In factories worldwide, enterprise resource planning systems handle record-keeping and provide the big-picture view needed for operation. In fact, modern manufacturing ERP is considered mission-critical across all branches of the supply chain.
However, there’s a critical problem that’s plaguing the industry. Manufacturing ERP systems have become so feature rich, implementations can take years — and still end up failing to deliver frontline productivity, according to Zack Sosebee (pictured), senior vice president of operations at QAD Redzone. Now, QAD Inc. is positioning itself to solve the sector’s speed-to-value problem for good.
QAD Redzone’s Zack Sosebee talks with theCUBE about accelerating manufacturing ERP implementations.
“How do you take the software and enable the human to take advantage of winning the day, to do things differently, to run the factory like it’s their own?” Sosebee said. “How do we give these guys the tools, the energy and the focus to do their jobs differently?”
Sosebee spoke with theCUBE’s Scott Hebner and Paul Gillin, enterprise editor at News, at the QAD Champions of Manufacturing event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, News Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how to cut ERP implementations down to 90 days, specifically by dramatically reducing the number of features and customizations. (* Disclosure below.)
Achieving 90-day manufacturing ERP implementations
Modern manufacturing ERP systems encompass thousands of features, including scheduling, quality management, maintenance, compliance and supplier management. Evaluating these features often extends implementation timelines and distracts managers from frontline productivity, Sosebee explained.
“[For deployments,] step one is to map out all the things we’re not gonna do. By doing that, we focus on things that matter the most; that actually give value to the customers,” said Sosebee. “We’re gonna work with a team of sponsors there that can make those hard decisions and say, yes, it’s okay to make sure we get live in 90 days.”
When it comes to customizations, feature-bloat is also a major delaying factor. That’s why QAD focuses on reducing the number of options and shortening the time to value, Sosebee explained.
“It doesn’t mean we’re getting rid of them totally,” he said. “If you’ve got a thousand customizations, maybe we can get down to like eight or 10, and maybe we can do those after the [initial] implementation.”
Here’s the complete video interview, part of News’s and theCUBE’s coverage of QAD Champions of Manufacturing event:
(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the QAD Champions of Manufacturing event. Neither QAD, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or News.)
Photo: News
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