Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP, a full service accounting and advisory firm, believes that the manufacturing industry will be redefined by cloud ERP software. Companies that have not evaluated their ERP in the last decade will be in for a surprise. Cloud based ERP solutions are bringing highly innovative capabilities that are reshaping the market for software.
Baker Tilly is seeing mid-size manufacturers marry ERP with enabling technologies such as in-memory cloud analytics, mobile applications, and collaboration technologies, just to name a few. A new generation of ERP is clearly emerging today.
“When enabling technologies such as social, mobile, and analytics are incorporated with these cloud ERP systems, business process change occurs in ways never before possible. These changes can be made cost effectively, and with speed, enabling manufacturers to re-write the rules of competition, to help propel them into a leadership position in their respective markets,” states Matt Haller, leader of Baker Tilly’s Enterprise Solutions practice. Baker Tilly has teamed up with leading cloud ERP vendors, Plex Systems, Rootstock Software, and others to offer its manufacturing clients unique modern solutions.
“A cloud ERP software platform is the crucial foundational component for the modern manufacturer interested in leapfrogging the competition. Not only does a cloud platform provide significant cost advantages over traditional on-premise ERP software, but it provides a foundation for enabling technologies, easier incorporation of external data, and executing business processes in ways never before possible,” Haller adds.
Baker Tilly has already delivered these solutions to existing clients. “Price fluctuation is a constant battle for a manufacturing company relying on commodity based raw material inputs,” says Peter Pearce, principal in Baker Tilly’s Enterprise Solutions practice. “By incorporating external data up-front in the estimating process with the Plex Online manufacturing system, we were able to preserve margins for a steel fabricator client.”
The same approach has also been applied to a Baker Tilly plastics manufacturer client.
“Plex Online has been championing cloud ERP for a long time. Market uptake for this type of solution has been building rapidly over the last few years and is attracting increasing interest from mid-sized and large enterprise organizations,” says Mark Symonds, CEO of Plex Systems. “We have been delighted with our Baker Tilly relationship through dozens of joint implementations and welcome the opportunity to jointly transform more manufacturers to new operating models.”
Senior Manager Cindy Bratel’s work at a multi-site manufacturer with another leading cloud ERP solution with a strong platform ecosystem, demonstrates Baker Tilly’s ability to incorporate several single purpose applications into a ‘total solution’ for the client by leveraging the platform for configuration, transportation, and tax reporting. “The multi-application approach is becoming the new norm,” Bratel says. “This approach is akin to how a consumer uses multiple applications from Apple or Android platforms.”
Baker Tilly understands that this model brings new challenges, however our expertise and network of leading cloud application vendors help us deliver value to clients by stitching multiple solutions together based on the client’s unique business situation.
Baker Tilly will be showcasing examples of these new cloud ERP possibilities through enabling technologies, platforms and the benefits of these solutions at the Plex Systems, PowerPlex user conference, week of May 14, 2012. Examples include the use of analytics to deliver precise decision making in today’s competitive environment as well as the incorporation of social tools into ERP software to enable internal and external collaboration.
Baker Tilly and Rootstock both sponsored the Cloudforce Social Enterprise Tour in Chicago on May 3 and will also be at Cloudforce Toronto on June 6. With Rootstock now available on the Force.com platform, Baker Tilly looks forward to providing solutions for clients that are committed to that platform. The Rootstock solution is a natural fit with Baker Tilly’s existing salesforce.com practice.
“Like Baker Tilly, we have extensive manufacturing experience. And also like Baker Tilly, we understand the power of Platform-as-a-Service technology. We’ve already created two ERP solutions on leading PaaS environments. Where Rootstock is transforming ERP software, we believe Baker Tilly is transforming manufacturers with modern ERP technology,” explains Pat Garrehy, CEO of Rootstock Software.
“This is a great time to be refreshing ERP software,” Haller concludes. “Modern cloud platforms coupled with other enabling technologies have changed the game, providing phenomenal possibilities for manufacturers that legacy on-premise providers cannot match in terms of cost, speed, and business agility.”