• View From the Top - Fruits of User Group efforts to be realized in Release 7.0
• Regional User Meeting Update - Q3 schedule of meetings now available
• VISUAL User Conference in Atlantic City – May, 2011 - Save the Date!
• New Products - VISUAL Release 7.0 Product Launch
• Customer Spotlight - Orthodontic manufacturer grows business with improved visibility over operations
• Product Extensions - Improve end user adoption of VISUAL and document your procedures faster with EPAK
• New Services - New Synergy Customer Portal goes Live
• Product Extension Modules - Products that enhance your VISUAL system

There are many reasons to look forward to the upcoming VISUAL product release, version 7.0, but probably high on my list is the fact that releases such as this one continue to demonstrate Infor’s commitment to the customer base. As we have discussed in many Local User Group Meetings in the past, it is important to share your ideas and work together to develop a consolidated list of product enhancements. And our message to the customer base has been that Infor will honor those requests, particularly when they are presented by a consensus of users.

Hopefully as you become aware of the contents of this new release, you will see some of the requests your local group has lobbied for in the past. And we hope you will continue to work together in local groups to build consensus over the features and needs that will help you to run your businesses at their peak performance. These successes should also provide encouragement to some of the newer Regional User Groups who are just beginning to pool their ideas together for future needs. With Pennsylvania now functional, and Eastern Canada about to begin as an independent user driven group, there are now 6 regional groups just in our eastern region alone from Canada to Virginia. Making it more feasible than ever for our customers to meet regularly with their fellow users each quarter.

Regards,

Mark Lilly
Partner

The much anticipated VISUAL Release 7.0 is now scheduled to be released for general availability by the end of the year. The release is expected to bring a variety of product and technology enhancements to the VISUAL user community. Many of which have come from the direct input of our customers. Infor’s VISUAL Product Manager, Danna Nelson will be on hand at many of the Regional User Group Meetings this Fall to discuss the enhancements that will be in the release. In the meantime, here are just some of enhancements that are planned to be included, below. Be sure to attend a local user group meeting to hear more details.

Ultimate Wireforms, Inc. – Bristol, Connecticut

Ultimate Wireforms was founded 22 years ago to provide high quality orthodontic products and services to a worldwide customer base of dealers and distributors directly serving orthodontic practices. The company was looking to boost service and reduce overall costs in order to improve market competitiveness.

"We knew what we needed in a new system, but it was a difficult process at the start because we didn't know what was out there," says Greg Lawless, information systems manager. "We started by looking at 10 different systems, then narrowed that down to four. Ultimately we selected Infor VISUAL because it most closely aligned with what we needed. It allowed us to do the most with the least modification of our business processes. It’s also very scalable - which has supported our growth."

High on the list of needs was that for greater visibility into overall supply and demand to improve efficiencies and customer responsiveness. "Most of our products have upwards of 10 to 15 operations. When we first implemented the system in 2005, we probably averaged 800 to 1,000 open work orders on the floor," says Doreen Goulet, Director of Customer Service. "When a customer called, VISUAL gave us the visibility we needed to easily answer questions about their shipment."

"The material planning window in the VISUAL Inventory Control module, coupled with the Bar Code Transaction (BTS) module, provided a great tool for getting a quick snapshot for where we stood. It enabled us to provide accurate commitments on shipping - and if need be, the information we needed to help expedite an order," she says.

Says Lawless: "Before VISUAL, we used to have to go out on the floor and yell, asking workers to tell us where an item was. The BTS module has been especially vital to augmenting improvement visibility, but also in eliminating manual effort and human error. It’s greatly aided us in streamlining our processes," Goulet says.

The company builds to finished goods inventory as well as to customer orders. Because its products are classified as medical devices, traceability of both components and finished goods is a critical, mandated requirement. "Where before it would take us upwards of 30 minutes to trace finished goods to raw materials - hoping that everybody had filed everything correctly, we can do a trace now in less than 60 seconds," Goulet reports.

She says "VISUAL has helped us improve efficiency in inventory management by about 20 percent. It’s also helped streamline order entry as much as 30 to 40 percent. But I couldn’t begin to put a number on how significantly the system has improved overall operations' workflow control."

IS Manager Lawless is impressed with the quality and commitment to support and service provided by Synergy Resources, Infor’s local value-added reseller. "They're extremely knowledgeable and always available. Even after hours, if I call with a question, they’re always happy to help out. And I can’t say enough about the support we’ve received from Infor tech support. It’s been outstanding. We had some initial concerns when Infor first acquired the product, but they have really stepped up. And they have invested a lot in enhancing the project in ways that directly support our continued business growth." Full Story