IFS Applications 7 tackles vertical industries, improves user interface
By Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 6/1/2006 12:00:00 AM
ERP solutions supplier IFS says it spent more than 600,000 development hours on the latest version of its enterprise solution, IFS Applications 7.
"This release, maybe more than any other, is focused on functionality for vertical industries—including aerospace & defense, automotive, high-tech, industrial manufacturing, and process industries," says Trygve Ronningen, a company VP. "We've worked particularly closely with our user advisory board to identify trends and functionality we needed to address."
Input came from customers such as Simsbury, Conn.-based Ensign Bickford Aerospace & Defense Co. (EBA&D), a maker of military demolition, minefield breaching, and vehicle-protection solutions.
"We're excited about the new defense manufacturer modifications based on industry best practices," says Bruce Mortimer, manager, business administration, EBA&D. "Program management and more effective costing capabilities allow us to meet government standards. Along with other functionality such as quality management, customer property control, and unique shipping, this should have a real impact."
Many industries are becoming more project-oriented, and need to associate materials, labor, and other costs to a project, says Roger Rice, supervisor of continuous improvement at Kamatics Corp., a Bloomfield, Conn.-based maker of high-performance mechanical products for aerospace. "For example, we often engage in R&D efforts that should be attributed to one specific project," he says. "IFS Project would enable us to do that, gaining us a better understanding of our real costs."
The No. 1 reason applications fail, however, is because people simply don't want to use them, or have a problem doing so, says Eric Karofsky, senior research analyst at Boston-based AMR Research. Karofsky says IFS Applications 7 was developed with the goal of making it a more usable solution.
"The new graphical interface is more aesthetically pleasing," he says. "IFS also spent time trying to understand workflow and user requirements. Workflow shepherds users around, making the solution easier to use, which in turn promotes efficiency."
Companies may tailor the system to meet individual needs by hiding tabs or renaming fields to make screens more pertinent, says Kamatics' Rice. End users also can make changes on the fly.
"This release is all about flexibility. The user interface is easier to work with, and more dynamic," says Rice.
Besides project management and actual-costing capabilities, IFS 7 includes new supply chain management functions. It is particularly suited for midsize global companies—i.e., those with revenues less than $1 billion that need a single system with regional differentiation to meet rapidly changing international market conditions, Ronningen says.
