Since 1999 I have been working on digital transformation and management process optimization projects in hundreds of companies, participating in many ERP pre-sales in groups of companies.
Getting this decision right is key because it is a major investment for companies, which is why there are solvent consulting firms capable of understanding business processes and implementing technology efficiently.
During these years I have encountered many important companies and challenges faced in the ERP system that, many are common to all organizations, others more specific to certain companies, below I list some requirements:
Companies are looking for an ERP that is easy to use and productive for users.
In addition to this, there is a need for analysis capabilities and the possibility of combining them with office tools such as Excel, Word, mail, etc.
An ERP must have flexible and powerful functional capabilities.
Each client operates in a sector and has industry-specific and some company-specific processes. Therefore, they are looking for ERP's that have sufficient functionality to cover a high percentage of the company's requirements and with parameterization capabilities that avoid major software adaptations to avoid incurring in costly developments that pose risks of future evolution.
The ERP must comply with regulations.
Many ERP's in the market do not have a fiscal, legal and accounting support that provides answers to the client and its obligations with public administrations. This lack of updates and investment by the software manufacturer has caused changes in the ERP, therefore, it is important to have support and evolution in training.
Software growth and easy upgrades.
Customers are looking for living, evolving and growing applications. ERP users want to get up to innovation, many ERP's have remained in old technologies or version changes are complex and costly, and even incompatible with the new versions so their adaptations and developments have to be done again.
Integration capabilities.
Nowadays, ERP is increasingly a system oriented to back-office processes that in many cases coexists with sectorial solutions (very specific) or other management systems of a company, for example a POS, e-Commerce solutions, CRM, WMS (advanced warehouse management), digitalization of purchase invoices, expense notes, etc. Many ERP technologies do not have integration capabilities, which makes it very costly to manage the process, the single data and the coexistence of applications without incurring very high support costs.
Mobility and access to the system from any place and device.
The pandemic was a turning point in the need to operate with management systems without complexes and with all the security demanded by the sensitive information that an ERP manages on a daily basis. Many systems are not mobile, are not accessed from a browser, and even do not even have the possibility of being in the Cloud.
Multi capabilities.
Many companies need to have multi-company support (capabilities to manage a group and the intercompany operations that occur or the possibility to manage individual or group companies), multi-warehouse, multi-plant or delegation (operate with different centers, factories, etc.), multi-language (both for users and at the level of purchase and sales documents with international operations), multi-currency (to efficiently manage different currencies and exchange rates), multi-legislation (to be able to operate in several countries with manufacturer support).
Internationalization.
Many national ERP's provide a very efficient and complete service, but do not allow deployment in other countries where the ERP must provide multiple legislations, languages and different currencies, today many small companies have expanded their operations to other countries and need ERP's that accompany them in the management and finance with tax and accounting localization options and future support.
Development and adaptation capabilities.
Nowadays, an ERP must have development or adaptation capabilities to meet the needs of a client and that these adaptations can be compatible with future version changes. On the one hand, the customer wants the ERP to be able to adapt to his needs and, on the other hand, that it is economically viable and does not pose a problem in the future in the event of system version changes.
Intelligent solutions with integrated Reporting and BI systems.
That is to say, solutions that allow the treatment and vision of the business with the right decisions and in time.
I know Sage X3 is a solution that provides many answers to these challenges in companies.
Juan Manuel Chueca - ERP Partner of PKF Attest Tecnología
Here are some of the benefits of Sage X3:
1. Sage X3 is supported by a multinational software company specialized in management systems, with national and international support, thus providing a localized system at accounting and tax level in several countries.
2. Continuous evolution and upgrades. Sage invests in X3 in new evolutions. It is a global and international software, with two updates per year. I have known customers who have had Sage X3 for 20 years, with many customers on the latest version.
Sage X3 was designed for groups of companies. It is a multi-language, multi-currency, multi-warehouse, multi-plant, multi-legislation, etc. software. It is designed to have a group vision and allows to automate all the intercompany operations and to provide the ERP with a group and individual vision of the companies.
4. Sage X3 is a software with adequate and flexible functionality for all types of companies, with financial capabilities, supply chain management with warehouse module, projects and manufacturing that covers many sectors of food industry, mechanical, chemical, pharmaceutical, etc., it can also serve wholesale and retail distribution, service companies such as engineering, consulting, construction, etc.. It also provides services to companies in the financial and economic fields.
5. Simple and intuitive interface. Sage X3 has guided processes and interfaces adaptable to each role in the organization, orienting the ERP to the process that the user manages, with more than 50 preconfigured roles that are adaptable to each user.
6. Sage X3 has an integrated and built in BI called Sage SEI that has an analytical data model, integrated with Sage X3 automatically and with other data sources, with business indicators and queries created that makes the deployment of a BI with the ERP very fast and efficient to deploy, in weeks you can have a complete view in a visual and intuitive environment.
7. Sage X3 is mobile and consumable from any type of device. The system has been Web-based since 2000 and the interface can be adapted for mobile, tablet and PC environments.
8. Sage X3 has development and customization capabilities. In addition to being able to collaborate with ISVs or solution manufacturers that can extend ERP capabilities to specific industries and functionalities, the manufacturer is looking for partnerships to enhance the performance of its solutions.
9. Sage X3 is a highly integrable, open ERP platform with capabilities to connect to a wide variety of enterprise systems and applications. Its flexibility through APIs, web services, EDI and ETL tools makes it an ideal solution for companies that need to connect multiple systems and optimize their workflows. This ensures that Sage X3 not only functions as a standalone ERP solution, but as the hub of a broader and more efficient enterprise technology ecosystem.
10. Sage X3 has a channel of specialized and certified Partners , who provide implementation, evolution and support services at a national and international level, guaranteeing the continuity of the system, avoiding dependence on the manufacturer itself when it is implemented directly in the clients or dependence on a consulting firm when the service expected by the client is not available.
11. Low cost of ownership and return on investment, Sage X3 is a software that helps companies to be more efficient, saves time (+9%) in financial reporting, generates benefits in inventory optimization (over 16%), efficiency in the purchasing department (savings in purchasing of over 22%) and sales (reduction of sales discounts reduced by over 24%), allows better customer service (reduction of time by over 4%), reduction of production costs (14%), companies achieve an ROI of over 200% in a period of time ranging from 6 - 12 months, link Forrester report.
Today the ERP solutions landscape is very competitive, companies are looking for solutions that allow them to be more efficient, adapt quickly to changes and optimize their internal processes. In this context, the implementation of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software becomes a strategic decision, with Sage X3 stands out as one of the most complete and flexible solutions for business management.
Article written by Juan Manuel Chueca, Partner PKF Attest Tecnología
