STL Partners in Transformation with Infor

Sociedad Textil Lonia (STL) has partnered with Infor Retail CloudSuite and Infor GT Nexus to support its innovation and transformation initiatives. With over 800 stores in over 50 countries, and managing two leading fashion and luxury brands Purificación García and CH Carolina Herrera, STL plans to establish an Innovation Center in Barcelona to focus on customer experience in the European fashion industry. Carlos Fernández-Couto, COO, at STL says of the decision, “Our efforts, supported by Infor, will power growth for years to come, delighting our customers and empowering our employees.” Furthermore, Corey Tollefson, SVP and GM of Infor Retail, comments, “This partnership is based upon relationships, trust, and industry proven solutions such as Demand Management and Infor GT Nexus Supply Chain Network which are key strengths within our Infor Retail CloudSuite.” Infor and STL will also collaborate on the development of new customer-centric capabilities that connect the fashion and retail business process from design and production to distribution and customer management.

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Infor Retail Continues to Lead Retail Renaissance

The new year will see a continued growth in online retail and Infor is ever present in this sector. In the past year, Infor saw a 124 percent growth in cloud transactions, which helped retailers move from their legacy solutions to the modern, cloud-based retail focused solutions to further support and understand their customers. In today’s world, the mobile devices can do anything – stream entertainment, talk to friends and family, and of course, ecommerce. Today’s customer demands personal experiences from browsing to follow up communication about any purchases they make. “The concept of ‘Commerce Everywhere’ has forced retailers to dig deeper into their operations to better understand and reach target customers, partners and employees,” said Corey Tollefson, senior vice president and general manager, Infor Retail. “Infor has made significant investments since its inception to help foster the Golden Age of Retail. In this era, the physical store and its associates will take on a greater role as the store is not only a channel to purchase product but also a node in the network to ship, sell, and return products as well,” adds Erick Rowe, vice president, Infor Retail. Infor’s Retail solutions continue to support fashion, retail and grocery partners on a global scale, and will continue to help those who want to modernize operations and take advantage of the latest consumer and business technologies – mobile, social, science, and cloud.

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Tips for Formatting Excel CSV File from Infor Process Designer

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When using IPDesigner to create a .csv file, we ran into four issues with the file output:

  1. Problem: Certain dates appear as ######## and certain numbers convert to scientific notation.
    Solution: Select entire page (ctrl + a) and click Home tab -> Format -> AutoFit Column Width

  2. Problem: Some numbers remain in scientific notation (ex: 1E+12) even after AutoFit Column Width
    Solution: In the FileAccess node, wrap the SQL query variable with quotation marks and put a “=” before it.
    (For example, <!SQLQuery2650_USER_FIELD1> would become =“<!SQLQuery2650_USER_FIELD1>”)


  3. Problem: Strings with commas get split at the comma in a csv file.
    Example in file: The value “Anchin, Block, & Anchin” is getting split into 3 columns as the flow is interpreting the commas as separators.

    Solution: In the FileAccess node, wrap the SQL query variable with quotation marks to include the commas as part of the string.

  4. Problem: Certain number values lose their zeroes at the front when written to csv format.
    Example in file: The values in column C should be 001, 002, etc. instead of 1,2.

    Solution: In the FileAccess node, wrap the SQL query variable with quotation marks and put a “=” before it.
    (For example, <!SQLQuery2650_USER_FIELD3> would become =“<!SQLQuery2650_USER_FIELD3>”)


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Liberty Speciality Steels Forges Ahead with Infor-First Policy

Infor started off 2019 by becoming a key technology supplier to Liberty Speciality Steels UK. The integrated steel producer will enfore an “Infor-First” policy and deploy the Infor Cloudsuite Industrial Enterprise throughout the organization. Infor was chosen over its competitors because of its commitment to the cloud, a competitive total cost of ownership (TCO) and the fact that Infor would not require investment in infrastructure. Speciality Steels has also invested in Infor CloudSuite HCM (including Infor Global Human Resources, Infor Talent Management, Infor Learning Management, Infor WorkForce Management), Infor Expense Management and Infor Configure Price Quote (CPQ). The applications are structured to help deliver a single ecosystem with end-to-end functionality, minimal customisations and simplified processes, which can help Speciality Steels compete at  global scale.

 

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Methods for staying in contact with past customers

One of the first things you get taught in sales is that it is far more expensive to attract new customers than to keep an existing one. Though it doesn’t mean you should stop from finding new customers. Instead, aim to solidify relationships with existing and former ones and use those methods to attract new ones. The key is to keep in touch. It can be a tricky thing to stay in touch with customers without seeming too pushy, but worth the effort when done right. A good way to manage customer relationships are with customer relationship management (CRM) systems. CRMs not only keep a digital record of interactions and customer information, but they can also forecast solutions for continued and older contacts as well as new tactics to gain more contacts. Below are some methods to consider when keeping in contact with clients:

  • Track interactions
  • Emails/newsletters
  • Events
  • Gifts

It’s important to note that although technology makes life easier for your organization and even the customers, an old-fashioned hand written note or even a simple phone call follow up can go a long way. Test your waters with the type of clients you have and you’ll have relationships to last for years to come.

 

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Five Ways To Enhance Returns From Your ERP Implementation

As we continue to make advancements in technology and the workplace, more and more businesses are realizing the benefits of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and cloud technology. With benefits of increased efficiency, ease of access, quicker implementation cycles, and overall cost reduction, it’s no wonder that 22 percent of organizations worldwide have moved their ERP to the cloud. Businesses can also leverage current technology to not only get more out of their ERP systems, but ensure success. Below are five technology trends that can potentially shape the future of ERPs:

  • Machine learning
  • Internet of Things
  • RFID
  • AI/ chatbots
  • Social collaboration

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Install WebSphere Fix Packs

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Pre-requisites

Download Fix Packs

NOTE: You will need your passport advantage credentials

https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27004980#ver85_0

Application Server Fix Pack

Customization Toolbox Fix Pack

WAS Supplements fix pack

Unzip WAS parts 1 & 2 into one directory

Unzip WCT parts 1 & 2 into one directory

Unzip WAS Supp parts 1 & 2 into one directory

Install Fix Pack

Stop WebSphere Services

Open IBM Installation Manager as administrator

Set the repository in File > Preferences (select the location where you saved the fix pack files)

Click ok

Click update

Select all, click next

Accept the license agreements

Click update

Click Finish

Start WebSphere services

Propagate Plug-Ins

WebSphere Console > Servers > Server Types > Web servers

Select web server

Generate Plug-in

Propagate Plug-in

Restart Application Server

3 Tech Trends to Watch in 2019

If there’s one thing we can take from 2018 is to embrace and work through chaos. It’s time we get smarter about anticipating change – and a huge part of that is to master new technology. Artificial Intelligence (AI), smart devices, space travel, electric vehicles and other trends will continue to be ever present and we need to decide what’s worth our time and what has reached it’s end. Amy Webb, professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business, has taken on an approach to look for weak signals and emerging trends in different areas of technology and forecasts the following trends to watch in 2019:

  1. This is the beginning of the end of smartphones
  2. 5G will be deployed at scale
  3. Data regulation is coming, and it won’t be pretty

Webb suggests the best strategic position in 2019 is to think exponentially but act incrementally.

Three key ways to ensure your ERP project is a success

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project are a costly investment. When done right, it will provide positive turnover. It is essential that you maximize the chances of ERP project success early on to ensure minimal setbacks. There are three main keys to ensuring ERP project success.

Key 1: Plan for the project

  • Put together an initial plan for the project’s journey
  • Always Test in between phases to make sure the plan is going accordingly
  • Focus on Post-Implementation
  • Consider Change Management Planning

Key 2: Nail the functional requirements

  • Interview Stakeholders to Leverage Expert Opinions
  • Plan the Conversations
  • Consider Delegating for efficient communication
  • Take a Moment to Consider Overall Importance
  • Leverage RFPs (Request for Proposal)

Key 3: Assemble your all-star team

  • Leverage Cross-Departmental Discussion
  • Understand Team Needs
  • Open lines of Communication
  • Meeting Structure
  • Management Tools
People often assume if they follow steps, everything will fall into place. But that almost always never happens. By having backups of backup plans, preparing for every condition, and understanding there will be slack/wasted/extra time needed, you can bet that your ERP selection and migration goes smoothly.

Why CRM Projects Fail and How to Make Them More Successful

Despite the growing need for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems within organizations, a 2017 report shared that around one third of all CRM projects fail, according to CIO Magazine. The primary reason for this is that companies used CRM systems for inspection — to report on progress, improve accuracy of forecasts, provide visibility, predict project delivery dates, and provide a range of other business intelligence — rather than creating improvement in the sales process. CRMs today serve a lot of departments, from executives in the C-suite, technology, marketing, finance, and, of course, sales. Because of this, the system can be spread thin, and training won’t be as hands on due to wanting the system to run immediately, and for simple purposes. If you want your CRM systems at its full potential and to increase your revenue, consider the following (recommended by consultant Scott Edinger):

  • Re-think your CRM as a tool to increase revenue
  • Integrate your marketing efforts with sales activity
  • Managers provide coaching to improve, not reporting to inspect

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