DELMIAworks

Pros

A wide range of modules supporting all of our business functions. Reliable front end (not many crashes at all). Solidly designed back end (tables, queries, indexes).

Cons

The user interface is due for an update (supposed to be here in 2016 but due for public release shortly as I type...glad they are taking their time to test).

Pros

We continue to increase our utilization of the system in ways that make us competitive in the industry. I enjoy how it helps us control our process through connected and real time data. Having everything from Quote to Cash in the same system helps our workflow and communication be consistent and repeatable.

Cons

The upgrade schedule and the following support schedule has been a bit tight, but they have recently made changes that I hope will relieve some of that pressure. For me, the upgrades have been a bit stressful, but I do know that they offer a support team at an additional cost.

Pros

Their in-house EDI team is awesome, they help us implement standard EDI with great attention and excellent integration capability. The EDI team also supports us with non-standard EDI which has been a game changer for optimizing external and shop floor operations and ultimately reducing touches. We've also had great interactions and a successful relationship with the in-house HMS team, hosting and managing our ERP environment, it's been a real win to leverage their expertise to eliminate our on premise hardware for ERP.

Cons

We operate in a fairly complex manufacturing space with lots of supply chain complexity, some of the existing offerings in those areas feel incomplete, there are a list of business functions that we've had to identify alternative solutions for and utilize non-standard tools and think outside of the box.

Pros

DELMIAworks is a fantastic manufacturing software that provides users with a wide range of options and features. It is extremely user-friendly, with a well-designed interface that is easy to navigate and understand. Additionally, it offers a great level of customization, allowing users to tailor the software to their individual needs.

Cons

Although DELMIAworks is a great software, it isn't without its drawbacks. It can be quite expensive and the customer service can be lacking at times, which can be frustrating.

Pros

I chose IQMS over other ERP Systems because it brought together all the company's functional areas into a single platform (Manufacturing, Finance, Quality). I also liked it was a single company with a single tech support number to deal with.

Cons

The implementation was a big project.... I wish I had been slightly more involved to prevent headaches down the road.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing DELMIAworks

Switched From

Pros

the GUI - user interface. Smartpage. CRM

Cons

their update process. updates nearly always break functioning portions of the software. the accounting aspects. many "feature" processes don't post to correct accounting GL's in the backend.
Way too expensive. KPIs and such never worked well. Webdirect never worked.

Pros

Fairly intuitive. Most areas are quick to use without a deep dive. Depending on your view one of the benefits is that you can jump from module to module via right click. Multiple ways to reach the same information.

Cons

Reporting is a little cumbersome unless you are well versed in Crystal Reporting or have the lead time to have a custom report built.

Pros

Its user friendly! Without having prior experience using an integrated system, I was able to lead a team, effectively self implementing from work station installs to setting up barcoding and scanning for Warehouse management.

Cons

Similar to any software, There can be a steep learning curve between modules in the beginning .

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to DELMIAworks

Pros

The software is huge and more customizable to our particular business model than competitors.

Cons

The system is huge, and it is impossible to learn it without ongoing training. Support is really a sales team for training, and consistently pushes customers in need of assistance to purchase training, in lieu of actually providing support.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to DELMIAworks

Pros

It is good to help keep some disparate systems in one single system. This allows us to house our CRM, Inventory Management and Manufacturing tracking in one system.

Cons

There has to be a fully trained admin to run the software. We have one, which means whoever has the highest priority gets their edits, this is not always great for all team members. When there are updates it wipes out all your previous user settings.

Pros

Purchased Dec, 2003, went live 05/2004 , replaced 4 separate DB's with 1 intregrated system, and added QA & maint tracking systems. No finger pointing, replacing stand-alone systems with one is a huge PRO in my mind. I was leery about EDI, much to my delight integration is outstanding. Front loads are visible in the schedule right away, instead of 24 hours later saving us expedite costs. The system is very intuitive, easy to learn, look and feel is consistent through the system From a users standpoint it is easy to operate. Help Files are superb, great care is taken into assuring their accuracy.
There is an abundance of drill down and right click functionality in the system. Example: almost immediately our President was able to go to Real Time Screen, jump to schedule, drill down to BOM and inventory item w/o knowing how to get into the individual modules. That kind of functionality makes the system very easy to navigate.

Cons

CS: 4. Knowledgable support staff but some issues take time to resolve, which can be frustrating from users eyes. (usually involve our use of the system not broken software) Very few calls due to broken software (usually after an upgrade) Never been DOWN due to software issue (this is big). But with so much functionality theres bound to be some problems. We get timely fixes when needed. IQMS is not perfect, but the software mostly JUST WORKS.
Feature richness- 4. IQMS offers about everything to run business (ex T&A, QA, HR), add-ons may not be best of breed (you may find some features are lost) but core functions are solid and they integrate. We find the compromise (not all bells/whistles)in some ancillary modules worth it because of the INTEGRATION in 1 DB.
Overall, very few cons, but pro is the con for IT. Upgrades affect everyone now (not just standalone users) But it helps a lot having just one company to work with.

Pros

Integrates very well in our environment. Users were able to understand how the use the system pretty quickly. Very good customer support. The real time screens give very good visibility into the state of operations. Easy to schedule. System help menus are very good.

Cons

Financials lacking in comparison to our 10+ year old ERP system. Missing some basic elements, like being able to add operator initials to a production label without having to enter all employees into the system and make sure they're all logging in as themselves. Unable to customize box count on production labels (reset box counts on a shiftly basis). Unable to set default label templates per customer ship-to. Had an issue lately after updating to newest version where PLM module didn't work any longer. The fix took over 10 weeks. Feel like the licensing for shopdata is a bit expensive. We'd like to have an IQMS station on every work center, but the cost of the shopdata licenses is prohibitive.

Pros

IQMS manages our injection molding operations extremely well. The scheduling and purchasing modules are slick, and the program can handle all the quirky aspects of our industry such as family tools, running down cavitation, concentrate let-down ratios, sales orders with multiple releases, etc. The Real Time monitoring system collects data as jobs are run, and managers can see the current status of all presses on a single screen. The captured info is used in the program to calculate 'runs best' data that is continually refined as jobs are run multiple times, and used in the scheduling module.

The program can do so much, and we are only using a fraction of its capabilities, but plan on using more and more as time goes on.

Technical Support is good, as are the on-site consultants.

Reports are written in Crystal reports, which allows infinite customization.

Cons

IQMS is not the most intuitive program, and thus there is a steep learning curve at implementation. For example, some very useful screens are really hidden and a user would never 'stumble' upon them or even know about their existance if not shown by a trainer. Also, the screens/menus are not consistant across all modules. For example, there are different ways to sort lists depending on what screen you are in. However, once users have been trained and have a month's experience in the areas they work in, it is very easy to manuever around.

The 'canned' reports are not always that great, but if you know Crystal you can tweak them to your heart's content. You can also request a custom report from IQMS for a fee.

The accounting module does the job, but is really awkward to use. (if your bookkeepers are accustomed to Quickbooks or Peachtree, they are going to 'hate' IQMS).

Pros

* Integration is the key - there is no finger pointing as the translator is integrated into the system.

* Superior technical support - IQMS employs top notch specialists on the EDI support team.

* Ease of Use - From end user's standpoint, the process of converting incoming data into a sales order is fairly simple

* Flexible - when customer's data requirements suddenly change - scriptiing adjustments can be made quickly and efficiently, without long wait times

* Visibility - order changes are visible as quickly as you need - we are able to see customer front loads as soon as they happen

Cons

* Set up can be complicated, depending on the customers' needs - due to the nature of EDI, setting up new trading partners are not always simple and straightforward - there is usually a tweaking phase to get the set up working correctly. While this is a con, it is also a plus because IQMS knows how their sales order module works; so they can be nimble with additional scripting adjustments, along with various switches that can manipulate the data properly.

* Need transport software-We use a 3rd party software, specializing in data transmission, it offered the full range of options needed to connect to traditional mailbox providers, although IQMS has flexibility to directly connect, we utilized another part of the IQ package to directly connect to a customer, saving both sides transmission KC costs.

Pros

Enterprise IQ is the only system that truly integrates manufacturing and financial systems together. Their strength is that it has been developed with the focus on manufacturing rather than financial. Most ERP systems start with the financial side including order entry, purchasing and the like most do not support manufacturing and manufacturing processes or recommend third party applications to enhance their system in an attempt to provide a full ERP solution. IQMS's focus has always been manufacturing first. The beauty of Enterprise IQ is that you have one install to support. The infrastructure is built so they all work together seamlessly. IQMS is one of the most customer focused organizations I know. The development cycle, User Group meetings and Change Request systems all work together to enhance or make the system more user friendly. They are very easy to work with, the staff is extremely knowledgeable about the entire system and are a pleasure to work with.

Cons

There are not many cons to speak of. I believe this is due to the fact that they have a very robust system that is extensively tested prior to release and that they are such a customer focused organization. They do not always accommodate all change requests however they do make an effort to review it and respond as to why or why not the change will be accepted or rejected.

Pros

EnterpriseIQ provides a full ERP system including a payroll module. There is no need to use 3rd party software to transfer/link labor time & attendance to payroll. MRP is easy to use and provides users with real-time availability and requirements through the use of finite scheduling. Powerful reports can be created through the use of Crystal Reports. Files can be linked with ease providing users with exactly what they want/need to be on "their" custom report. Bill of Materials are complete as they contain cycle time, labor, work center and materials required. A Preventative Maintenance module can track Tooling and Equipment usage and generate service work orders based on cycle counts or routine tasks. Each module allows attachment of documents, either Internal notes or External documents maintained through their Quality Module in Document Control. IQMS provides excellent customer support and welcomes user input as to the development & enhancement of their software.

Cons

The only issue that we have had with EnterpriseIQ is trying to integrate biometric fingerprint readers to use as our means of collecting attendance. The time clock capture is easy to use, however, there is no way to validate if an employee is clocking themselves in/out and/or a co-worker in/out.

Pros

I have found that the software is very easy to use because of the tools available. Our company utilizes just about every module IQMS has. Since it's impossible to know everything about the system I rely heavily on these tools. At any time I can access a help file, jump on a call or chat session with support, or reach out to the User Group community.

Cons

Because we are such heavy users of the software it can be hard to be fully prepared for an upgrade. I will add that they do a fantastic job letting their users know what is changing.

Pros

The flow and ease of using it. I feel it's very user friendly and easy to navigate through it.

Cons

The Accounting Bank Reconciliation. The worst!

Pros

IQMS has adapted to meet the needs of our customer requirements that are constantly evolving. They have also put forth a good effort to make enhancements to the system to improve or add functionality to the software for a better manufacturing ERP experience.

Cons

Upgrades can be a lot on the rough side. Even with testing prior to going live there are things that happen that should not. I am not sure if is a always a live load situation that provides the challenge, but there has been an increase with issues happening in the upgrade process. Support has also taken a hit over the past couple of years. Level 1 support is lacking on anything but basic issues. If there is anything complex, good luck. Also, if anything happens outside the normal front end interface about 50% of support won't even attempt to help you and the customer is on their own.

Pros

IQMS runs our plant - over the course of 20+ years we have had most modules of IQMS implemented. We could not perform our jobs without it. Because IQMS was initially designed for the plastic industry, there are inherent characteristics that make it the perfect fit. Their support teams are excellent no matter what problems we encounter. I have not found any other software or vendor that matches their service.

Cons

The cost has obvious impact on most decisions - but without a doubt - when we were first building our plant and investing in new equipment from office furniture, to infrastructure(chillers, compressors), to molding machines, the investment in the software was significant but was worth it to start out with from the beginning(even when we had no customers). The tough part now - is to make sure we are fully using all aspects of the software. My 3 star rating on implementation and 4 on ease of use, only reflects the fact that it requires a huge commitment to understand the many ways IQMS can be implemented. The commitment must come from everyone - who typically are very busy already with their regular job. It's complicated because the manufacturing process and assembly process is complicated. Also the technical knowledge required to learn/teach requires computer knowledge and industry knowledge. But once learned - it can be very powerful and something a company can't live without.

Pros

Available features. Every aspect of our business can be managed with EnterpriseIQ.

Cons

Updates are somewhat cumbersome. At peak times customer support can be slow to respond.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing DELMIAworks

Pros

I like that once you purchase a trading partner and template all updates to that transaction are included. There is very little turnover in this department so I'm usually able to work with the person who originally developed my templates. I also like that they ALWAYS answer the phone.

Cons

The only con that I can really think of is when I am trying to resolve an issue that involves the VAN. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what software needs to be updated. IQMS now offers VAN service which we are exploring.

Pros

The software is easy to use with the ability to jump to other modules within each screen. Upgrades are straight-forward and can be accomplished with in-house staff.

Cons

Releases tend to have a lot of bugs that may prevent upgrading. Be careful to test upgrades before applying to your live environment.

Pros

Relatively intuitive layout and features that enable customization and connectivity throughout the program. Excellent documentation and customer support when questions come up. Our company has used the software for six years and it's been serving us well. EIQ is designed to be worked out of almost completely and when taken advantage of, it can be very powerful in that regard.

Cons

Custom made reports via Crystal Reports take a long while to process in comparison to the on-board reports that come with EIQ, this can certainly cut into productivity time. Data maintenance can be a bit of a chore, sometimes, since mass loading cannot be handled by the end-user or the DBA(s). Unfortunately, there are no drill-downs available for inventory cost analysis.

Pros

On time delivery, product costing, production planning

Cons

The Cost for the annual maintenance of the software. Full technical is necessary due to the complexity of the software.