Visual South Insights

Should you switch from Infor VISUAL to Infor CloudSuite Industrial SyteLine ERP?

The team at Visual South often discusses that question, both internally and with our customers, and the answer varies. The fact is, you need a reason to switch. A real business reason (or reasons). Otherwise, it will be difficult for “to order” manufacturers to justify the ROI to replace a highly functional ERP application like Infor VISUAL.

If VISUAL is working fine for you, there may be no reason to move. If you think you can better utilize VISUAL ERP, our team can help. But if you have maximized VISUAL’s functionality and scalability, it might be worth switching to CloudSuite Industrial SyteLine. But let’s validate that case together.

A little background

I have been in the ERP industry for over 21 years and have worked with companies of all sizes and industries, but primarily have experience with small to medium-sized manufacturing businesses. I am currently in a sales role, so I frequently talk with companies that are interested in one of our Infor ERP products. One of the questions I always ask is “What are you using today?” A lot of times the answer to my question is QuickBooks.

Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP Pricing – How It Works

Whether you are working with an Infor Channel Partner or Infor Direct, you’re using the same pricing data. There are no dealer markups or first-line support charges like those that value-added resellers (VARs) typically pass on to their customers.

The latest and greatest for VISUAL

Infor VISUAL 10 was released in December 2020, and quite a few features were added. There are many resources that go into great detail about the new functionality, including release notes, but here are the highlights we think are most important to know. If you want more details, go to the Visual South VISUAL upgrade page here.

What’s in a name?

Infor SyteLine has been around for over 30 years and has operated under a few different names and brands during that time. The product has been called Symix, Frontstep, and SyteLine. Most recently, Infor rebranded to CloudSuite Industrial, but the SyteLine name really never went away, so you will hear these terms used interchangeably among people who work with the product.

Project-based manufacturers have specific needs

Overwhelmingly, project-based manufacturers have a requirement for a physical project plan to execute against, where costs can be captured at many levels. That is why Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP provides a good solution for traditional build/engineer/configure-to-order manufacturers who need to manage a more complex series of events to manufacture finished goods.

Infor continues to rapidly develop CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP

The development team for Infor’s CloudSuite Industrial ERP continues to follow the well-planned product roadmap, and is executing the plan efficiently. The roadmap enriches and extends the highly ranked and widely accepted application, which now has well over 5,000 manufacturing sites running it worldwide.

In this article, we’ll highlight our favorite features that have been released since the CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine 10 core application debuted in 2018.

Some background before we begin

I speak with lots of companies and many of those conversations revolve around ERP software evaluations. Recently, I’ve had quite a few conversations with companies that are running Sage 500, or any of the other Sage products. They ask me whether the rumors about a Sage 500 end of life are true and if so, what the future holds for their ERP system. To be clear, I represent Infor ERP and that is where my expertise lies. I am not an expert in any competitive solutions, but my views are shaped by what I hear from the people I talk with. In this article, I’ll give a quick rundown of what I think you should expect with your Sage 500 ERP.

Medical device manufacturing ERP requirements

Medical device manufacturers need specific functionality in their ERP system. The functionality requirements fall into three main categories: in-depth abilities to handle cradle-to-grave lot and serial traceability; integrated quality control; and extensive abilities to meet demand requirements and schedule the associated work orders to build-to-stock, build sub-assemblies, and produce finished goods.

The ERP search begins

When a company decides to start an ERP search, the people involved can articulate why they are looking for ERP because it’s their reality. But finding the right solution is more difficult because looking for a new ERP system isn’t something they do every day. In many cases, people involved in the search have never looked for a new ERP system. In other words, it’s a lot easier to identify why you need an ERP rather than what ERP you need.