SyteLine

Pluspunten: Syteline was the best choice because of its excellent fit with low-volume / hi-mix manufacturing, adaptability to lean processes, ease of customizing forms & fields, hi performance material planning and support for a hierarchy of more than 1,000 product variations in 5 primary categories and more than 15 individual product codes (sub-categories).
We assemble and test a wide variety of power conversion products (AC to DC is typical) ranging in size from a shoebox to a refrigerator. Production lines average as few as 1 unit a week, to as many as 300 units per week. We build to order, with no finished goods for sale. We can build and ship smaller products as fast as the same day, and larger products in 2-3 business days. Work in process moves so quickly that it doesn't make sense to track it. We backflush the parts when product assembly and test is complete. Our inventory turns range from 6-10 turns per year on lower volume products and 20-25 turns for the highest volume products. Our primary suppliers receive a weekly forecast (custom report derived from material planning data) for the parts they produce. 90% of our material dollars are managed by email based kanbans with 3-5 business day re-supply lead times being typical.
This package should be a top candidate for any low-volume / hi-mix, or complex product manufacturing operation.

Minpunten: We initially installed the PaceJet shipping module. It was too complicated, hard to support, and not a good fit for us. We ultimately replaced it with another shipping software package. Would like to see a standard backflushing module that is compatible with average costing that accommodates serialized components.

Opmerkingen: We have used Syteline (and before that, Symix) for over 20 years. Going to Syteline 9 was a no-brainer since we were promised "zero data loss" migrating from SL6 to SL9, and that appears to be true, as far as is reasonable to expect.

Pluspunten: I like the SQL Server database back-end, it's easy to work with. The "Filter In Place" search capability is super-powerful and can easily act as a basic ad-hoc reporting tool.

Minpunten: The Syteline9 Dataviews, while they are a neat idea, are not easy to create or modify -- the "IDO"s or Intelligent Data Objects (basically form-based interfaces to underlying tables and queries) are difficult to work with. Infor needs to create a true "drag-and-drop/click-and-drag to relate" interface. As it stands, it looks to be years before I become expert at creating or manipulating Dataviews in their current form. Honestly, it's easier to create an MS Access front-end that links directly to Syteline's back-end database tables, it's much easier to link tables and create custom queries.

Opmerkingen: Customer satisfaction by delivery on time!

Pluspunten: All aspects of the ERP environment have been considered. Perhaps the greatest asset of the tool is the APS functionality. Projecting accurate capable to ship dates to customers in a manufacturing environment is crucial. This tool exceeds all expectations! With accurate BOM, Routing and Inventory Control, the APS system precisely plans and executes for fast-paced environments to assure customer satisfaction. Developing and modifying existing reports is also a great asset to the software. Information that is needed is accessible and informative to make critical business decisions. Modifying the forms, reports and creating new objects is also straight forward.

Minpunten: The number of forms can become a bit overwhelming if simply fishing around. Having an on-site expert to help navigate and understand the tool is always best.

Opmerkingen: We ran the organization across several production plants and sales offices in three countries. I was concerned in the early days that Syteline was a mistake, but this turned around quickly as I learned the ropes and saw how powerful it was. The business was able to utilize resources in an unimagined way, and the analytics and reports helped identify new opportunities and issues that had not previously been considered.

Pluspunten: The ability of this software to handle large organizational needs, integrate across departments, and produce quality reports is among the best I've seen. I had no crashes or glitches, and it ran fast and smooth in real time.

Minpunten: The learning curve is dramatic, and requires a lot of commitment from staff and management to get new employees up and running. Integration with other software, even basics like Excel, was questionable and difficult.

Opmerkingen: We have had a great experience overall. We went from QuickBooks to Syteline and the benefits are immeasurable. We gained a warehouse management system with Factory Track (owned by Infor and integrated with Syteline). We gained a true inventory and resource planning system. We gained a system where everyone is looking at the same information and communication has improved. We have been live on Syteline for close to 2 years and I'm not sure how we functioned without it.

Pluspunten: There is a lot to love about this software. Data loading is very easy with the Excel import. You can also export to Excel to manipulate data. Dataviews and Workbench Suite is a nice tool. We also could tell that Infor listens to customer feedback and develops the software based on that feedback which is a huge plus.

Minpunten: It is a little clunky when navigating forms. For instance, you have Customers, Customer Orders, & Customer Order Lines and you might need to access all 3 for a customer interaction.