Page 32 - MetalForming September 2013

ERP,
the Next Generation:
The Final Frontier?
Like the USS Enterprise, whose 5-yr. mission was to explore new worlds and “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” early ver- sions of enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) software charted new territory for enterprise applications. It evolved from MRP (material requirements planning) to MRP II (manufacturing resource planning) and then boldly set out to conquer the “final frontier” of ERP: managing not a small piece of the enterprise but the enterprise itself. And like the Star Trek franchise, after play- ing on both large and small screens for more than two decades, a “next gener-
Cindy Jutras is president, Mint Jutras, LLC, Windham, NH, an independent research and advisory firm that spe- cializes in analyzing the business impact of enterprise applications: cindy@mintjutras.com; www.mintju- tras.com. Cindy will deliver a keynote presentation at this year’s Manufactur- ing ERP Experience, slated for October 8- 9, 2013, in Cincinnati, OH. Learn more and register to attend at www.metal- formingmagazine.com/ERP.
Like the voyages of Star Trek that tested the nerves of the captain and crew of the USS Enterprise, ERP often has been an adventure, testing the nerves of CIOs and other business executives. As the next generation of ERP continues to evolve, are you evolving with it, or are you stuck in the darkness of the 20th century?
BY CINDY JUTRAS
ation” of ERP has been born: faster, more technologically enabled and more in tune with the evolving needs of the galaxy.
Star Trek voyages led the USS Enter- prise to the far reaches of the galaxy, encountering alien cultures and new and different life forms, where tradi- tional means of communication becameineffective.LikewisewithERP, as businesses began expanding beyond international boundaries, new cultures, regulatory and reporting requirements, and new ways of doing business chal- lenged early versions of ERP.
While the USS Enterprise had at its disposal amazing technology that allowed the starship to change course and even reverse direction immedi- ately, it was and is science fiction. In contrast, next-generation technology- enabled ERP solutions are very real. They help manufacturers cope with the accelerating pace of business, grow- ing volumes of data and higher cus- tomer expectations.
However, few are taking advantage of new ERP technology. The entire gamut of different generations of MRP and ERP remain in operation across
30 MetalForming/September 2013
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