ProcessPro has announced further details of its new Global ERP solution. The announcement unveils new features of the solutions warehouse management, inventory and field service functionality. Launched only a few weeks ago there is a question over whether this is a new release or just an update of functionality. If it is an indication of the cadence with which ProcessPro will announce new features then it is perhaps indicative of how quickly they will move the product forward. Unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Joe Blauert, ProcessPro General Manager commented: “Decades of experience supporting companies in the process manufacturing industry have taught us that optimizing the inventory function of your ERP provides the perfect balance for companies to leverage growth. With ProcessPro Global, our clients will be able to stay abreast of changing consumer demands, streamline their ordering procedures and efficiently schedule maintenance and service activities.”
“New” functionality
The availability of inventory in the right place, the right quality and the right time is critical for manufacturers. ProcessPro included two pieces of functionality to help with the management of that:
- Warehouse Management System (WMS) – This includes functionality to receive, move, transfer, issue, ship and receive returns. It can track stock by pallet or batch and supports the use of bar code scanning. This is all expected functionality. It is disappointing that there is not further information readily available about such things as serial number tracking and multi warehouse support for example.
- Kitting – This relates to the ordering, selling and shipping of pre-defined bundles of products. It enables companies to create bundled products. These are where stock items are frequently sold together. What isn’t clear is how these are treated within the warehouse and forecasting capabilities.
Supporting the transformation of Manufacturers
Manufacturers are evolving. They no longer just make the goods they act as retailers, distributors and are adding additional services as well. Recognising this, ProcessPro has introduced support for Field Service and Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP).
The Field Service functionality includes the ability to schedule field service visits. It is then able to invoice for those visits and provide a level of reporting for them. In itself this is very thin functionality and it is not clear what other capabilities the solution supports. For example, does it support buffer stocks for field service engineers or field service depots?
The Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) module increases accuracy in stock levels. It does this by suggesting the best re-ordering and stock levels based on factors including supply, demand and forecasted requirements. Blauert concluded: “We’ve listened to our clients and their needs in developing this new solution, and we’re pleased to deliver this unique, customizable offering.”
What does this mean
While ProcessPro include a link to their ProcessPro Global ERP solution page, this merely gives users the opportunity to request a demonstration. There is little information around the detailed functionality of the product.
This is however the next generation of the ProcessPro solutions. It is deliverable as a SaaS solution, hosted or on-premises. It is the latter that confirms this functionality was already part of the core solution and not an update. Updates every few weeks are great for a mobile app but impractical for an on-premises solution.
That ProcessPro has included this functionality is positive and customers will welcome it. It will be interesting to see what its next announcement contains and whether more detail is forthcoming.
