Page 46 - MetalForming September 2012

ERP—
More Processing, Less Planning
ERP software programs are not primarily planning systems, they’re more transaction-processing systems. Benefits are primarily in standardizing and automating business processes. To perform
what-if planning, understand trends hidden in the data, or to gain
a 360-deg. view of customers, for example, you need to go beyond ERP.
BY FRANK SCAVO
Frank Scavo provided a keynote presentation at The Manufacturing ERP Experience, held August 23-24, 2011, in Chicago, IL. He’ll provide another keynote presentation at this year’s Manufacturing ERP Experience, slated for October 3-4, 2012, in Cleveland, OH. Learn more and register to attend at www.metalformingmagazine.com/ERP.
When I served as a keynote pre- senter last year at MetalForm- ing magazine’s inaugural Manufacturing ERP Experience con- ference in Chicago, I discussed current ERP trends and best practices for suc- cess. This presented a challenge: I’ve been speaking about ERP for more than 20 years, so I asked myself: “How can I provide a presentation on this subject different than one I would have given 20 years ago?”
During the keynote, I thought of at least three ways in which ERP software differs today, and one way in which it remains the same.
ERP as a Platform
Twenty years ago, ERP was viewed, in effect, as the final destination. For
Frank Scavo is a principal analyst with Constellation Research (www.constel- lationrg.com), and a cofounder of Stra- tiva, a California-based management consulting firm providing independent advice for business and technology deci- sions; fscavo@computereconomics.com.
44 MetalForming/September 2012
www.metalformingmagazine.com