Customers help shape new release abas ERP 21

New version focuses on support for strained supply chains and further extends process reliability throughout product life cycles, KPI-based business management, and customizability

ERP provider abas, part of the Forterro group, rolls out the new version of its business software and presents abas ERP 21, a release that was developed in close cooperation with the abas ERP User Group (EUG) and the newly established customer committee abas Product Advisory Board. At the beginning of the version planning phase, there was a broad series of interviews with customers who then helped decide in the subsequent voting process which further developments were included in the new version.

The Advisory Board's task was to accompany the version throughout the entire development phase, check concepts for practical usability, and test functions at an early stage. The result of this consistent customer orientation is a release that is tailored to the current requirements of midmarket manufacturers. It comprises enhanced functions for a more flexible procurement planning, new dashboards for management and controlling as well as a new function package for a comprehensive and reliable mapping of product life cycles. Last but not least, abas continues to pursue its strategy of customizability in the standard release with the new version.

React flexibly to complex procurement and delivery situations

At the moment, the material shortage in the industry is almost overwhelming. However, challenges in material procurement have been hampering business development for midmarket manufacturers already for years. There is a great demand for the best possible software support in the procurement area, since reliability has become a considerable competitive advantage in supply chains.

abas ERP 21 offers additional possibilities to make requirement and delivery planning more flexible, counter risks proactively, and act quickly if necessary. For example, the fully automated material requirement planning and scheduling of the software, the "brain" of the ERP system according to the provider, has been further expanded. This includes extended process support and early scheduling of blanket orders as well as additional control instruments, such as early warning systems or buffers for immediate call-offs. Furthermore, make-or-buy decisions already made can be changed during the production process so that a quick and flexible response is possible in the case of internal capacity bottlenecks or sudden supplier failures.

Stay on top of costs and KPIs

Two dashboards specially developed for management and controlling also allow for swift counteractions. They visualize data that are critical for success in the form of KPIs or charts and provide valuable support for risk identification. With the new Management dashboard, managing directors have a daily overview of all important success factors such as the liquidity status, receivables, payables, account balances as well as the order backlog, and can identify any need for action at an early stage. The Controlling dashboard provides an overview of relevant financial data, key performance indicators and P&L* figures so that companies are always informed about cost factors and can counteract undesirable developments.

Process support: product life cycle

The request for better process support for product versions that are in different phases of the product life cycle also topped the customer voting list. The software manufacturer has included this request in the new release. abas ERP 21 provides a fine-grained mapping of product versions from design, prototype production and serial or single-item production through to discontinuation and offers automated support through recorded standard processes. Companies can also define their own life cycle phases as statuses and link them with workflows. In this way, even highly specific requirements can easily be implemented by means of configuration. Furthermore, abas ERP 21 does not only provide a transparent display of all product versions including their status information but also enables quick evaluations and sales forecasts. This makes it easier for companies to stay on top of things, even if they have a wide range of products and versions.

Extended customization options

Last but not least, abas has once again invested in the configurability of the software to meet the customers' request for an easy, upgrade-compatible mapping of their individual requirements. abas ERP 21 offers users even broader possibilities to adapt the ERP solution to their specific requirements and processes. For example, the modification and expansion of existing dashboards as well as the creation of additional custom dashboards has been further simplified. The "Data Visualizer" widget has been newly added to the Dashboard toolbox. It can be used to display detailed information on various key figures alternately in an extremely space-saving manner - either graphically or in tabular form.

Furthermore, the customizability of the mobile solutions for warehouse management and plant data collection are the focus of the new abas ERP version. The main objective was an easy implementation of customization: The recorded standard processes can be configured, expanded, and replaced by new standard processes even more conveniently while being certain that the customization will be fully adopted without any additional effort during the next upgrade.

_{*P&L (profit and loss report)}