The Key To Retail Success? Embracing Technology

While online shopping isn’t anything brand new, retailers still put most of their efforts in their physical stores. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has opened the eyes of these businesses that online shopping and other technologies may be the future of retail operations. Forbes Technology Council Member and senior vice president of Zebra Technologies Suresh Menon shares an article expressing the importance of having a forward thinking mindset to this change in order to embrace technology for its ability to simplify business operations for store managers and employees. Menon notes that retailers who can pivot and adapt to both seen and unforeseen disruptions can continue meeting and exceeding customer expectations. They should keep in mind the following:

Don’t be technologically timid. “The path to success today hinges on adapting; retailers slow to embrace technological change will be left behind. The key to successfully navigate today’s dynamic environment is to embrace technology wholeheartedly. Implementing a modern solution leads to more transparency in the business, too, and allows leadership to envision how the company’s resources and assets can seamlessly work together.”

Harness data and make it actionable. “Without the capability to react in real time to data, employees scramble to figure out what to do next. A platform capable of identifying patterns and trends and prescribing the next best action simplifies day-to-day store operations. Successfully harnessing the power of data for real-time action across the business enables retailers to make the most appropriate and informed decisions.”

Ensure internal buy-in. “To successfully adopt a technology, it’s important to achieve buy-in from internal stakeholders and to embrace a culture of innovation. A compelling way to do this is by taking a closer look at competitors, especially those reaping significant ROI from their investments that garner operational savings via automated scheduling or task execution. Highlighting how the competition is currently benefiting from technology helps convince even the most skeptical stakeholder in your organization.”

Embrace innovation and agility. “The key to retail success is to embrace a culture of innovation, one that sees technology as a lever of growth and a way to simplify work for stores rather than something to be feared. By embracing technology, retailers can position their business for success regardless of what challenges arise. Stores will achieve more accurate labor forecasts, execute tasks more consistently and empower employees to improve customer experience.”

 

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CRM vs ERP: What Are the Key Differences?

Two of the biggest weapons in modern business today are customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP). In fact, these two platforms have a lot in common, and the two are occasionally used interchangeably. CIO Insight contributor Lauren Hansen shares an article comparing CRM and ERP as there are many similarities. This could be in part that they’re often housed in the same cloud-based software portal. Hansen gives a simple break down of the systems below:

source: https://www.cioinsight.com/it-strategy/crm-vs-erp/

Put simply, CRM software is an interface through which a business and its customers interact, whereas ERP software manages internal resources to ensure a streamlined workflow. Hansen points out that CRM and ERP work hand in hand. While ERP relates to the internal functions of the business, CRM is the system that interacts with clients. Ultimately, the smart move for businesses is to implement both systems. “You need to keep an eye on both the internal workings of your business, such as finances and operations, as well as external processes, such as customer acquisition and retention,” says Hansen. Further, because they tend to work with related data, many vendors consolidate CRM and ERP functions into one comprehensive portal.

 

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Lawson Add-ins Error – ExcelDrill.xla could not be found

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You’re updating Lawson add-ins and running into this error when accessing addins in excel.

To resolve this error follow these steps:

  1. Open Excel and go to File >> Options
  2. In Excel Options click on Add-ins Tab

  1. Under Manage: Select Excel Add-ins and click Go…
  2. Unselect any Lawson Add-ins “exceldrill.xla” files and then press Okay:

  1. Repeat steps 1 and 2, in Manage: select COM Add-ins >> Go… and unselect any Lawson Addins selections that path to *.xla files
  2. After doing this, restart excel and you should no longer receive the exceldrill.xla errors. A successful install should show the below under COM Add-ins.

Done!

OMB Valves Chooses Infor for Digitization of Processes in the Cloud

OMB Valves, the Italian manufacturer of valves for the oil & gas, power, shipbuilding, and aerospace sectors, has announced that they will implement Infor CloudSuite Industrial Enterprise as its core technology platform. Founded by Roberto Brevi in ​​1973 and based in Cenate Sotto, Bergamo, OMB’s vision to digitize its complex business processes and unify its management strategy will be managed by Infor partner Lutech CDM. Per the press release, Infor CloudSuite Industrial Enterprise and the multi-tenant cloud solution AWS (Amazon Web Services) will help OMB extend to the production, logistics, finance, and project management departments, involving more than 200 users around the world, in addition to 100 users of Infor Factory Track to push on the digitization of its production processes. The company new ERP solution will allow it to deploy a unified strategy in the logistical and financial management of its plants. The go-live is scheduled for 2022 at all plants in Italy, North America, and Singapore. Following this implementation will be the future plant in Saudi Arabia.

 

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How to set a distribution group to a Lawson job within Lawson portal

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Before we get started, you’ll need to have distribution groups setup already. See our article on how to do that if you haven’t. You’ll likely need higher privileged access to perform these tasks.

Assuming you already have distribution groups setup, follow the steps below.

  1. Login to Lawson portal.
  2. Go to a Lawson job that you want to set a distribution group for.
  3. Once the job is created, click on the “Reports” button above the Job Name.
  4. In Report Properties, select Distribution Group and then select one of your created distribution groups from the Group Name drop down box and press OK when done.
  5. Click “Change” to save the report properties. Now Inquire on the job and click Reports again to verify the changes were made.

That is, your reports will now show up in the users print manager that are in the selected distribution group. All without having to go to LID.

Five Reasons Cloud Manufacturing ERP Adoption Is Increasing In 2021

The 2020 global pandemic tested businesses big and small of their capability to adapt to the economic situation. Physical businesses closed down and many offices went online/remote. The shift toward cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) was noticable particulary among small-and-medium-sized (SMB) manufacture businesses. Robert Jolliffe, manufacturing ERP expert and owner of Sabre Limited, shares an article on Forbes about how cloud manufacturing ERP adoption is on the rise. According to Jolliffe, he sees five major reasons for this adoption:

  • Covid-19 has demonstrated that hybrid work is both effective and sometimes necessary.
  • Cloud technology platforms have matured, especially in the SMB space.
  • As baby boomers exit the workforce, it’s accelerating the path for Gen Xers and millennials to management positions.
  • Advances in broadband are making it more practical to adopt cloud solutions.
  • New techniques to deploy this technology reduce the fear and risk associated with the change it implies.

While cloud ERP in the SMB manufacturing space is relatively new, it’s without a doubt expanding. Jolliffe concludes, “I expect this trend to accelerate. As this market increases, it benefits everyone. Technology gets better. Businesses gain more experience, and more skills enter the market. Implementors become better at deploying the software.”

 

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Atria Finds the Perfect Recipe with Infor

Atria, one of Estonia and Russia’s leading meat and food companies in the Nordic countries, has chosen Infor PLM for Process (Optiva) as a standardized platform for product development across the group. The application, which will be deployed via a multi-tenant cloud, will create a standard set of processes and a master system for recipes, holding all documentation related to product development and production and approval processes. Per the press release, Infor PLM for Process was chosen because of its industry-specific functionality and excellent integration with its existing enterprise resource planning (Infor M3) system, and third-party applications. Infor PLM for Process (Optiva) replaces Atria’s legacy solution with several separate applications. Now, the company will use industry-specific Infor Implementation Accelerators to help decrease time to value, lower cost and reduce risk.

 

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How to resend an LBI confirmation code for a newly created email device

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You’ve setup a user’s email in LBI Smart Notes and contacted them to send you a confirmation code. Time has passed and the user lost the email. To resend the code follow the steps below.

  1. Login to LBI go to Tools Dashboard >> Select Smart Notifications
  2. Go to Personal Settings and select Delivery Devices

  1. Located the user awaiting confirmation and click Edit

  1. In the Edit Delivery Device screen, click Resent Confirmation:

That’s it! No need to delete and recreate a new user.

John Soules Foods Consolidates Core HR and Payroll with Infor

Infor recently announced that John Soules Foods’ had a successful go-live and consolidation of its payroll and human resources systems. Working alongside Infor partner Bails, John Soules Foods has implemented key cloud-based Infor Global Human Resources (HR) applications, which migrated more than 1,200 employees with facilities in multiple states, and successfully paid them with the first paycheck of 2021.  Per the press release, Infor’s new multi-tenant payroll solution will help provide in-house payroll processing capabilities to help manage back-end payroll processes, including employment tax filing, wage payments, wage garnishments, and other value-added services. John Soules Foods was looking to consolidate multiple HR and payroll systems and chose Infor to consolidate applications across multiple states with the goals of better and faster reporting. It would also help reduce bottom-line expenses associated with maintaining a large support architecture. Infor HR applications can help nurture top talent, engage employees, and foster a community aligned to an organization’s mission. The app suite also offers complete in-house payroll processing capabilities, with multiple options for service partners to help manage value-added and compliance payroll processes, including employment tax filing, wage payments, wage garnishments, and more. With Infor HR successfully implemented, John Soules Foods can increase communication between HR systems and have more operational control across their entire business.

 

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How to get the Thick Client Identity name in Lawson

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With Lawsons ever growing list of identity types, it may be difficult to identify the Thick Client identity field.

Example of identities:

To find out what the Thick Client Identity is open up your browser and type this URL (you may need to login first):

Examples:

https://<lsf-organization-domain>:1447/ssoconfig/SSOCfgInfoServlet

With made up organization

https://lsfserver.someorg.com:1447/ssoconfig/SSOCfgInfoServlet

Look at the PRIMARYSERVICE name to get the thick client service identity.