The RF-SMART team is back from a busy week at Convergence 2015! This year, there was a lot of buzz around AX 2012 R3 to better understand the options and impact it will have. While Convergence might be over, the conversations are just beginning.
The R3 release is pretty big one, and we've found that not everyone has the same ‘fit.’ Based on your warehousing requirements, there is the option to use WMS I or WMS Advanced. But with these, you’ll want to consider a number of variables, including implementation and hardware.
Advice from AX Customers
One of the highlights from Convergence was our Customer Symposium at the RF-SMART booth, where we broke down all of these options.
Stephen Morgan (VP of Sales and Marketing) was joined by a panel of industry-leading companies who've made the decision to move to R3. Through an interactive Q&A, Microsoft Dynamics AX users from Sally Beauty and TempurPedic shared what they've learned in evaluating R3 - offering various items to consider:
- Preference to System Directed Rules – This consideration is one at the top, as this is a distinct difference in WMS I and WMS Advanced. If you don’t have a need for system-directed rules across all of your operations, you’re probably a better fit for WMS I. One handy guideline: A good candidate for WMS Advanced already has the warehouse rule requirements written down. So if your warehouse is not barcoded and/or the rules aren't written down, you're probably not a candidate for WMS Advanced.
- Available Resources for Project - The total number of hours to implement WMS Advanced can be 700-1,500 hours for your consultant, but then equal to or more for your core team. In short, you need to be prepared for that and have adequate resources available according to your selection.
- Warehouse Processes – One of the resounding themes the panelists shared was the importance in finding the best R3 option to fit their processes, not working to adjust their processes to fit R3. An example of this was with stocking requirements in WMS Advanced. One panelist that produces to order (instead of producing to stock) discovered WMS Advanced would only do the job for them if they changed their business process. It ultimately did not make sense for them.
If you're looking to move to R3 and have additional questions, listen to our webinar on The Top 5 Things You Need to Know About R3 for Your Supply Chain.