MISys at Sage HQ in Vancouver BC

The MISys guys are visiting with our compatriots at Sage headquarters in Richmond, BC, a suburb of Vancouver. The MISys Manufacturing software integrates seamlessly with two separate Sage products (Sage ERP Accpac and Sage Simply Accounting). The managers of these two products occupy an office building here, so visiting everyone while we were in town for the annual TPAC Conference was a no-brainer.

Our first trip to Vancouver took place way back in 1986 when we first contacted Basic Software Group about integrating with an accounting package that is now Accpac. Simply came along much more recently when smaller manufacturing companies across Canada started contacting us about a right-sized solution for them. Simply enjoys a huge presence in Canada and a great many of their customers are manufacturing companies. Even though their accounting needs are modest (relative to Accpac and other mid-range products) Simply users have the same needs when it comes to advanced production, purchasing, master production scheduling, material requirements planning, and serial/lot tracking. So MISys provides an excellent solution for Simply accounting users. More information about the MISys manufacturing solution for Simply accounting can be found at www.misysinc.com/simply/index.php.

Welcome to TPAC in Vancouver BC.

I’m here in Vancouver BC with a couple of other MISys guys attending the annual TPAC (Third Party Access Conference) which, as its name implies, spotlights third-party application software designed to work with Sage ERP Accpac. Each year, software developers and Accpac business partners converge here for several days of sharing information related to extending Accpac into markets beyond core accounting.

Although MISys will be attending and promoting our manufacturing solution for a range of Sage accounting products (notably Peachtree accounting, Simply accounting, and Accpac) at the annual Sage Insights Conference scheduled for the Washington DC area on July 10-15, 2011, this TPAC conference affords us the ability to be in closer contact with the Accpac partners with whom we work all year.

Last summer, Sage announced its intention to reposition Accpac as a more horizontally oriented accounting system, while focusing on the newly-acquired Sage ERP X3 as the vertical solution of choice. Apparently X3 has a strong manufacturing component, but the fact remains that across most of the Accpac consulting world, “manufacturing” and “accpac” are spelled “MISys.” We’ve worked hard over the past 25 years to create and maintain this close relationship with Sage and Accpac partners and to be regarded as the manufacturing system of choice for Sage Accpac ERP (now Sage ERP Accpac).

Even though Sage’s reorganization has removed MISys from their corporate pricelist, sales of our Accpac-based manufacturing solution have actually spiked in recent months. There seems to be an enthusiastic group of Accpac consultants and VARs who understand and value MISys Manufacturing as the solution of choice for manufacturing companies seeking an integrated business management system. Today MISys enjoys its position as a Gold-level Development Partner.

Last week MISys completed a 4-part webinar series that explore the various points of integration between MISys Manufacturing and Sage ERP Accpac. If you missed attending these webinars, you will find streaming videos covering the same material on the MISys website at www.misysinc.com/accpac/.

Whether you are an Accpac partner or a manufacturing company looking over Sage Accpac ERP as a possible solution, we hope you’ll take advantage of this valuable resource.

Again, go to www.misysinc.com/accpac/ for complete information about the Accpac manufacturing solution.

Always and Never

These are terms that are used infrequently in Customer Service. This is an area where each situation is unique. Making hard and fast rules is nearly impossible when circumstances can vary widely. The manufacturing software that MISys develops is a reliable, consistent product and everyone gets the same version. However, how it’s used in the end user’s installation is singular to each company.

This reality presents opportunities for creativity and critical thinking that severely limit our ability to make “always-” and “never-” type policies. Though these would be convenient, they would not likely meet the need. If canned statements would address the questions and concerns that arise, we wouldn’t need the staff of professionals that we currently employ. We know that “canned” is not in the best interest of our customers.

This approach seems to resonate with our clientele. We get continual acknowledgement of our efforts in helping customers maximize the return on their MISys investment.

Visit us online at www.misysinc.com

Productivity Gains in US Manufacturing

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics published its findings regarding productivity trends in the US for the fourth quarter of 2010. The most encouraging part is the 4.2% increase in productivity for the manufacturing sector. According to many experts, productivity improvements are key to the long term success of the US Economy, which makes sense. This bodes well for the health of manufacturing. Check out the full article at www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/prod2.pdf.

It is true that increases in productivity can be achieved by reducing the labor force while maintaining the same output, and this did happen often in the 10 years since 2000. So productivity alone is not the best measure of health in a sector. You also have to look at the value and volume of outputs and the number of people employed. McKinsey, the global consulting behemoth, has issued a report that records that in the US there have been steady gains in productivity AND employment for every 10 year rolling period since 1929 (except one).

McKinsey concluded that there is a significant amount of room for an acceleration of productivity in US industry right now from two basic sources: adopting best practices within an industry (lean principles, etc...) and business and technology innovations. www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/growth_and_renewal_in_the_us/index.asp.

That is encouraging, particularly when a company like MISys plays in the space of helping manufacturers become more efficient.



W

Imitation the Sincerest Form of Flattery

We recently visited one of our competitor's web-site and found substantial differences in their look and feel since we had last visited -- all changes that served to mimic the MISys look and feel, even down to the use of a very familiar gear-like logo we've all come to know and love. Terms had been changed to sound more like MISys as well. What remains missing are such staples of manufacturing as WIP, Master Production Schedule-based MRP, Shop Floor Control and much much much more. If you really want a MISys "lite" we recommend the real thing -- MISys Basic Mfg with Purchasing -- you'd still get WIP, and you can add Shop Floor and MRP when the time is right!

Made in America?

Please support American manufacturers.
According to Moody's Analytics, if every American spent an extra 1 cent per day on US-manufactured goods (18 cents a day) that would allow for the creation of 200,000 new jobs.

What is an ERP system?

Since Sage started branding their mid-market accounting software as an ERP system some years back, Accpac business partners have been asking me these questions:

Is an MRP system a kind of ERP system?

Is an ERP system a kind of MRP system?

Is an ERP system an ERP system if it doesn't have an MRP component?

What does an MRP system need to make it an ERP system?

I've often wondered whether there is some universal definition of an ERP system that I would use to bolster my answer to the questions.

According to Wikipedia, "an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an integrated computer-based system used to manage internal and external resources including tangible assets, financial resources, materials, and human resources."

So it sounds like one of the tasks of an ERP system is to manage material assets (possibly manufacturing inventory?). This is what a Material Requirements Planning (MRP) system does, right?

Digging further, I found the following definition in webopedia's glossary:

"Short for enterprise resource planning, a business management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP in business activities such as inventory control, order tracking, customer service, finance and human resources."

This makes it clear that an ERP system binds several business management tasks together, including manufacturing (MRP).

The next time I'm asked "Is an ERP system a kind of MRP system?" I'll know to answer "No, but an MRP system is a component of an ERP system."

I'll have to mull over the answer to the question "Is an ERP system an ERP system if it doesn't have an MRP component?"

Hmmmm.... What do you think?