ABAS ERP - No Further Questions.
Pros
- Flexibility. ABAS is fully customizable. This allows us to create a work environment that is as custom as we are. Some ERP software packages force you to adopt their methods. With ABAS we can build the system the way we want it to work.
- Adaptable. ABAS has the ability to work with other software packages and provide a seamless connection. We use Solid Works for our engineering designs. ABAS is connected to Solid Works and this eliminates transfer errors while reducing the time it takes for engineers to load bills of material.
- Service. ABAS has well-trained service technicians. The time it takes to get a response is minimal and the network of knowledge their support group has, helps to streamline any tasks we may present or questions we may have.
Cons
- ABAS is headquartered in Germany with a US based headquarters in Virginia. Some of the programming structures were based on European methods that differed somewhat from the way business is done in the US. ABAS-USA has worked to modify the system so that it is in tune with US business practices and has made great strides in this effort. For the average user, the structures may go unnoticed, but for the more advanced user, some of the field names that are used for advanced reporting might be in German. However, ABAS-USA has recently been updating the programming language to be fully in English.
- Because ABAS is growing rapidly, more complex customizations might take longer to complete than normal. ABAS appears to be bringing on even more technicians to handle the increased workload so the concern is waning.
Return on Investment
- ABAS has the capability to handle many of the processes that we did on various software platforms. Since we've been able to consolidate these platforms, the cost of subscriptions, maintenance and management hasve been reduced.
- Efficiency was a noticeable impact right from the start. In the past, reports from one system had to be loaded into another in order to provide the analysis needed for business decisions. Connections to our design software also reduced the amount of time our engineers spent manually creating bills of material and purchase requisitions.
- The ability to see what's happening in various business functions all in one place has helped with decision making and provided the data necessary to ask the right questions when arriving at those hard decisions.
Alternatives Considered
Quickooks, Fishbowl Manufacturing (FBM) and Epicor Activant OpenERP
Other Software Used
Smartsheet, Slack, DPS Outlook Office