Out here in CA, what firms specialize in business solutions? I know that IBM and Intel offer pretty strong ones (anywhere from $30K to 6 figures)...

But is there any company that offers a complete business solution for manufacturing?

Everything from actually taking an order to shipping (all in one) including contact management, shipping costs, inventory, e-commerce, and so on.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

The one we just used here at JNJ is JD Edwards. The last one we used, over five years ago was Price Waterhouse. Really many consulting firms will be able to get you everything you need.

Konrad

 

Talk to any number of consultants. Have them evaluate the whole business/inventory/fulfillment processes that you use, then let them make a recommendation for you...

...in many cases, if your processes are streamlined, you may even get a recommendation to have a custom solution developed just for your needs rather than trying to make a vanilla soultion fit your needs.

You may also want to look into portal technology (PlumTree, Corporate Yahoo, etc.). Alot of the new portal products allow the use of proprietary functionality to be implemented into their products.

...I can't remember the name of the company, but there is one of America's largest office furniture manufacturer that used portal technology not only to support but also drive their "just in time" order fulfillment. They are very profitable with their solution too...they order only what they need when they need to fill their orders. They make parts and supply orders automatically as their customers order furniture. As their supplies are recieved, they make automatic payment, and recieve automatic payment/deposits from their customers...

Everything from their online catalog, online ordering, accounting, and shipping is automated.

One more avenue to try, call up UPS to see what kind of solution they have to offer.

 

I'd recommend trying any independant consulting solution also. Hiring a major company, like IBM would only provide someone with the skillset of any independant consultant at triple the price. For example, IBM could build you a custom solution for $50,000, say at $100/hr for 500 hours. Well, an independant consultant could do it for half that cost, and less hours.

You'll find pre-existing solutions out there, usually you'll have to buy it as a service, say like $40,000, another $10,000 to customize it, then $15,000/yr after that. This would be your quickest way of getting the most functionality, but generally programmers are programmers, no matter where they work.

Hint hint, www.jddevelopment.com

 

Isn't JD Development online only?

 

That's just the stuff we've done. It's pretty much just a buddy and I doing some stuff on the side, but possibly if you're looking for a solution, I'll see what we can do, just an idea to throw across.

 

Thanks guys.

Anyone else?