Process Manufacturers
Many leading ERP systems aren’t strong on managing the business processes and data capture needs of process manufacturers. Variable batch inputs and outputs and other matters such as allergens and dangerous goods and quality control are rarely adequately covered by “standard” ERP systems however CitySoft sell & support three globally recognized ERP solutions created for process manufacturers that address the operational and accounting transactional needs common amongst process manufacturers. Rather than having to rely on workarounds or manual or off system processes CitySoft ERP solutions provide process manufacturers robust purpose build ERP software that delivers companies a competitive edge. Apart from gaining greater control over recipes and formulas including revisions & effective dates, process manufacturers using ERP software from CitySoft have the added ability of being able to quarantine stock avoiding its use in production or shipping to customers if a finished good.
The real time capture and integration of information and less reliance on human intervention and manual processes reduces the risks of releasing products to the market with variable quality which has the potential for causing brand damage. The actual costs associated with meeting compliance obligations and your ability to embrace cGMP will be lessened by using quality ERP software created for process manufacturers and supplied by CitySoft. CitySoft looks beyond the ERP system to provide process manufacturers end to end integrated solutions. From EDI to advanced warehousing & product lifecycle management to dangerous goods manifests and proof of delivery CitySoft business system solutions draw together a wide range of business processes into a single unified system. Real system value comes from integration, automation, and business intelligence and with CitySoft this is precisely what our clients obtain.
Wholesalers
Too many ERP systems rely on advanced 3rd party warehousing systems that insist on creating their own inventory files. This typically leads to stock discrepancies between systems and inventory nightmares for companies. Timing issues can be problematic. Some ERP systems offer radio frequency (RF) and paperless warehouse management however as was experienced during the COVID days many of the best of suite warehouse systems, sold as a part of an ERP system, lacked the flexibility to cater for B2C sales – (Loads of small single line or small SKU line sales) and the most suitable pick model for their warehouse(s).
CitySoft sell & support several warehouse systems for the globally recognized ERP systems we represent. These warehouse systems extend upon the core functionality of the ERP systems which eliminates the most regular issue with best of breed warehousing systems as highlighted above. The system supports the advanced warehouse features such as license plates, SSCC labels, serial and lot-based picking, replenishment, slotting, and multiple pick models. Companies selecting to work with CitySoft will benefit from including automations and integrations such as quality control measures and freight forwarder system integration.
eRetailers
Traditionally, building then integrating Web stores with back-office ERP systems has been a costly exercise. With respect, the creative types almost always struggled to comprehend us boring old accountants and the accounting implications of sales data and inventory holdings. With ERP vendors such as SAP releasing API’s and pre-built connectors for SAP Business One with many of the more popular eStores such as Shopify, BigCommerce and Magento and a host of developers marketing middleware (Connectors) the costs and risks associated with sharing data between Web stores and back-office ERP systems is far lower than it has been in the past.
The out of the box integrations and many of the commercially available connectors remove much of the risk and costs associated with connecting eStores with back-office ERP systems. The systems CitySoft offer are fast to deploy & proven commercial solutions. Not only does CitySoft understand the challenges and opportunities of selling online we also understand the back-office treatment of sales information. Our solutions help eRetailers cost effectively pick, pack and dispatch web sales orders.
Project based businesses
Collecting and assigning costs to a project or a job in an ERP system can be problematic especially when time and materials are being captured in remote locations. Job costing can relate to a manufacturing job, a professional or technical services job or even a job assembling items. Additionally, companies may wish to collect costs for internal jobs such as R&D projects. The non and not for profit sector often requires collection of costs by program so they can produce acquittal reports for funding bodies. Issues can arise when companies incorrectly view time and attendance, payroll and project job costing as one and the same matter. Lax systems that don’t compel job related data entry or make the capture of job data so convoluted that system users simply avoid or delay doing so can and do compromise the value of the job costing data. The reliance on 3rd party job cost systems as adjuncts to an ERP also produce questionable value as the integration points are many and don’t lend themselves to being accommodated outside the core ERP solution.
The ERP systems supplied by CitySoft eloquently cover the different job cost types. The solutions supplied by CitySoft are easy to use, situation specific and deal with the multiple job cost scenarios. For instance, Sage X3 offers companies a specific manufacturing projects & jobs component and a comprehensive projects and job suite suited to both assembly and off-site implementation and pure time capture scenarios. SAP Core systems provides field service businesses a brilliant field services App that collects job related time and materials in the field, offline and online, which often suits technical service providers operating in confined or remote locations where Internet coverage isn’t always present. In addition to our project and job specific ERP systems, Lascom’s product lifecycle management (PLM), sold and supported by CitySoft is designed to capture work effort and materials used in R&D and new product development projects and jobs.
Discrete Manufacturers
CitySoft’s ERP solutions for discrete manufacturers (Make to stock, make to order, engineer to order, configure to order…) focus on supporting cGMP, optimization of limited resources and generation of profits. The ERP systems supplied by CitySoft help with timely purchasing with accurate ordered quantities to support the master production schedule (Material requirements plan, & master production schedule) cash flow and to control costs associated with storage of raw materials. Our product configurator ensures only viable and properly priced goods are sold to clients and produced on the factory floor.
Shop floor software supports timely capture of production start and end times by phase / by production step / by machine and by resource assignment to each production step, leading to accurate cost capture. The major benefits flowing from the ERP systems supplied by CitySoft that support discrete manufacturing include flexible and detailed costing models; flexible data capture options including on the shop floor; visibility over people, plant & equipment as they apply to the current master production schedule; and inclusion of quality controls at any point of the production process.
