Infor VISUAL is an ERP software focused on manufacturing companies with business intelligence, planning and scheduling, and pricing, quoting, and estimating capabilities, among others.
N/A
VAI ERP
Score 8.4 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
VAI ERP (or S2K Enterprise) is a cloud-based ERP solution for durable goods distributors and manufacturers, offering multiple order processing options, inventory and purchase management, warehouse management, and customer relationship management features.
I struggle to identify a scenario where VISUAL is an appropriate solution. We used VISUAL because it was a legacy system and the cost/complexity of changeover seemed daunting. The user interface is poor as is the interconnectedness of the various screens and menus. This might be an acceptable piece of software for a continuous manufacturing environment with little variation of basic design, but we have had to write multiple add-on macros in order to get VISUAL to work effectively for us.
VAI base package software has a lot of productive tools that can be used for a lot of different types of businesses. At first I was taken back by this saying it would just be more efficient if they would just build it more specific to a certain business type, but now stepping back i see why they don't. They are able to customize it more to my needs
Infor Visual has a standard way of addressing business operations: sales orders, invoicing, reporting. It is easy to train operators used to using a manual or other ERP system.
Material control is easy for production runs, R&D material lists and repairs. The process of receiving, issuing and returning material to inventory is facilitated by standard interfaces that are easily learned by material control operators.
Engineering changes to bills of material are facilitated by the "engineering Master" flexible editing capability. The version control for the BOM's can be as detailed or vague as the process designed dictates. One item of a BOM or the entire BOM can be changed quickly and approved for production that day.
VTA has been extremely unreliable. I would not recommend it. It is not customizable at all. There is no logical way to handle shift differentials which is a huge issue with a company that runs 24/7.
If you do not have a schedule set up, they cannot clock in. This poses a problem for anyone that gets called in on a shift they don't normally work on.
Good Technical and Customer Support during and after implementation tasks. Good Project Plan and Management support for implementation and post implementation. Financial functionality could be more comprehensive particularly with Budgeting and Cash Management. Inventory Management capability was adequate but could be more comprehensive as well. "Out of the Box" functionality was adequate but requested add-ons and enhancements seemed to be a bit pricey.
Often times it seems people want to learn a platform in seconds and if they can't they say it is not "user friendly." There are some platforms that can do so much that it is just going to take time to learn it all. To me that is a good thing. S2K takes time to learn but it is worth it. It can transform your organization.
Could have used more hands-on approach. There are multiple webinars and information sessions but until you actually use the system, these are not very helpful.
If this is someone's first ERP implementation, I strongly suggest you ask for services to help implement. Ask for training on every aspect of the implementation. Make sure this is put into the overall ERP quote
We unfortunately did not evaluate any other ERP software. VISUAL was a legacy system and we determined that changing systems would be too difficult, and not cost effective. We reached out to our local VISUAL rep who knew how the software functioned, but not how to apply it more appropriately to our business model, so we continued on with what we had rather than looking elsewhere.
S2K offered a system that could be used by various departments. There were modules for accounting, customer service, order entry, and web development. The ability to customize the website integration was a plus. S2K allows the option to have products in different warehouse locations. This allowed us to better manage inventory and see in real time what the stock status was
Sales - since all screens are real-time, S2K helps keep our salespeople up to date with customer sales and their overall sales for each period/year.
CSR - tracking of customer orders from point of entry to invoicing, being able to give the customer current information on their order by viewing a single screen.
Purchasing - with multiple locations, tracking, and having inventory in the correct location to meet the customer demands that are shipped from their home location.
Warehouse bin/item management makes picking orders a fast, accurate process, with the addition of order verification.
Accounting - being able to see real-time information across all applications. A/R, A/P, and G/L.
