Gilberts Airs Make-to-Order Production Benefits with Infor

Air distribution product manufacturer, Gilberts (Blackpool) Ltd. recently adopted Infor’s Configure Price Quote (CPQ) in an effort to help boost capacity, enhance production and improve customer service. With Infor CloudSuite Industrial integrated in Infor CPQ, Gilberts will use the application to reduce inventory and employee training, and obtain the ability to more efficiently process orders regardless of whether they are make-to-stock or make-to-order. the manufacturer is already reaping benefits with a 50% line entry improvement on quotations and orders placed. Ian Rogers, Sales Director, Gilberts (Blackpool), comments, “As the business has grown, the quotation and subsequent order processing, particularly for more bespoke products, has become time intensive and resource hungry which were at odds with our focus on Kanban, efficiency and service.”

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New technology to help seniors live longer at home

Thanks to a $260,000 Government investment, high-tech movement monitoring promises to help seniors in Australia live safely and longer in the comfort of their own homes. This investment funds a trial of IT company Ericom’s Monitor Data Response Solution (MDRS) system, which allows early detection and intervention for older people living at home, should safety issues arise. “This is Australian innovation at its best, enabling remote monitoring and tracking of an aged care recipient’s daily routine, to help prevent misadventure or the possible deterioration in their wellbeing,” says Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt. The trial will be evaluated by the University of Wollongong, with the final evaluation report to be publicly available to share the potential benefits of this technology across the elder-care hospitality sector.

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Google vows not to sell its facial recognition technology for now

As powerful as facial recognition is, tech giant Google will hold off on selling any more products with said feature until it can come up with policies that prevent abuse of the controversial technology. Google is working with other parties to to ensure proper actions are taken. “Like many technologies with multiple uses, facial recognition merits careful consideration to ensure its use is aligned with our principles and values, and avoids abuse and harmful outcomes,” says senior vice president of global affairs, Kent Walker. Google’s decision to hold off on commercializing this technology follows blow back at other tech brands wanting to use this service. Facial recognition can be used for simple applications like unlocking your phone, but also has huge potential with situations such as missing persons cases. Still, Google wants to better understand the technology before offering it to other organizations.

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The profound impact of technology on today’s workplace

We’ve been living in the digital age for quite some time now so we cannot deny that the workplace has dramatically evolved. The presence of technology has made racial changes in workplace dynamics – from the way we communicate to the automation of certain processes. Robert Half Technology suggests that CIOs believe that factors such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and automation are having a profound impact on staffing, as well as on the scope of the roles and skills required for workplace efficiency. Additionally, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are automating manual tasks in operations which require learning and help to eliminate human error. While many may see the role of AI as a threat to human talent, it is not. In fact, AI can automate time-consuming, repetitive tasks like mass data input and retrieval, and minimize errors. This allows employees to utilize their skills in other tasks. Technology not only changed the day-to-day operations in the workplace, but has reshaped the skills required for the workforce to succeed in certain areas of business. Notably, understanding of the use of such technologies is the most important skillset. But this doesn’t mean that “soft skills” are irrelevant. Consequently, soft skills are more important than ever. According to research done by Matt Weston, MD and Robert Half UK, a significant proportion of CIOs cited strategic planning (50%), problem-solving (40%) and interpersonal and communication skills (35%) as crucial for success. Technology will keep influencing businesses and continue to shape the workplace, But human intelligence will remain a very desirable skill for successful organizational management.

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5 Trends Impacting ERP and GRC in 2019

Enterprise software leaves little room for innovation and growth outside of implementing growing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) or the internet of things (IoT). Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are a prime example of this, with few new players in the last decade. Traditional vendors have either converted their on-premises offering to cloud versions or created new cloud products. After about a decade of using cloud solutions, many ERP buyers are realizing that this delivery model carries significant challenges. Companies are facing significant risks related to security, fraud. And since most business software products cannot help companies address these issues, businesses will rely more on governance, risk and compliance (GRC) software and services. Automation is supposed to create new jobs and new types of software, but companies will start to reallocate their IT budgets from traditional spending (on software and hardware) to new technologies such as AI, RPA, IoT, or blockchain. Here are 5 ERP trends to watch out for in 2019.

  1. 75% of ERP buyers will prioritize functionality over ease of use or pricing
  2. 30% of new ERP implementations will be a two-tier model
  3. One in four SMBs will replace or consider replacing their cloud accounting software
  4. Enterprise compliance and GRC adoption will increase by 25–30%
  5. By 2025, one in three medium and large companies will reduce their software budgets by 25% to focus on automation

Since ERP software covers different aspects of a business across many industries and business models, they must adjust to changes and strategies as fast as customers and technology standards change in order to stay relevant.

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5 Steps To Designing A Successful Omni-channel Strategy

In today’s fast paced, technology driven world, connecting with customers is key. With the rise of digitization, customers expect quick, personalized services tailored to their exact needs. In order to acquire new customers and make sales, retailers much understand that the customer is in control, which is why the most successful retailers will offer their customers more flexible and personalized shopping options. Most retailers are familiar with BOPIS, or “Buy Online Pickup In Store”. However, BOPIS only represents one possible avenue. It is important for companies to understand the journey of their customers, and prioritize investments for greater return. This will increase overall customer satisfaction, and omni-channel shoppers have a greater chance at being repeat customers to those businesses as opposed to those that use only one channel. Below are five steps to help design the most effective omni-channel strategy:

  1. Really get to know the customer
  2. Plan your Omni-Channel Paths to Purchase
  3. Ensure Inventory Visibility
  4. Assess softwarte capabilities
  5. Execute Faster by planning better

Customer expectations constantly change technology faster than ever before. Retailers need to catch up with these changes by creating a holistic omni-channel strategy to meet the ever-growing customer standards.

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Infor Acquires Alfa-Beta Solutions

Infor today acquired Alfa-Beta Solutions, a Dutch system integrator. A Gold Infor Channel Partner, Alfa-Beta Solutions specializes on mid-market and large enterprises in the food & beverage (F&B) industry across Benelux and Germany. This acquisition expands Infor’s capabilities to support the company’s growing F&B European customer base. The demand for Infor’s CloudSuite product has been strong ever since European businesses have embraces the power of cloud technology. Alfa-Beta Solutions is a leading consulting firm specializing in Infor M3 and BI with approximately 70 employees based at its Dutch headquarters or its German location in Darmstadt. Their customers include Royal A-Ware, Cono Kaasmakers, HZPC, Colbrand, Riedel, Huuskes, Roerink Food Family, Fransen Gerrits, Coroos Conserven and Jermi. Infor CEO Charles Phillips says of the acquisition, “Alfa-Beta Solutions will bring a talented and experienced team to meet the growing demand for our products, and help new customers quickly realize their value.”

 

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PPHE Books In for Better Business with Infor

Infor just announced their collaboration with international hospitality group PPHE Hotel  Group, operator of the Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, art’otel, Arena Hotels & Apartments and Arena Campsites brands. The Hotel Group has selected Infor SunSystems as part of an international expansion program and will use the application to help standardize reporting across each of the group’s properties across Europe.  With a strong reputation within the hospitality sector, Infor SunSystems was chosen on the basis of a successful deployment within nine managed UK Park Plaza properties and two regional offices. It’s flexibility and capabilities of supporting international report frameworks were also crucial factors to the decision. “One of the biggest benefits of standardization has been to create a consistent level of detail across all areas of our business,” said Amit Arora, business control manager at PPHE. “We are very confident in the quality of our data and where and when we capture it. We can feed this data into our BI to help make better decisions and change how we do things throughout our properties and management companies. The bedrock of these decisions is consistent, high data quality and deep visibility into our operations.”

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BlackBerry becomes a HIMSS Analytics certified consultant on infrastructure

The once widely popular smart business phone maker is still around, and will become a valuable asset to hospital infrastructures.  BlackBerry has signed on as a HIMSS Analytics Certified Consultant and will help direct healthcare organizations through the HIMSS Infrastructure Adoption Model (INFRAM). INFRAM is an eight-stage model (0 – 7) that allows healthcare IT leaders to map the technology infrastructure capabilities needed to reach their organization’s clinical and operational goals, while also meeting benchmarks and industry standards. Sara Jost, global healthcare industry lead at BlackBerry, says that “BlackBerry will assess vulnerabilities in a hospital’s infrastructure, devices, and configurations, using a wide range of penetration testing, social engineering techniques, and physical security assessments.” Even though Blackberry has been less relevent in the mobile phone market, the company’s cyber security is still very strong and in demand. HIMSS Analytics Executive Vice President Blain Newton says, “With BlackBerry’s deep cybersecurity expertise and footprint in highly regulated industries we’re confident that having BlackBerry at the table will ensure the INFRAM is the gold standard for running a scalable and secure organization.”

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Catering to Millennials by Improving Those Outdated CRM Models

Millennials have good judgment when it comes to evaluating emerging technologies. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) across major industries are working to change their ways to reach the millennial generation better as they are the majority consumer market. Millennials grew up in the age of digitization, apps, and a high-speed work style. Balancing this fast paced life with a targeted CRM approach requires appealing to their productivity, convenience, and time-saving necessities.  A key target of improving CRM for millennials is to have a user friendly interface. Travel applications, such as Airbnb, focus on removing much of the tediousness associated with booking hotels, and focused on a simple, straightforward and convenient interface, thus the company being valued at $31 billion thanks to the acceptance of millennials. CRM has become a core component for brand building, and CRM and marketing that has transitioned to platforms primarily dominated by millennials has become greatly in demand. Balancing the pros and cons of catering to a generation of millennials brings many challenges and innovations. Improved CRM and user experiences will assuredly evolve towards more convenience and better customer services, but evaluating the cost of doing so needs to remain relevant.

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