability and scalability always ready to meet the highest service level. Adding modules on a familiar platform is much easier than buying a new ERP. Upgrading a module is as simple as making a call, and the functionality is available in a matter of hours, allowing you to scale faster and more efficiently.
- Mobile, AI, and IoT capabilities: You can stream real-time data from a centralized database. You can use mobile computing, machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to access data wherever you are and break from the constraints of on-site limitations and bottlenecks.
- Maintain a global presence: Infor CloudSuite has the capabilities to get the business up and running in no time in a new jurisdiction as it has support for several languages, helps with local law and tax code compliance, and provides updates on local laws and regulations.
- Integration: Although Infor CloudSuite is a comprehensive system, every company has unique needs and specific platforms that need to be integrated. Infor allows for robust integration with 3rd party tools to support your company’s IT strategy.
Choosing an ERP system is a crucial step in your organization’s transformational journey. Our experienced team of consultants has assisted numerous manufacturers in various industries in selecting and implementing ERP systems into their daily operations. What sets espi apart is our deep understanding of the manufacturing domain.
Additionally, as a process-centric company, we strongly emphasize project and change management. These projects involve significant transitions, and we can minimize their high-risk nature through our expertise and meticulously developed accelerators. As a result, our clients have been able to derive the targeted value from their ERP transformation projects.
Can My Small or Midsize Business Use Infor CloudSuite ERP
Infor CloudSuite is the right solution for small and medium manufacturing businesses due to its affordability, flexibility, performance enhancement, and improved adoption rates. Contact espi to discuss how Infor CloudSuite ERP can transform your manufacturing operations.
Selecting the Right Channel Partner
While buying from the vendor seems natural, purchasing Infor CloudSuite ERP from a channel partner gives you the best of both worlds. First, Infor Channel Partners like espi, leverage our real-world industry expertise to develop best practice approaches through humble leadership strategies. This approach allows you and your team to create an environment for innovation and continuous improvement. Going live is a stop on the journey. Choosing espi means that you will have a blue-collar consulting partner that will continue to work with you a shoulder to shoulder, helping you propel the business by bringing together the people-process and technology.
Contact us today to learn how we can partner to begin your digital transformational journey.
