Suggestions on low to mid range manufacturing system

Look at Microsoft Dynamics AX. AXcerto sells/implements it. Contact is Mark Lennon, 650-346-9683, [email protected]. He has been in the business a long time and is a good resource.

It really depends on what you need from a mfg standpoint. Start by defining EXACTLY what you need to track on the mfg side of things because that will define the system more than anything else. Financials and distribution are all fairly equal in the mid-market, so don't get sucked into any choices based on those modules. It is the differences in their manufacturing modules that really set them apart. Most important - find a reseller that has a good reputation. Ask for references from their existing clients and absolutely insist to make a visit to one of their customers who are using the software. If the vendor does not comply with that, then run away.

As for Dynamics AX...knowing the product like I do and experience with an optics mfg, there are products that would be a much better fit.

If you don't need a heavy duty manufacturing system, the distribution side bears looking at. We used a Swedish system that was great on financials and manufacturing but didn't work as well for sales order processing. Second time around, we focused on our front end needs - order taking and processing, made some compromises on G/L and manufacturing and have been much happier overall.

We implemented NAV (Navision) over the last two years. It will give you the lot tracking capability, drill down ability, and handle mulitple ship to's. We don't use multi-currency but it certainly has this functionality and given that is was originally a Danish product I would suspect the multi-currency works well. Similar story with multi-entity, we have used with two entities, however I suspect its capabilities are far greater than what we have chosen to figure out. If you want to use it as a standard cost model, this functionality is only fair. It was designed as an actual or average cost system and the standard part is an add-on to service the US market... it's painful but it does work. It has a good level of ERP capability. As with anything Microsoft, documentation is fairly ..... vague. I'd be happy to talk with you further if you want to discuss further.