Speaking The Same Language

SYSPRO announced new capabilities to their latest ERP release with enriched functionality for improved internal and organizational controls, a connected supply chain, deeper business intelligence, and digital dexterity. We discussed the release’s key pillars and highlights with Matthew Gordon-Box, Product Manager of Supply Chain at SYSPRO.

Could you tell ERP News readers about yourself and your role at SYSPRO?

I have over 20 years experience within the SYSPRO Ecosystem, developing and implementing integrated systems and solutions in both the UK and Australia. In my current role, I am the Supply Chain Product Manager where I analyze the current offering and complete development of SYSPRO systems to help companies strengthen their supply chain. Together with our product management team, I spearhead the SYSPRO supply chain software functionality. In collaboration with the product operations team, I also facilitate the release-to-market of software, ensuring that it is carefully planned and delivered.

SYSPRO is a global provider of industry-built ERP software specialized in the manufacturing and distribution sectors. What does specializing in certain industries provide your customers?

Our biggest differentiator is our people. We have a deep understanding of our customer’s specific industries and the challenges they face. It’s something we hear over and over from our customers – “You speak our language.” All that knowledge has been baked into the design and architecture of our ERP platform so that mid-market manufacturers and distributors can minimize the amount of customization required, see rapid time-to-value and maximize the business benefits they experience. 

This expertise also means that we act as trusted advisors to our customers to provide technical expertise and counsel that advances their specific business goals, helps them secure their digital future, and enables them to make timely, data-driven decisions that give them a significant competitive advantage. 

In the end, our technical and industry expertise means mid-market manufacturers and distributors get a platform and a partner that are both uniquely equipped to empower them to digitally transform their business so they can thrive and grow no matter what challenges they face.

SYSPRO recently announced new capabilities to their latest ERP release with enriched functionality. Can you tell us about the important highlights of the release? What are the benefits?

The recent release of SYSPRO 8 provides several enhancements, along with two standout capabilities: Embedded Analytics and a low-code application designer.

SYSPRO’s latest release provides advanced Embedded Analytics directly within the ERP system, enabling customers with the ability to gain heightened visibility of operational activity across the organization. SYSPRO Embedded Analytics can easily create, customize, and deploy dashboards and visualizations anywhere in SYSPRO to provide real-time, accurate, and relevant data from all aspects of the business. It’s an incredibly powerful capability, allowing our customers to have full visibility of what’s going on within their business at any time.

The Low Code Application Designer enables customers to easily and quickly create and integrate new applications with SYSPRO. In a nutshell, this means manufacturers and distributors can easily adapt software and create new functionality without having to spend a ton of time and money on development.

Providing real-time, accurate, and relevant data is one of the cornerstones of digital transformation. Does SYSPRO provide this ability to the customers through their digital transformation journey?

Absolutely. SYSPRO, as an integrated ERP system, captures relevant, accurate, and actionable data in real time. Additionally, SYSPRO’s flexibility allows businesses to customize their data models to fit their requirements at different stages of their digital transformation journey. Tools like SYSPRO’s Embedded Analytics platform provides advanced data insights, enabling customers to make informed decisions that drive business growth and support digitization. SYSPRO is focused on providing customers with the data they need to achieve their digital transformation goals.

Selecting the right ERP software is a challenging process for businesses. Could you give our readers some tips about choosing between generic and industry-specific ERP systems?

Definitely. The generic ERP systems do have their advantages, but for mid-market companies, there are a lot of good reasons to consider an industry-specific solution. Here are some of the points I’d advise considering when evaluating new ERP platforms:

• To what degree do the provider and your potential implementation partner understand your business? Much of the value you’ll get from ERP is through the automation of key business processes. The better your provider and their partners understand your industry, the more likely the ERP platform will not only properly automate your processes, but also improve them. You don’t want to automate inefficient processes, and a strong partner will help you avoid making that mistake.
• If you use an ERP selection consultant, make sure that they take an unbiased view of potential products and partners. If they use a “one size fits all’ template for selection, you may end up with a massive ERP platform that requires much more customization to be useful than you are prepared for.
• For the final candidates, give the provider access to your business and your team so they can ask the questions and perform discovery. A demonstration based on a cold functional request for information without discovery will likely miss the mark.
• If an ERP implementation partner offers you a free business analysis or discovery and offers to present this back to you, take it. You can measure the provider on their ability to understand your requirements quickly, and articulately play back their understanding of your needs, your industry, and your business.
• Make sure to research whether a provider has experience and references in your industry with your specific type of manufacturing, distribution, or specialized business process.
• Remember that you are ultimately responsible for the ERP selection process, so take ownership of the implementation phases. Fully relying on a third party who can walk away at any time to make that decision for you is less likely to result in complete success.

How does SYSPRO differ from other industry-specific ERP software?

SYSPRO is an integrated software solution designed for small and medium-sized businesses. The following features set it apart from other industry-specific ERP software:

• Customization:  SYSPRO is highly customizable, which allows businesses to tailor the system to their specific needs.  The flexibility means that the software can be adapted to a wide range of industries, and customization of the core solution won’t affect the internal workings of the system.
• Scalability:  SYSPRO is scalable, meaning that it can be used by businesses of all sizes, from small start-ups to large enterprises.  This makes it a cost-effective solution for a growing business that needs a system that can keep up with its changing needs.
• User-Friendly Interface:  The interface is easy to navigate and understand, which reduces the learning curve for new users.
• Advanced Analytics:  SYSPRO offers advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, which help businesses make data-driven decisions.
• Cross Platform:  SYSPRO offers both cloud and on-premise deployment, with desktop, web and mobile solutions with access via any device anytime from anywhere.
• Inventory Optimization:  SYSPRO has advanced inventory management features that optimize inventory levels based on demand forecasts, lead times and reorder points. This reduces potential stock-outs, minimizes excess inventory and improves supply chain efficiency.
• Traceability and Compliance: Robust traceability and compliance features allow organizations to track materials and products through the supply chain, from raw materials to finished products.
• Production Planning and Scheduling: SYSPRO has powerful production planning and scheduling features that optimize production schedules based on demand, capacity, and resource availability. 
• Business Process Automation: The built-in workflow engine allows organisations to automate routine tasks and streamline business processes, reducing manual errors, improving efficiency and increasing productivity.

Could you tell us about the growth strategy of SYSPRO in the long term?

As a business we are relentlessly focused on global market growth serving the manufacturing and distribution sectors. SYSPRO works very closely with our partners, and we’re working to deepen these channel relationships and to grow our channel program with partners who bring deep technical and industry expertise. Ultimately, our growth will build on the meaningful, trusted relationships we build with our customers, partners, and global teams.

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