Software that has been developed by an outside company and is sold through a vendor.

Any outstanding balances that your customers owe to your company.

When assets are organized and sorted according to how long they have existed.

A manufacturing strategy that allows users to combine a limited number of sub-assemblies into a large number of possible finished items. This strategy is designed to allow a wide variety of customization options, shorter lead times, and low inventory risk.

A list of the type and quantity of components needed to build a part.

A build-ahead approach to production, where items are built ahead of time according to sales forecasts or historical demand.

A process whereby users are connected to their ERP software via the internet rather than to computer equipment at their location thus eliminating the cost and need to have the hardware infrastructure located and maintained at their site.

EDI replaces paper mail, fax and email by electronically exchanging order and fulfillment/billing information in a standard format between trading partners.

Assets that are necessary for production, but that are not going to generate cash within a year. These include assets such as equipment, vehicles, buildings, and more.

The process of installing and configuring ERP software. This process involves installing, configuring, testing, training and preparing an organization for the change.

A method in which all costs associated with a project are recorded over time, totaled at the end, and where the actual and planned costs are compared to generate variances that can be fed to accounting systems.

A communication system that controls the flow of the shop, and synchronizes the level of production to customer demand, and normally uses standardized quantities and movement tickets which travel with the production pieces from operation station to operation station.

A manufacturing method that focuses on the elimination of waste within a manufacturing system.  This approach helps determine the right combination of value for the customer needs, and producing that value in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

A number that is used to identify a specific quantity or lot of material from a manufacturer.

The schedule that a company uses to plan how many items need to be produced within a given timeframe. This time-phased production plan is comprised of forecasts, actual demand and supply and attempts to balance these components taking into account all resources.

A system used to plan production, scheduling and inventory.  An MRP system ensures that enough materials are available for production, enough finished products are available to deliver to customers, and that the lowest amount of materials and products needed are on hand. MRP also plans manufacturing activities, delivery schedules and purchasing activities.

In discrete manufacturing, the requirement to produce Make to Stock, Make to Order, Configure to Order, and Engine to Order products.  In order to accomplish this an ERP application must provide robust functionality for all modes simultaneously which can prove to be extremely challenging, and often requires creativity in configuration as well as flexibility on the business processes.

A group who is responsible for overseeing all aspects of a customer’s production resources.

The process of fulfilling and tracking customer orders.

 The time and place that a sales transaction took place. In ERP applications, this is normally the ability to handle retail or counter sales.

A unique document with an identifying number that grants a customer permission to return goods to a manufacturer.

 A description of the sequence of steps that materials need to go through in order to produce a fabricated part, sub-assembly, or finished product.

An approach that is designed to improve quality and lower the number of defects. This approach aims for six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit in any process.

A manufacturing philosophy focused on improving quality across the operation.

The way in which a software user is able to interact with a computer system.

A reseller that adds value to an existing software product through the addition of features or services, then resells it to end users.

a request that specifies the quantity and type of a material to be manufactured, as well as the date that it needs to be manufactured by. A Work Order also defines all component material and labor operations required to complete production of the manufactured item.

SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) is a unified environment that combines application development, data and analytics, integration, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Learn more about the BTP.

Any unpaid balances that your company owes to vendors.

The actual amount of money either paid for material or charged as labor, material, or overhead to a work order.

Distribution of cost in a manufacturing process.

When the vendor and consumer are both businesses, not end consumers.

A machine or workstation through which many production items must flow and which when overloaded causes a delay in the production process.

The process of calculating the production capacity that a business requires to meet planned and actual demand.

The process by which goods and services are bought and sold via the internet utilizing web sites that are virtual stores. Examples include businesses from banking to baked goods and everything on between.

A production approach where components are designed, engineered and built to specifications after the order has already been received.

 A process that uses historical data to predict future outcomes.

Two or more software functions within the overall ERP application that share data and combine functions, such as order processing and inventory control, or invoicing and accounts receivable.

A manufacturing facility that produces discrete, specialized, and fairly small manufacturing runs of products that are usually not repeated.

In Japanese, the word means “improvement”. This is the philosophy of continuous process improvement using analytical tools and methods.

An approach to helping a business achieve its goals through the development of agreed upon critical performance targets and the measurement of progress towards those targets. It can be, and often is, applied at every level of the business.

The degree to which capital can be turned into cash quickly.

A manufacturing process where manufacturing starts after receiving a customer’s order.

Associated primarily with moving, storing, and assessing materials used or consumed in manufacturing. Inventory management, quality assurance, production reporting, and cycle counting. Most material master data and inventory movements all fall within the scope of materials management.

Activities involved with transporting, storing, and evaluating materials used during the manufacturing process.

A suite of mobile transactions designed for hand-held devices. This allows users to selectively deploy bar-code enabled, hand-held mobile devices.

The person who is responsible for managing the computer network of a business, including its security and performance.

The loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one choice is made.

Unique identifiers that identify every SKU.

A request for approval to purchase a material or service.

A financial measurement that accesses how profitable investments are. This is calculated by dividing the expected return (profit) by the financial outlay.

The process of planning and arranging orders to maximize productivity, cost, and delivery times.

 A way of granting multiple people access to the same shared software application. An ERP buyer pays a one-time fee for each named or concurrent user to use the software.

The replacement of a software product with a newer, improved version.

A tool that helps businesses understand how their flows currently operate and helps them figure out ways to improve them in the future. This is achieved by creating a process map that is used to streamline processes across the entire supply chain. A Value Stream Map (VSM) is a process map that identifies all the steps and data streams required to produce a particular product or service while adding value to each step that results in improved customer satisfaction.

A real–time database of shop floor activity including new work, current work–in–progress, and completions. As work moves through the plant and operations are completed, the user receives instant feedback and is able to make adjustments to both the load (work orders) and the capacity to achieve a do-able schedule.

Commerce anywhere is a business model and marketing strategy that uses technology to connect businesses with customers across digital and physical touchpoints.

Learn more about the Path to Commerce Anywhere.