ieuga : Messages : 263-333 of 521

#264

From: "ljwhite1997" <ljwhite1997@...>
Date: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:17 pm
Subject: Re: ICUME on 8.4

ljwhite1997

Ruth,

Since we upgraded in April we have been getting the same error message. I can
let you know for sure on Monday when I do my close how many transactions we
have, but I believe that it is usually close between 15,000 - 20,000
transactions.

Laura White
BioPro, Inc.
Accountant
17 Seventeenth St.
Port Huron, MI  48060
810.982.7777 x. 119

--- In ieuga@yahoogroups.com, Ruth Updegraff <rupdegraff@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Anyone run into a 'timeout error' when running the inventory monthend
> update utility? If you have, can you let me know the approx. size of
> your inventory transactions table?
>
>
>
> Many Thanks,
>
>
>
>
>
> Ruth Updegraff
>
> Mgr, Business Process & System Dev.
>
> 408-496-2269
>

#265

From: Ruth Updegraff <rupdegraff@...>
Date: Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:28 pm
Subject: Feedback on 8.4

hamrgraf

We are about to upgrade from 8.1.1 to 8.4 and would like input from any users who have made the transition.

What’s good?

More importantly – what problems have you encountered?

Thanks to users who responded about the timeout error already.

Ruth Updegraff

Mgr, Business Process & System Dev.

408-496-2269

#266

From: "jacobson_hti" <lynn.jacobson@...>
Date: Thu Sep 3, 2009 12:54 pm
Subject: Need for Sales documents in multiple languages (v8.1.1)

jacobson_hti

We are in need of providing our Order Acknowledgment, Invoice, Packing Slip and
Return Authorization forms in multiple languages.

We created separate Crystal Report forms for all of these documents in French,
utilizing User Fields 15 & 16 in the Part Master for the French description for
a part.
However, this will not be an option for additional language requests.

Has anyone else found a solution to this problem?  A separate database table
that houses translations?

Thanks for your help!

Lynn Jacobson
Systems Analyst
Hutchinson Technology Inc
BioMeasurement Division

320.587.1834

#267

From: "jacobson_hti" <lynn.jacobson@...>
Date: Thu Sep 3, 2009 12:56 pm
Subject: Need for Sales documents in multiple languages (v8.1.1)

jacobson_hti

We are in need of providing our Order Acknowledgment, Invoice, Packing Slip and
Return Authorization forms in multiple languages.

We created separate Crystal Report forms for all of these documents in French,
utilizing User Fields 15 & 16 in the Part Master for the French description for
a part.
However, this will not be an option for additional language requests.

Has anyone else found a solution to this problem?  A separate database table
that houses translations?

Thanks for your help!

Lynn Jacobson
Systems Analyst
Hutchinson Technology Inc
BioMeasurement Division

320.587.1834

#268

From: "ljwhite1997" <ljwhite1997@...>
Date: Tue Sep 8, 2009 12:52 pm
Subject: Active/Inactive Stores Codes

ljwhite1997

We currently have over 100 different stores codes and many that are inactive. We
need to keep the inventory transaction history for all of the stores codes so we
cannot delete or reuse the same stores code. We could utilize the "lockout"
feature but when doing a month end close we do a mass change to lockout everyone
so that no transactions can take place. Then once the month is closed we do
another mass change to unlock all of the stores codes.

We are wondering how other companies handle Inactive Stores Codes. We are open
to any suggestions.

Thank you,
Laura White

BioPro, Inc.
17 Seventeenth St.
Port Huron, MI  48060
810.982.7777 x. 119
lwhite@...

#269

From: "Begin, Jane" <jbegin@...>
Date: Tue Sep 8, 2009 1:08 pm
Subject: RE: Active/Inactive Stores Codes

janiebegin2001

Did you try removing all security rights to inactive stores?

Jane Begin

Operational Cost Manager

Palomar Medical Technologies,Inc

82 Cambridge Street

Burlington, Mass. 01803

Phone: 781-993-2332

Fax: 781-993-2340

E-mail: jbegin@...

Confidentiality Notice: This page and any accompanying documents contain information that is confidential, privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law and is intended for the exclusive use of the addressee. This information is private and protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information in any manner is strictly prohibited.

From: ieuga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ieuga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of ljwhite1997
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 8:52 AM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ieuga] Active/Inactive Stores Codes

We currently have over 100 different stores codes and many that are inactive. We need to keep the inventory transaction history for all of the stores codes so we cannot delete or reuse the same stores code. We could utilize the "lockout" feature but when doing a month end close we do a mass change to lockout everyone so that no transactions can take place. Then once the month is closed we do another mass change to unlock all of the stores codes.

We are wondering how other companies handle Inactive Stores Codes. We are open to any suggestions.

Thank you,
Laura White

BioPro, Inc.
17 Seventeenth St.
Port Huron, MI 48060
810.982.7777 x. 119
lwhite@bioproimplants.com

#270

From: Laura White <ljwhite1997@...>
Date: Tue Sep 8, 2009 1:14 pm
Subject: Re: Active/Inactive Stores Codes

ljwhite1997

Jane,

Now that was an easy answer - I didn't even think about that! I will try that...

Thank you,

Laura White

From: "Begin, Jane" <jbegin@...>
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 9:08:40 AM
Subject: RE: [ieuga] Active/Inactive Stores Codes

Did you try removing all security rights to inactive stores?

Jane Begin

Operational Cost Manager

Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc

82 Cambridge Street

Burlington, Mass. 01803

Phone: 781-993-2332

Fax: 781-993-2340

E-mail: jbegin@palomarmedic al.com

From: ieuga@yahoogroups. com [mailto:ieuga@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of ljwhite1997
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 8:52 AM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [ieuga] Active/Inactive Stores Codes

We currently have over 100 different stores codes and many that are inactive. We need to keep the inventory transaction history for all of the stores codes so we cannot delete or reuse the same stores code. We could utilize the "lockout" feature but when doing a month end close we do a mass change to lockout everyone so that no transactions can take place. Then once the month is closed we do another mass change to unlock all of the stores codes.

We are wondering how other companies handle Inactive Stores Codes. We are open to any suggestions.

Thank you,
Laura White

BioPro, Inc.
17 Seventeenth St .
Port Huron , MI 48060
810.982.7777 x. 119
lwhite@bioproimplan ts.com

#271

From: george popovich <takamine94539pop@...>
Date: Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:38 am
Subject: Re: ICUME on 8.4

takamine9453...

Hello from Hamburg Germany!

See you online every once in awhile. How are you doing? Say Hi to Charlie, Steve and Tim for me.
Cheers,

--- On Wed, 8/26/09, Ruth Updegraff <rupdegraff@...> wrote:

From: Ruth Updegraff <rupdegraff@...>
Subject: [ieuga] ICUME on 8.4
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2009, 8:25 AM

Anyone run into a ‘timeout error’ when running the inventory monthend update utility? If you have, can you let me know the approx. size of your inventory transactions table?

Many Thanks,

Ruth Updegraff
Mgr, Business Process & System Dev.
408-496-2269

#272

From: Susanne Malabey <susannem@...>
Date: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:11 pm
Subject: I would like to put a posting up with the group for a job opportunity.

susannemalabey

Susanne Malabey

Senior Technical Staffing Specialist

Advanced Software Talent

308 Lang Road

Burlingame, CA 94065

Phone: 650-340-4925

Fax: 650-745-1383

E-Mail: susannem@...

25 Years Delivering Specialty Information Technology and Engineering Talent

Advanced Software Talent delivers world-class contract technology talent. Our core expertise is delivering the best talent in Project Management, Data Warehousing, Business Analysis, Business Intelligence, and Software Engineering. Advanced Software Talent builds partnerships with its customers through sound business and staffing decisions that deliver value and successful projects.

#273

From: "SusanneM" <susannem@...>
Date: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:16 pm
Subject: Urgent need for Technical/Functional Expandable consultant for 6 - 8 months cont

susannemalabey

I have an urgent need for a Technical/Functional Expandable consultant for a 6 -
8 months project in the Silicon Valley.

Consultant would be responsible for configuration on changes to the planning
module of this project.

Please contact me at susannem@...

#274

From: Ruth Updegraff <rupdegraff@...>
Date: Mon Oct 5, 2009 11:45 pm
Subject: Multiple MRP Runs

hamrgraf

We are considering running multiple MRP’s because we have 2 different shipment locations – 2 main stockrooms. The only method of which I am aware (version 8.1.1) is to literally run MRP twice, which clears out the part plan and replaces it with the new one. Has anyone discovered a way to do this any more elegantly?

Ruth Updegraff

Mgr, Business Process & System Dev.

408-496-2269

#275

From: "Emily Tsang" <etsang@...>
Date: Tue Oct 6, 2009 3:31 pm
Subject: RE: Multiple MRP Runs

capejewels888

You can create a different revision plan (sales forecast editor), OR, R1, R2 etc., then you can run as many as you want. I used to run two different revisions to check out the increase or decrease forecast plan.

From: ieuga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ieuga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Ruth Updegraff
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 4:46 PM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ieuga] Multiple MRP Runs

Ruth Updegraff

Mgr, Business Process & System Dev.

408-496-2269

#276

From: "Jon Heiner" <Jon@...>
Date: Tue Oct 6, 2009 11:09 pm
Subject: Use of WinBatch to automate running reports

jonbroad2000

This is a question for anyone who has used the WinBatch script language to automate tasks in Expandable.

I have written a WinBatch script to run a daily report from the Reports menu. For many operations, it simply locates the mouse in the correct spot and clicks. This is not robust, however, because anything that changes the screen appearance will cause it to fail.

To improve this, I am trying to use commands to select the report by name. I can use the SendKeysTo command to bring up the report window from the main menu, but I cannot get this command to select the correct report from within the Reports window. (The manual does say this command does not work with all programs.) Has anyone solved this problem? In general, I would be delighted to share tips and tricks with anyone who is using WinBatch with Expandable.

Jon Heiner

Proteus Industries Inc.

#277

From: Cheryl Brown <cbrown@...>
Date: Tue Oct 6, 2009 11:45 pm
Subject: RE: Use of WinBatch to automate running reports

cheryl_brown...

Hi Jon,

I have found that sometimes it is necessary to use the SendKey command. You’ll need to play with it and see which command works in each situation – sometimes I use SendKeysTo and sometimes I use SendKey. I’ve also found it necessary to build time delays into the script. Without them it sometimes fails. Below is a sample section of one of my Winbatch scripts. Note that GoSub Xport sends the script to a subroutine that I have set up to export the files to pdf.

SendKeysTo ("Expandable","!srr")

TimeDelay(4)

SendKey ("{TAB}Receiving Inspection Costed Status~")

TimeDelay(3)

WinWaitChild ("Expandable", "Receiving Inspection Costed Status", -1)

TimeDelay(3)

GoSub Xport

SendKey ("^{F4}")

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Cheryl Brown

Aurora Networks

Business Systems Analyst

916-941-6079

From: ieuga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ieuga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jon Heiner
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 4:10 PM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ieuga] Use of WinBatch to automate running reports

This is a question for anyone who has used the WinBatch script language to automate tasks in Expandable.

Jon Heiner

Proteus Industries Inc.

#278

From: Osher Yam <zod91@...>
Date: Wed Oct 7, 2009 1:39 am
Subject: Re: Use of WinBatch to automate running reports

zod91

Jon,

Once you opened the reports screen you need to use the down arrow and tab to get where you want to go. Let me know if works for you.

Osher

The Warrell Corp

From: Jon Heiner <Jon@...>
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, October 6, 2009 7:09:31 PM
Subject: [ieuga] Use of WinBatch to automate running reports

This is a question for anyone who has used the WinBatch script language to automate tasks in Expandable.

Jon Heiner

Proteus Industries Inc.

#279

From: Dominique <7domino@...>
Date: Wed Oct 7, 2009 10:12 pm
Subject: Re:Use of WinBatch to automate running reports

iwvdominique

I agree that sometimes you do have to build in timedelays.

However, splitting the "~" from the report name has proven pretty solid for me.

As follows:

SendKeysTo ("Expandable", "{ALT}srr") ; Call Reports

WinWaitChild("Expandable","Reports",-1)

SendKeysChild ("Expandable","Reports","{TAB}") ; Position to the right pane

; Run Reports

; Receiving Inspection Costed Status

SendKeysChild ("Expandable","Reports","Receiving Inspection Costed Status")

SendKeysChild ("Expandable","Reports","~")

WinWaitChild ("Expandable","Receiving Inspection Costed Status",-1)

ReptName="Receiving Inspection Costed Status"

GoSub ExportPDF

.......

Since you also send mouseclicks, you might be interested in this code that takes into account different screen resolution where your batch is executed.

; used to find coordinates for mouse clicking

width = WinMetrics (0) ; nb of pixels for screen width

height = Winmetrics(1) ; nb of pixels for screen height

xclick = 256000/width ; coordinates of export button in crystal preview

yclick = 37632/height ; with standard Expandable options

xprint = 234496/width ; coordinates of print button in crystal preview

where you multiply your test x coordinate by your test WinMetrics(0) etc

I use Winbatch with Expandable but also other software and would also be delighted to share tips and tricks.

Dominique Sugarbroad

650-219-9119

#280

From: "Mark Romboli" <mromboli@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 12:40 pm
Subject: Good point and bad points of Expandable

markr1306

Hello there

We are looking into purchasing Expandable, we went through a 4-hour demo this week, while they showed us all the good points and what we wanted to see, I thought I would solicit comments from this group, Appreciate any feedback pro or con about the system.

WE are a light manufacture mostly assembly, with 3 major product lines we are mostly a build to order shop . We are growing. Currently we use Peachtree for Mfg. We have multi level bill of materials, and are no just getting into ECN etc. We need better inventory management, and want to get into lean initiatives.

Mark Romboli
Controller
Teledyne Webb Research
82 Technology Park Drive
East Falmouth, MA 02536
Tel: 508-548-2077 Ext 118
Fax: 508-540-1686
Email: mromboli@...
Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments. Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of
the intended recipient(s) and may contain private, confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, employee or agent responsible for delivering this message, please contact the sender by reply e- mail and destroy all copies of the original e-mail message.

#321

From: "Alison Austefjord" <aaustefjord@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 4:10 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

kehrlia

One of the largest downsides for Occam Networks is that the system is not extensible. There are no APIs available (except one-way to Salesforce.com) so if you want any kind of integration with another system, you have to go to Expandable for a modification. We are also dependent on Expandable for any modifications we would like to make as the code is not distributed with the software.

Alison Austefjord-Bakewell

Sr. Director, IT

Occam Networks, Inc.

From: ieuga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ieuga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mark Romboli
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 5:41 AM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ieuga] Good point and bad points of Expandable

Hello there

#322

From: "Alison Austefjord" <aaustefjord@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 6:08 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

kehrlia

By the way, I would be happy to expand on this a bit more and give you more feedback. I understand that Expandable does plan to release more APIs in the future.

Alison Austefjord-Bakewell

Sr. Director, IT

Occam Networks, Inc.

510-360-3766

From: ieuga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ieuga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Alison Austefjord
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 9:10 AM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [ieuga] Good point and bad points of Expandable

Alison Austefjord-Bakewell

Sr. Director, IT

Occam Networks, Inc.

Hello there

#323

From: Jonathan Borden <jborden@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 6:02 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

silvermustan...

I agree that having no easy way to import data into expandable has been a problem for us as well. We have also had problems with scheduling of job tickets because expandable assumes infinite capacity.

Jonathan Borden

Information Technology Manager

Brush Research Manufacturing Co., Inc.

4642 Floral Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90022

Phone: (323) 261-2193

Fax: (323) 268-6587

Email: JBorden@...

www.brushresearch.com

BRM- innovators in brush technology

Alison Austefjord-Bakewell

Sr. Director, IT

Occam Networks, Inc.

Hello there

#325

From: "Emily Tsang" <etsang@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 6:22 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

capejewels888

It is still probably the best choice out there, at least for us. Its basic ERP functionality is very good, and inventory and job tracking is easy and intuitive. The reporting flexibility is also really good. In addition, the support both directly from Expandable, and from the user’s group, has always been impressive.

Our only complaints would be that it is not perfect for lean. It does not calculate or maintain kan ban bin sizes. While it does fine with the backflushing transactions, we had to figure out a way to automate the kan ban bin barcoding. That said, we have looked at other ERP systems, and none of them, especially the big ones, seem to have any good kan ban bin sizing functions. Expandable does keep saying it is something they are working on.

-Brian

Brian Byrne

Director of Operations

Teledyne API

Hello there

Mark Romboli
Controller
Teledyne Webb Research
82 Technology Park Drive
East Falmouth, MA 02536
Tel: 508-548-2077 Ext 118
Fax: 508-540-1686
Email: mromboli@webbresearch.com
Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments. Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

#326

From: "bswedroe" <ceo@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 6:53 pm
Subject: APIs

bswedroe

The API point is definitely valid. However, one of the key things about
Expandable is that we do listen to our customers and adding API's is a
commitment that I made to our customers during our Annual User Group Meeting in
May 2009.

This commitment is turning into reality as we have already developed an API for
Inventory Issues, Inventory transfers and for our Customer Master. Before we
release the APIs for general availability we have to complete the SDK (Software
Developer's Kit) and to finalize the support logisitics.

In addition, our #1 development priority of the Company is to deliver a Sales
Order API and our development team is making great progress and we expect this
to be available in Q1 2010.

Bob Swedroe
President & CEO
Expandable Software

#327

From: "Jon Heiner" <Jon@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:16 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

jonbroad2000

Proteus Industries has used Expandable for over two decades and, as this length of time suggests, we are quite satisfied. As I recall, we were somewhere around customer number 10. In some ways, this experience makes me highly qualified to comment on the product because of long experience, and in some ways less qualified because I lack experience with competitive products.

We originally selected Expandable because it was one of the few companies that (two decades ago) had a comprehensive solution for small to medium size manufacturing companies, integrating manufacturing, accounting, sales and purchasing. Over the years, we have extended the basic package with our own Crystal Reports, which are integrated into Expandable’s reporting as well as by exporting data to Excel for further analysis. Recently, we have been automating routine functions using a scripting language, WinBatch. As was the case when we adopted Expandable, it still meets most of our ERP needs at a reasonable cost.

While highly satisfied, there are areas that are imperfect. The area that leads to the most discussion at Proteus is that there is no easy way for people in marketing to know if there are parts shortages that will impact standard lead times. We build product to order, so we cannot look at top level inventory when quoting lead times. Expandable cannot look through the layers of the bill of materials in real time to see if there are shortages that would impact a new order. Obviously, MRP will detect this, but we run it once a day. We use an Excel macro to compare the MRP file to new customer requirements when quoting lead times on new orders, but this is imperfect. An ideal system would run MRP in background to permit accurate real-time quoting.

If you have questions about our experience with Expandable, call me at 650-943-4102.

Jon Heiner

President

Proteus Industries Inc.

Hello there

#328

From: Tony Lum <tlum@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:21 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

gigaitguy

Hi Mark,

We've been using Expandable since 1988 at the Ascor subsidiary and it has been extremely reliable for us. We now run the entire corporation on it (everything except payroll). We have in excess of 18,000 part numbers and assemblies and we kit, build, test and ship using the system. It is light on ECN control-for that we use Arena for PLM. Expandable runs on top of Microsoft SQL server, so you can run custom reports using Crystal reports. I've written over 40 of them. Expandable has a lot of good built in reports, but sometimes there's too much info in them so they're hard to read. Purchase orders, sales orders, accounting,and check printing work just fine. We try to stay as stock as possible in the system software. It is my experience that once you start to modify the system, you create an added expense because you'll lose the mods everytime there's a new release. There are many user changeable fields for every module and we used them quite a bit. The original Giga-tronics ERP system was a HP9000 running MK (a later version of the ASK system). The database was proprietary, the reports were horrible. For example, when I first saw the system it had no kit shortage report! The software was heavily customized, therefore it was never updated. We finally ported the data out of it and into Expandable and shut off the HP server. MRP runs are fast and the system is easy to manage. Hardware requirements are pretty light-my Expandable server has dual Xeon processors (2.2 GHz), 4Gb ram, and a 250Gb raid 5 disk subsystem. Expandable is weak in the CRM area, our sales guys are using saleforce.com. IMHO, Expandable is very responsive to user requests and they sponsor an annual user conference to gather ideas and announce new releases.

HTH,

Tony Lum
Sr. IT Specialist

Giga-tronics Inc.
4650 Norris Canyon Rd.

San Ramon, CA 94583

PH: 925-328-4650 x4794
mailto:tlum@...

Hello there

#329

From: Tony Lum <tlum@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:49 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

gigaitguy

Jon,

We are in the process in integrating Expandable Alerts which I believe will help solve your problem. It is a standalone program which runs on the Expandable server and uses an ODBC connection to peak into the sql database. When certain conditions arise, it sends out an email alert to the subscribed party. It comes with a standard pack of queries and you can create your own as well.

HTH,

Tony Lum
Sr. IT Specialist

Giga-tronics Inc.
4650 Norris Canyon Rd.

San Ramon, CA 94583

PH: 925-328-4650 x4794
mailto:tlum@...

From: ieuga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ieuga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jon Heiner
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 12:17 PM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [ieuga] Good point and bad points of Expandable

If you have questions about our experience with Expandable, call me at 650-943-4102.

Jon Heiner

President

Proteus Industries Inc.

Hello there

#330

From: Laura White <ljwhite1997@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:41 pm
Subject: Re: Good point and bad points of Expandable

ljwhite1997

Mark,

We have been on Expandable since October 2004 and love the system. As the name states the system is Expandable. They have many programs that can interact with Expandable and they also have a great team that can customize programs for your needs. Their customer support team is the "Best" - if you need to call into the help desk you actually talk to a person that can answer your questions.

When we switched over to Expandable we were on an AS400 system and couldn't even balance inventory. It was an accounting nightmare. The accounting system runs pretty smoothly the only complaint that we have had is that in order to see any general ledger activity you would either have to run a mid-month close or wait until the end of the month. Which in their next release they have corrected this problem with real-time general ledger posting (which I can't wait for).

Another great thing about their software is that they are constantly working on it and making improvements. Customer input drives the changes to their software.

The main thing that we were worried about is that since the company is on the west coast what happens when we need help. I can honestly say that in the five years that we have been on the system it has never been an issue.

Please email or call me if you have any questions. Also, I don’t know if you have had the opportunity to see the software up and running, besides the 4 hour demo, but it may help with your decision. I am sure that we could set something up for you to see the system if you would like to make a trip to Michigan.

Good luck with your decision.

Laura White

BioPro, Inc.

Accountant

810.982.7777 x. 119

810.982.7794 Fax

lwhite@...

www.bioproimplants.com

From: Mark Romboli <mromboli@...>
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, October 16, 2009 8:40:45 AM
Subject: [ieuga] Good point and bad points of Expandable

Hello there

Mark Romboli
Controller
Teledyne Webb Research
82 Technology Park Drive
East Falmouth, MA 02536
Tel: 508-548-2077 Ext 118
Fax: 508-540-1686
Email: mromboli@webbresear ch.com
Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments. Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

#331

From: Robert Amalfitano <ramalfi@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:09 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

ramalfi

Jon,

If you are on version 8.1.3 or lower you are correct. However, our current version 8.4 has the capability of top level pegging. You can enter a demand into the part plan at a given leadtime(scheduled ship date), run MRP and see which place order messages releate to that order. If there are any that have action messages before today, those are the problem parts that will require expediting to make the scheduled ship date.

Robert Amalfitano, CPIM

Customer Support Rep.

ramalfitano@...

Direct: (508) 533-4140

Hotline: (408) 247-3300

Expandable Software, Inc.

1171 Homestead Road Ste 255

Santa Clara, Ca 95050

www.expandable.com

--- On Fri, 10/16/09, Jon Heiner <Jon@...> wrote:

From: Jon Heiner <Jon@...>
Subject: RE: [ieuga] Good point and bad points of Expandable
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, October 16, 2009, 3:16 PM

Proteus Industries has used Expandable for over two decades and, as this length of time suggests, we are quite satisfied. As I recall, we were somewhere around customer number 10. In some ways, this experience makes me highly qualified to comment on the product because of long experience, and in some ways less qualified because I lack experience with competitive products.

We originally selected Expandable because it was one of the few companies that (two decades ago) had a comprehensive solution for small to medium size manufacturing companies, integrating manufacturing, accounting, sales and purchasing. Over the years, we have extended the basic package with our own Crystal Reports, which are integrated into Expandable’s reporting as well as by exporting data to Excel for further analysis. Recently, we have been automating routine functions using a scripting language, WinBatch. As was the case when we adopted Expandable, it still meets most of our ERP needs at a reasonable cost.

While highly satisfied, there are areas that are imperfect. The area that leads to the most discussion at Proteus is that there is no easy way for people in marketing to know if there are parts shortages that will impact standard lead times. We build product to order, so we cannot look at top level inventory when quoting lead times. Expandable cannot look through the layers of the bill of materials in real time to see if there are shortages that would impact a new order. Obviously, MRP will detect this, but we run it once a day. We use an Excel macro to compare the MRP file to new customer requirements when quoting lead times on new orders, but this is imperfect. An ideal system would run MRP in background to permit accurate real-time quoting.

If you have questions about our experience with Expandable, call me at 650-943-4102.

Jon Heiner
President
Proteus Industries Inc.

From: ieuga@yahoogroups. com [mailto:ieuga@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Mark Romboli
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 5:41 AM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [ieuga] Good point and bad points of Expandable

Hello there

We are looking into purchasing Expandable, we went through a 4-hour demo this week, while they showed us all the good points and what we wanted to see, I thought I would solicit comments from this group, Appreciate any feedback pro or con about the system.

WE are a light manufacture mostly assembly, with 3 major product lines we are mostly a build to order shop . We are growing. Currently we use Peachtree for Mfg. We have multi level bill of materials, and are no just getting into ECN etc. We need better inventory management, and want to get into lean initiatives.

Mark Romboli
Controller
Teledyne Webb Research
82 Technology Park Drive
East Falmouth, MA 02536
Tel: 508-548-2077 Ext 118
Fax: 508-540-1686
Email: mromboli@webbresear ch.com
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#332

From: "Jeff Binkley" <jbinkley@...>
Date: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:16 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

mmjbinkley

We have been on Expandable since March 2005. It has been a good partnership. We stepped up from an in-house inventory system utilizing Peachtree for accounting and managing jobs via Excel sheets. Our business model is not typical for an Expandable client. Our main business groups include “job shop” packaging and turn-key project management, bulk mailing, CD/DVD replication, fulfillment services, electronic rework, and medical fulfillment. We are not a manufacturer. The package has met most of our needs with little or no modifications.

Key components we use with Expandable include:

· RF Module – We were involved with the original development of this module as we became a customer. We worked with Expandable directly on designing it to meet our needs as well as giving them a new module with real-time data collection for portable devices.

· Report Manager - This module is ideal for easily integrating any customized Crystal Report projects you will make back into the main reporting system. You can do this via Executive Info but as you grow it is nice to be able to integrate all reporting in one area in the system.

· Alerts - This is the single best item that I’ve used in recent years. It allows for automation of both scheduled and event driven reports / emails / etc. It is very powerful and I continue to learn about new ways to use this product. We have expanded our license to allow us to use this package on any database we have – Expandable as well as other applications/databases.

· Support Services - My experience with support has been good. We have been fortunate not too need it too often but when I have I’ve gotten the answers I needed in a timely manner. Most of the staff has been working with the product for many years and have a wealth of knowledge – not only with Expandable but business processes in general.

· Expandable Users Group - This is an excellent source of information. The annual conference is very informative. I get as much from talking to the other users and learning how everyone is using the system and resources such as Alerts and Crystal Reports as I do the conference presentations.

Good luck to you. If I can be of any assistance feel free to call or email me.

Jeff Binkley

Director of Information Technology

MEDIAmail Packaging & Fulfillment

Email: jbinkley@...

615-449-0231

Fax: 615-449-1580

From: ieuga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ieuga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mark Romboli
Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 7:41 AM
To: ieuga@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ieuga] Good point and bad points of Expandable

Hello there

#333

From: <wm.cowley@...>
Date: Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:37 pm
Subject: RE: Good point and bad points of Expandable

wc_gurusome

Mark,

My first Expandable implementation was in 1991. Since that time I have implemented Expandable many times, both as a user and as a consultant. I have worked with dozens of Expandable customers ranging from small to large; medical device & pharmaceutical to high tech electronics and consumer goods; single location and global presence.

I have worked with other systems and I like Expandable because it is a comprehensive ERP and easy to learn and implement. The implementation team helps step you through the process to avoid the pitfalls. Your data is converted by people who know what the data is used for. Expandable encourages the “Train the Trainer” approach. Key members will be an active part of the setup and Go Live plan. Your business retains the new skills after the Expandable team goes home.

Training has a quick return, as well. After you are up and running a new clerk can be trained and begin entering data on their first day. This is great for both the and your business. They can’t do everything, but they don’t need to be sent away for a week to be trained before they can use the system.

Expandable comes with a full list of standard reports. You don’t have to delay starting because you must build all the basic reports. If you want custom reporting, data gathering from Expandable is straight forward. The tables and fields are well defined and documented. Each function’s Help screen tells you what tables are updated. When you know what screen was used to enter the data, you can find where it is kept. Custom Crystal reports can be utilized from outside Expandable and integrated into the report menus with the Report Manager tool. The ability to collect data directly from the GL detail or MRP into Excel makes the work more efficient (and almost fun).

Lack of API’s can slow development of programs into Expandable, but these issues are being addressed. There are existing interfaces developed for PLM, APS and EDI. Professional Services Group can be utilized if a custom program is required. You can move data in and out of Expandable.

The system works and it balances. When I get confused, the Expandable Support team is great. They have always helped me out and seldom laughed at my questions.

I would never hesitate to consider Expandable. Please let me know if you have any questions…wc

Wm.Cowley

wc@...

714.324.8046

www.gurusome.com

Hello there