• New functional capabilities for Microsoft Dynamics AX focus industries – we’re continuing to expand the functional capabilities to help customers address specific business issues and improve their operations
• Improve business insights for all users – a key priority for us over the past few releases, we believe that improving insight in context to the work being done will improve productivity
• Simplifying international operations – reduce complexity within companies spread across the globe and those organizations that increasingly operate their business throughout multiple countries
• Continued focus on simplifying the application lifecycle for IT operations
• Addition of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 into 11 new countries: Brazil, Czech Republic, China, Estonia, Hungary, India, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia.

Keep checking our blog for more details. We’ll provide a full AX 2012 R2 benefits for Manufacturers posting as soon as we get the complete list.

At AX-iom we take pride in giving our manufacturing clients the best of both worlds – great ERP software (Microsoft Dynamics AX is quickly becoming the most sought after solution for the manufacturing industry) along with product and industry focused services that are meticulously delivered using the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Implementation Methodology.

But, how do you know if your ERP services partner whether providing Microsoft, SAP, Oracle or any other software, is the right partner for your ERP software implementation?  Our consulting team put their heads together to create a list of characteristics that they would look for in an ERP partner if they were to hire out an implementation.  Here is what they came up with…

An effective ERP software services partner should:

Know Your Industry

Not only should an ERP software services partner know your industry, if given the opportunity you should select one that specializes in it.  Specialists in your industry should be able to speak to the opportunities, challenges and competitive environment that you are facing; and be able to support their knowledge through the experience of client ERP implementations that will be similar to your own.

For example, AX-iom ERP maintains a much focused ERP services practice.  Our manufacturing industry clients make up nearly 100% of our business.  This focus allows us to offer our customers unparalleled manufacturing best practices knowledge delivered by a team of manufacturing expert resources. In addition, since our hiring practices are focused on this industry, every member of our consulting team has ERP implementation experiences in manufacturing industry environments to share and collaborate with our group.  This amplifies the level of expertise that is provided to our clients and their implemented solutions.

Provide Local Support

For multiple reasons having local ERP software support is a benefit to your business operations; 

• your ERP services partner will be familiar with your local environment including local regulatory compliance, taxation, and the local competitive market;
• it reduces the overall cost of your implementation;
• you are able to take advantage of synergies from your ERP software partner’s other local clients;
• it increases on-site ERP consulting time that is critical for training delivery and user adoption;
• it allows you to engage technical support quickly in case of a critical issue.

Local support although not critical to ERP implementation success is advantageous throughout your project.

Understand your Business

Knowing your industry is essential, but the project efficiencies that can be attained from an ERP partner that has more in-depth knowledge of your business is invaluable.  For example, choosing an ERP partner that has experience with your specific type of business, that has engaged in similar business processes or even has experience with your existing business software can help to streamline and possibly shorten your overall ERP software implementation time.  These ERP partners have a large advantage over others vying for your business – especially if they have great references to support their knowledge.

Have Deep ERP Software Knowledge

Confirm your ERP software partner’s application knowledge, don’t just trust what you have seen in demo’s and read on their website.  There are many ways to verify the knowledge that your partner may have in their supported ERP product.

• Validate ERP software certifications both at the company partner level and for each of the consultants that may be working on your ERP implementation.
• Consult the ERP vendor directly.  Learn about the working relationship between the vendor and the partner.  Get their opinion on the level of product knowledge that they have in comparison to other partners and resellers.
• Speak and visit with references that meet your specific criteria – local area, similar size and business type.

Be Comprised of a Team of Experienced Professionals

It may sound obvious, but a team of experienced professionals is essential to your ERP implementation success. We have discussed the importance of experience both in your industry and in the ERP solution, but what we have not emphasized is the importance of being backed by an organization that has a full staff of consultants to assist in your ERP projects.  Be certain that staff are not freelance, and are full-time employees of the organization.
Having an ERP team at your fingertips can provide the following benefits:

• Provides the opportunity to switch Project Managers or ERP consultants if any incompatibilities exist;
• Offers a variety of skillsets to draw from throughout your ERP implementation. For example, AX-iom employs manufacturing industry specialists in the areas of Technical Infrastructure, Financial, Manufacturing Operations, Programming & Development and Project Management;
• Ensures that post-implementation support personnel are available if ever required in an urgent or critical situation;
• Justifies the credibility and longevity of the organization.

Have a Focused Business Strategy

Many ERP services partners provide implementation and support services for multiple ERP products.  Although it demonstrates a wide knowledge of ERP software product, this strategy also indicates a lack of depth in any particular product.  Training and staff development dollars are watered down across multiple products rather than focused on gaining comprehensive knowledge on a single product.

Finding a partner, like AX-iom that focuses on a single ERP software product provides core product knowledge that translates to a smoother, quicker implementation.  AX-iom is a reseller and services provider for Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP software, its only ERP offering and sole business focus.

Has a Similar Corporate Culture

Your ERP services partner will be working at your location, working with your management team and working with your staff.  Finding an organization that fits with your own corporate culture will help to form a symbiotic relationship of collaborative thinking and partnership.  Don’t take culture for granted – if your team trusts, respects and is compatible with your partner, your implementation success will increase.  Common ERP implementation issues such as resistance to change and user adoption can be minimized simply by finding the right partner that can connect with your staff.

Is Reputable

Reputation is everything.  Make sure that you have verified your ERP partner’s references.  Naturally, every reference they provide will be a good reference, it is up to you however to get the right reference.  Ask them to provide references from companies that are similar to your own, that are running the same version of ERP software that you will be implementing and are local to your business.  In addition, if you have any hesitation call upon their other business partners and as mentioned earlier, the ERP product vendor can provide a wealth of information in comparison to other resellers that may be available for the selected ERP software package.

The best advice that we can give is for you to remember our consultant’s saying, “Average software implemented well is much better than good software that is implemented poorly.” Don’t forget that your choice of ERP reseller is just as important as the software that you choose.  If you review our eight points above, you are on the right track to finding a partner that can make your ERP implementation a success.

1.     Alzheimer Society

2.     Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation – MRI Campaign

3.     Cambridge Shelter Corporation

4.     Nutrition for Learning

5.     Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council

Congratulations goes out to all at Rotary Club Cambridge Sunrise for their continued dedication to the community and for organization of this very successful event.

MISSISSAUGA, ON – AX-iom ERP Inc., a Canadian-based Microsoft Dynamics AX enterprise resource planning (ERP) software value-added reseller (VAR) and services provider is proud to announce its achievement of Microsoft Partner Network’s Gold Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) competency.

Delivering Microsoft Dynamics AX solutions to the manufacturing industry, AX-iom has had tremendous success assisting discrete manufacturers in adding value to their businesses through ERP software. In just two short years, AX-iom has made great strides with Microsoft Dynamics AX, realizing aggressive growth through the addition of new Microsoft Dynamics AX clients and through signing existing Microsoft Dynamics AX clients in need of ERP upgrades and support. Their growth, which has led to an increase in resources by over fifty percent, is attributed to a focused strategy and their ability to create strong collaborative working relationships with their clients. AX-iom is considered to be a rising star in the Microsoft community and to date has not only achieved their Microsoft Gold ERP Competency, but has also earned its Microsoft Silver Data Platform competency and holds the distinction of having the first live implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 in Canada.

“We are very proud of the success that AX-iom has achieved in so little time” said Marc Harris, President of AX-iom. “Our team has a high level of expertise in both ERP software and manufacturing which we leverage to help our customers succeed in uncovering opportunities and increasing their profitability. With the in-depth knowledge that we have gained in delivering Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, we have strengthened our position as a leader in the deployment of ERP solutions to the Canadian discrete manufacturing industry. Earning our Microsoft Partner Gold ERP Competency was extremely important to us, and recognizes the hard work and commitment that our team brings to the table every day.”

To earn a Microsoft gold competency, partners must successfully complete exams (resulting in Microsoft Certified Professionals) to prove their level of technology expertise, and then designate these certified professionals uniquely to one Microsoft competency, ensuring a certain level of staffing capacity. They also must submit customer references that demonstrate successful projects, meet a revenue commitment, and pass technology and sales assessments.

“Gold competencies demonstrate your best-in-class expertise within Microsoft’s marketplace” commented Cathy Tracey, Microsoft Dynamics Partner Lead-Canada. “Earning a gold competency is evidence of the deepest, most consistent commitment to a specific, in-demand, business solution area, along with the distinction of being among only 1 per cent of Microsoft partners worldwide that have attained this outstanding degree of proficiency. This is a tremendous milestone for AX-iom ERP Inc.”

TORONTO, ON –With FABTECH Canada just around the corner, Microsoft Dynamics and AX-iom ERP are set to enlighten mid-sized manufacturers with the benefits that next-generation ERP software can offer their manufacturing operations.

Microsoft Dynamics and AX-iom will be sharing the stage at FABTECH Canada’s launch at the Toronto Congress Centre March 20 – 22, 2012. The manufacturing event caters to the fabricating, metal forming and welding community providing the most relevant and important information on industry standards, new products and latest technologies.

With enterprise software solutions taking on a more critical role in the success of manufacturing operations, Microsoft Dynamics and AX-iom will be presenting a one-hour session highlighting advancements in enterprise software technology. The presentation will review key manufacturing concerns and how next-generation ERP software acts as an essential management tool in reducing risk and increasing profitability for mid-sized manufacturers. Topics will include complex production environments, project-based manufacturing, supply chain management, and business intelligence.

Microsoft Dynamics and AX-iom will be presenting the session at FABTECH Canada’s Lunch & Learn venue to take place on March 21 at 1:00pm. Visit http://www.AX-iom.com for more details.

Toronto, ON – For Samco Machinery, continuous improvement is a strict regimen. Therefore it is no surprise that AX-iom ERP released today that Samco Machinery Ltd. has moved to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. A previous user of Salesforce, Samco is positioned to benefit from integrated CRM with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.

Samco Machinery ( www.samco-machinery.com ), a leading roll forming machine solutions provider with head offices located in Toronto, Ontario accepted the challenge of replacing their CRM solution upon their decision to move to Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP for their enterprise-wide management solution. Microsoft Dynamics AX offered Samco a solution that would embrace the complexities of their engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturing operations while providing a flexible, modifiable and familiar toolset. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 CRM will be utilized by Samco’s divisions located in North America and India and is expected to save the company significant subscription costs from their previous online CRM service provider.

AX-iom ERP is providing implementation services for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 which will be fully implemented at the manufacturer later this year. “The transition to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 CRM at Samco Machinery went very smoothly”, stated David Linton of AX-iom ERP. “AX 2012 provides Samco with all the functionality that they had previously been using in Salesforce and AX 2012 has the added benefit of being integrated with the rest of their ERP solution. Samco’s sales team can now take advantage of full visibility of all customer activities.” In addition to the increased visibility, Samco is realizing the following benefits from its CRM software transition:

• Robust CRM application with full support of Account, Contact, Lead, Prospect and Opportunity Management.
• Increased productivity through integration of CRM data with Microsoft Outlook e-mail
• Full integration with Microsoft Dynamics AX Enterprise Resource Planning Software providing full 360 visibility of customer activity
• Comprehensive Sales and Marketing utilities including Sales Pipeline and Marketing Campaign management
• Decreased training costs with all Samco CRM and ERP users in a single integrated application
• Increased flexibility in reporting using Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft SharePoint tools
• Significant annual savings of Salesforce.com subscription costs

Bob Repovs, CEO of Samco Machinery concurs with the importance of an integrated solution stating, “An integrated CRM solution, including estimating and quoting tools that will reduce the manual effort required to respond to RFQ’s will help us win more business.”

Samco is now enjoying the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 CRM as their ERP implementation continues to move forward towards their target date. AX-iom ERP remains focused at not only providing a successful implementation but at leveraging Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012’s tools to provide the best possible return on investment for Samco Machinery – a feat that can only be made possible through a next generation, robust and comprehensive ERP system like Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

January 23, 2012 – Mississauga, ON – AX-iom ERP Inc., a leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software services partner and reseller of Microsoft Dynamics AX confirmed that they would be exhibiting at the upcoming 2012 FABTECH Canada event to be held in Toronto, Ontario later this year.

Sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the FABTECH event is the first-ever to be held in Canada and will showcase the latest in manufacturing from the fabricating, welding, and metal forming sectors. “We are looking forward to the FABTECH event,” said Marc Harris, President of AX-iom ERP. “It will provide us with a unique opportunity to announce to the manufacturing community that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is no longer the big business application that they perceive. Microsoft has driven a new pricing and licensing model making it possible for manufacturers of all sizes to take advantage of the full functionality that Microsoft Dynamics AX offers. It is an industry changing model that will provide value to manufacturers like no other ERP on the market today.”

Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP system is Microsoft’s flagship enterprise software that offers a powerful, agile, simple solution that enables manufacturing organizations to run and continuously improve their unique mix of discrete, process, and lean processes, across multiple sites and geographies, on a single unified platform. With the arrival of the latest version, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 now delivers an ‘ERP for Everyone’ platform with Role-Based Pricing making the highly acclaimed application available to a much wider range of manufacturers. AX-iom ERP will be in attendance at the show to discuss Microsoft Dynamics AX functionality for manufacturers and the new Role-Based Pricing model.

AX-iom will be available at the Microsoft Dynamics AX Exhibit, Booth #1334 at FABTECH Canada which will be held March 20 – 22 at the Toronto Congress Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

AX-iom ERP Inc., a Canadian-based Microsoft Dynamics AX enterprise resource planning (ERP) software value-added reseller (VAR) and services provider announced today that it has received a second competency from the Microsoft Partner Network with its recent achievement of the Silver Enterprise Resource Planning competency. Attained through demonstration of high levels of customer service, proven experience and advanced ERP certification, AX-iom remains committed to the continuous development of its team and Microsoft Dynamics AX service offerings.

AX-iom, with offices located in Ontario, specializes in discrete manufacturing solutions, providing complex manufacturers with the pivotal support they require in reaching industry best-in-class performance levels. With AX-iom and Microsoft Dynamics AX, the visibility of the manufacturing process is extended resulting in an overall more profitable business and greater customer satisfaction.

The Microsoft Partner Network Competency places AX-iom in the top 5 percent of Microsoft Partners worldwide, showcasing its proficiency in ERP, and specifically its knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics AX. “AX-iom is dedicated in its approach to employ and continually develop its resources,” stated Marc Harris, President of AX-iom ERP. “This Competency supports our goal to deliver our customers unparalleled Microsoft Dynamics AX and manufacturing expertise that will help them to succeed in their industries.”

“By achieving a Silver Competency, partners have proven themselves as specialized technology experts with the skills needed to best serve customers,” said Jon Roskill, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “The Silver Competency in the Microsoft Partner Network is designed to help customers identify services and solution providers that have demonstrated proof of their capability to deliver quality outcomes and customer satisfaction.”

The Microsoft Silver Competency defines partners’ success as technology market leaders within a specific technology competency, with each competency having a unique set of requirements and benefits formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the industry. Requirements for the Silver Competency are comparable to the formerly recognized Microsoft Certified Partner criteria. All 28 Microsoft technology competencies differentiate a partner’s specific technology capabilities, helping customers find qualified solution providers with expertise in discrete areas quickly and easily.

For 40 years, Samco Machinery has been providing precision roll forming machine solutions to the building and construction, automotive, HVAC and appliance industries around the globe. Their innovative management style has recently allowed them to launch a new division for the solar industry to complement the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-In Tariff Program that encourages development of renewable energy under the Green Energy Act. This new venture, coupled with their need for improved integrated support with their branch offices in Canada, and India initiated their search for a stronger ERP solution that could support their growth well into the future.

Samco enlisted the services of AX-iom ERP to assist in their selection process. Specializing in services to ETO manufacturers, and even more notably, their intimate knowledge of VISUAL (Samco’s current ERP) made AX-iom a perfect choice. AX-iom’s VISUAL expertise enables them to quickly expose Samco’ s existing ERP shortfalls, recognize the immediate benefits that could be had with a more comprehensive and technologically advanced solution and provides Samco with invaluable advantages and efficiencies that can only be had from experts with in-depth experience in both their present and future enterprise applications. To establish the business case, AX-iom performed an ERP Diagnostic Assessment to quantify the return-on-investment that the new software would have on their business prior to performing an implementation. Through the evaluation, AX-iom was able to document their key processes and provide them with a detailed assessment outlining the impact the new ERP would have on their operations. The opportunities that were uncovered allowed them to prioritize their ERP implementation project requirements.

The benefits that Microsoft Dynamics offers are well-matched to Samco’s expectations. Microsoft Dynamics AX will:

• Improve overall business productivity through elimination of manual processes and integration of disparate systems.
• Leverage and extend their existing investments in Microsoft technology into their ERP.
• Improve quote response times and accuracy to drive customer service and sales.
• Allow projects to drive MRP and manufacturing through tight integration between modules – and even integration with Microsoft Project.
• Provide Bill of Material (BOM) integration with Inventor® software and AutoCAD® software using a bi-directional Product Data Management (PDM) solution.
• Increase visibility across their supply chain with complete integration that will incorporate all aspects of Samco’s operations.
• Support Samco’s emerging service business that can be implemented in a subsequent implementation phase.
• Fully integrate Human Resources to more proactively manage their workforce and their recruitment efforts.
• Deliver comprehensive multi-company, multi-currency, multi-language capability that will allow Samco to confidently proceed in their global growth aspirations.

Outside of the functional benefits above, Samco’s decision to select Microsoft Dynamics AX was solidified through Microsoft’s product commitment; a perceived risk with their existing ERP. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is to be released this August, and with a Roadmap and R&D budget that extends far into the future, Microsoft Dynamics AX is leading the industry in future development planning.

With the help of AX-iom ERP, Samco will begin their implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX in early June using a phased implementation approach. AX-iom will leverage its knowledge of VISUAL throughout the Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation to add and develop existing business and manufacturing processes to take advantage of all that Microsoft Dynamics has to offer this ETO manufacturer. “AX-iom’s knowledge of our existing ERP together with their knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics AX reduces our risk. “, said Bob Repovs, President/COO of Samco. “AX-iom identifies with our users, our goals, our strategy and our expectation for the new ERP technology. We feel confident that the partnership with AX-iom ERP will be a critical component in support of our international expansion plans.” Samco Machinery’s ‘go-live’ is targeted for first quarter 2012.