Topic: General Posts

Submitted on 07-14-11 2:05 pm.
Message:
I have implemented both and either platform will take care of your needs.

I would recommend getting a very detailed quote on both options taylored to your specific requirements.

I would also recommend bringing your financials, invoicing, etc into this new system as well.

I would be happy to help with this project in any way. Implementing a new system can be a disastor if not done right.

Andrew

Submitted on 07-15-11 12:11 pm.
Message:
SAP 25% software and 75% programming which means a very capital intensive implementation. 85 million $ distribution company with implementaion fees exceeding 1.5 million

riend of mine also at Fuji confirmed the same. If you do decide to go with SAP I have some contacts and can help do the intro. SAP is still great but tread with caution on the implemenation fees.

Regards,

Rich POdlovits

Submitted on 07-21-11 1:03 pm.
Message:
Rob,

I've done two SAP implementations and am a big fan of the solution. My strong recommendation would be to bring all of your financial applications into SAP so that you get the full benefit of the integration. My other recommendation is to change your business practices to fit the solution, don't try to change SAP.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Tom Allen
201-723-7357

Submitted on 07-25-11 10:35 am.
Message:
Which version of SAP are you looking at? We are looking at SAP By Design (Cloud based) to run purely our financials on in our Shanghai facility. SAP is authorized by the Chinese government, which is key when looking at systems for us.

Our current ERP system is very dated to.

Submitted on 07-31-11 8:25 am.
Message:
I use to use Navison (Dynamics predecessor) in a Manufacturing environment. Very powerful and without the customization needed by SAP.

I saw your interested in Cloud Services. My major concern is that Cloud contracts typically have ownership of the data transferred to the Cloud company, away from the true (originator) owner. This permits them to do all sorts of data mining on your proprietary info.

Wayne

Submitted on 08-02-11 6:07 am.
Message:
There is a whole context to the question and it needs a lot more "color commentary" to be able to reply adequately. I would be delighted to have a conversation offline about it -- having implemented SAP, SAP Business One and Great Plains, some of them several times. ALL of them can do most anything. THere are costs and overheads and growth considerations for all.

Please contact me offline and we can talk at a mutually convenient time.

Steve

Submitted on 08-03-11 7:21 am.
Message:
Steve:

It's not clear which specific product is being considered. SAP as a company has, for example, the large R3 product that is really for large, complex organizations. It also has Business By Design, a new SaaS product that is aimed at smaller organizations. Microsoft's Dynamics line up includes AX, NAV, GP and SL. AX is a robust ERP software package, GP is the former Great Plains. Hence, it's hard to comment on fit:).

In addition, given your manufacturing model, you could also consider PLEX Online, or Epicor, for example.

Do you as an organization have your key functional requirements defined and prioritized? For example, if you have multi-currency, multi-org, local and US GAAP reporting needs, you may find GP lacking, but AX better. It's best to validate your key functional requirements against vendors and shortlist them for a structured demonstration of business scenarios. An "Ounce of Selection is worth a Pound of Implementation."

Best regards
Len Green

Submitted on 08-05-11 4:06 pm.
Message:
SAP will be capable of anything but it comes at price. This is two fold. It is expensive and pretty inflexible once implemented. In my opinion, it makes sense for very large multi-site companies looking to get better integrated by being inside a single instance of SAP. if your company is smaller and single site, I don't really think SAP will be the right solution.

Mike

Submitted on 08-08-11 12:19 pm.
Message:
Rob,

I have been involved extensively with intallations of both systems and they are quite different in the environment best used.... mostly determined by the number and complexity of transactions together with the aptitude of the users since SAP will push transactional interface outside your accounting personnel. Since you are in a multiplant environment, SAP may be your best bet, but it will require an entirely different transactional thought process from whatever you are using now if you are to make best use of your purchase dollars. Dynamics will be a much more traditional accounting software thought process for your management and staff. Give me a call if you would like to discuss further.

Brant Bills
706.631.1557

PS-are you going to be at the meeting Wednesday?

Submitted on 08-13-11 1:51 pm.
Message:
Both systems are very good. The size of your company and its rigidness and adherence to policy and procedure will make a difference in which product you should install. If you have a large profitable company with a very rigid structure, implement SAP. If you are a small company, then I would go with Microsoft Dynamics or GPS. There is another software that has a better ERP product out there--the company is called QAD. Good luck with your implementation.

Submitted on 09-27-11 5:20 pm.
Message:
Have you made your choice yet? Which Dynamic package are you looking at GP, Nav, Sol or AX?

Submitted on 10-03-11 12:25 pm.
Message:
Rob,

Microsoft Dynamics AX is a great software. Very user friendly and quite easy to map although it is designed more for a mid-size company.
Sap R3 on the other hand, is very rigid (German software), and has a much longer implementation window and user learning time frame.
We implemented MD AX 2009 in about 3 months and our users picked it up pretty quickly. But be careful, you need to insure you get all the modules you need. Make sure you ask about all the available modules and what would be included with your specific application. Cost Accounting is an add on module but you will need it. Also ask what reports are generic and what needs to be developed. Overall, MD is easier to use than the software we used at Tinnerman and more and more companies are going to it.

One last thing, I will probably be unemployed within this month and would love to help out with another MD AX implementation on a consultant or per hour basis. I cannot program in it, but I was heavily involved in the GL set up and mapping of accounts.

Best of Luck,
Joe Stofik
732-299-0999
[email protected]

Submitted on 10-11-12 2:37 pm.
Message:
I have worked with SAP and Microsoft Dynamics. And I concur with the previous comments. However, depending on what kind of systems you have had in the past, you have to be ready for a culture change with SAP. The SAP I have worked with is very rigid and the reporting even more so. Before we went to SAP we had a number of internally developed reports that helped us in the costing and forecasting area. It was a shock to operations that we could not give them something similar out of SAP. You just need to prepare the operations folks and get them bought in that the reporting will be substantially different than before. You will spend a substantial amount of money on the implementation, you don't want to spend anymore on outside reporting. Dynamics is cheaper to install, but not as robust as SAP, so if you need to create new reporting outside the Dynamics system it won't be such a hardship financially.

Rick Adkins
[email protected]

Submitted on 10-11-12 7:49 pm.
Message:
In the last year I put a company on Microsoft Dynamics NAV for about as cheap a price as it can get ($12K). Granted it used for AP and GL functionality only and the migration was from quickbooks, but its a pretty good system. Its pretty easy to grab data out of the system and they do have some low end excel add on's that make the financial reporting and the FP&A function tolerable.

Good Luck.

Submitted on 10-18-12 7:32 am.
Message:
If you are talking about MS Dynamics AX I would make sure you understand exactly what you are getting with the product when comparing it with SAP. I've been involved with several upgrades and implementations with clients moving from SAP to Dynamics AX. I've used versions 3.0, 4.0, and 2009. In every case it appears DAX was oversold. I'm not saying DAX isn't a robust platform it can be but in some cases it requires customization. From the vendor's point of view, DAX is flexible and powerful because it can be tailored to their niche, but that doesn't always equate to the customer. For example I worked with a vendor who customized DAX for the office products business but had a client who was a manufacturer and the vendor couldn't really support the manufacturing segment of the business. I've never seen the numbers but from what I understant DAX is much cheaper than SAP and can make business sense from that perspective. But the best advice I can give it to do your homework and make sure your VAR can demonstrate to you exactly what DAX can do to meet your needs. My introduction to DAX (Axapta) was with a manufacturer who was moving from SAP to DAX. They were initially intending on bringing their total operations up on the DAX platform. During the implementation it was clear DAX couldn't do everything SAP was doing nor was it able to do what the customer needed to do so the customer only implemented the financial modules (AP, AR, Banking, GL). Again DAX is powerful and less expensive so make sure you know what you are getting.

Submitted on 10-25-12 11:29 am.
Message:
I would definately go with Dynamics AX. There are too many problems and delays with implementing SAP. Your entire production could stop during an SAP implementaion not to mention the cash drain to your company. Dynamics AX is much more flexible, user friendly and less expensive to install.

Please let me know if you need assistance with installing Dynamics AX.

Daren Phillips
214-405-7742

Submitted on 11-29-12 8:54 am.
Message:
I was recently hired as Controller at a software company that sells and implements SAP and MS Dynamics. My company employs top notch people that can work with you and help you determine which solution is best suited for your needs. We also have developed add-ons that are quite impressive. Please feel free to contact me if you're interested in learning more.

Mike Cirillo
201-703-2100 Ext 140
[email protected]

Submitted on 11-29-12 10:22 am.
Message:
My company (manufacuring, >$300million, 9 domestic and 3 foreign production sites) went through the selection process. All our systems are replaced with one integrated system. At first we defined our desired processes from which we extacted the requirements for a new system.

We evaluated SAP, JDE, Microsoft AX and IFS in detail. All had most of the functionality we required. SAP was disqualified fairly early because of the complexity and cost of implementation. JDE, AX and IFS are all good so it comes down to price and the perceived chance of a succesfull implementation; finding the right implementation partner is at least as important as the software.

In hindsight we concluded thta all these packages have improved to a high standard in the last few years and are almost becoming a commodity. You have to look at the specific functionality for your business and find the right partner.

In our situation IFS won with JDE a close second.

Happy to chat if you like to hear more.

Roderik Alewijnse

Submitted on 11-29-12 2:46 pm.
Message:
I have used both SAP and Dynamics. Both systems will achieve the end result you are seeking. I found Dynamics to be easier to use to drive reporting. SAP has basic canned reports not well suited for creating what-if scenarios. SAP has it over everyone when it comes to reclassification of items, since you actually go into the detailed transaction and the change flows through very nicely. But since you are using other systems for those types of transactions I might look more to Dynamics.

Submitted on 12-04-12 10:52 am.
Message:
Our Company started implementing SAP by Design 15 months ago and we are very happy with it. Basic implementation took 3 months with global role out to 7 countries taking 6 months. Other than the internal project leader assigned full time, our total cost of implementation is roughly $100K. We recently completed a major acquisition doubling the size of the Company to revenue of $70M and 430 employees. We converted the company from Deltec in 3 counties to SAP by Design in 90 days. Total ongoing operating costs are $50K per year.