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January 2006
Friends of nFold,
Welcome to the 10th edition of nFold Software Quarterly, especially to our new subscribers.
Thanks for your interest in our newsletter. Please share it with your friends and colleagues.
To subscribe to this newsletter contact subs@nfold.com.
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MES Comparison
Hot off the press is the news that nFold has just completed an evaluation of competing Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
This type of software typically assists in the day to day management of manufacturing operations. The measurement and control devices used by manufacturers are not always sufficient for this purpose, nor do ERP systems always have enough production-specific abilities. Features may include :
- visibility
- genealogy
- planning
- quality
- tracking
- performance
- optimisation
The three finalists were:
- Ampla (from Citect)
- Siemens Simatic (from GijimaAST)
- Wonderware (from Ram-tec)
In the initial comparison of RFP responses, the Ampla solution was cheaper, but the Wonderware solution was quicker to deploy (depending on your solution partner).
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Both were more or less on par when it came to meeting the functional requirements of the customer with the minimum customisation or programming.
After reviewing the RFP responses and seeing the products in action, the Siemens solution seemed strong on business process definition; the Ampla solution was bundled well and had a very visual way to explore genealogy; while Wonderware solution was the most intuitive to the future users of the system.
The jury is out. As always, there are pros and cons to consider before it becomes clear what the best solution might be for this particular customer requirement.
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Enterprising Open Source
In today's software spotlight (see below), nFold has profiled three open source software solutions. All of these solutions seem feature-rich and robust and one is already widely used by those in favour of the open source initiative. The up-side of open source is it's free. What's more all the software profiled runs on a Windows platform (as well as Linux). The down-side is that you may need to have some level of IT support to implement the solutions and solve any technical problems that may arise when you install and configure the software. Go open source!
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SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT
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| INFORMATION |
CUSTOMERS |
EMPLOYEES |
| sql-ledger is an open source double-entry accounting system. When items are bought or sold, the accounts are automatically updated. It has templates you can customise for financial statements and other documents (such as invoices). It also supports multiple languages. Download from www.sql-ledger.com. |
vtiger is an open source CRM system. It can synchronize contacts, tasks and meetings with Outlook. It has features for contact management, sales and marketing management and helpdesk. A customer portal is also available. The system is accessed via a browser and can be customised. Download from www.vtiger.com. |
OpenOffice is widely used on the Linux platform as an open source alternative to MS Office. It runs on Windows too. Components include word processing, presentation, vector drawing, spreadsheet, database and function creator. It supports open document formats. Download from www.openoffice.org. |
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NFOLD NEWS CORNER
In January, Theresa Monoyoudis joined the nFold family in a customer liaison role. Her energy and enthusiasm are already a great asset to the company. I trust you will all interact with her at some point in the not too distant future. Her friendliness and winning smile are sure to delight you. Welcome Theresa, and we hope you will enjoy your journey with nFold!
This year, nFold will be hosting a breakfast function every month from February to November. The first one will probably be about mid-sized ERP systems on 21 February - so be sure to keep the time free from nasty meetings and enjoy some time with us then. You will have a chance to network with your peers and learn some interesting facts about enterprise software. If you have any theme suggestions, please email them to subs@nfold.com.
If you are likely to need help this year in researching, sourcing and/or selecting software, then act quickly. Until 31 March, you could save 10% off nFold's software advisory services. For more information visit www.nfold.com/special.htm or contact sales@nfold.com. Trust nFold for impartial advice on software. We're the software specialists.
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