Today, we are excited to announce the general availability of QAD Adaptive ERP 2021.1, the latest version of QAD’s next generation ERP solution that includes the Adaptive User Experience (UX) and the QAD Enterprise Platform. We are also excited to unveil updates to other areas in the QAD Adaptive Applications solution portfolio. As organizations seek to boost business responsiveness and flexibility to address disruption, this latest release progresses our customers’ ability to advance the business intelligence, innovation and business agility required by today’s manufacturers. With this release, QAD strengthens our cloud ERP offering to deliver new adaptive manufacturing capabilities, increase user productivity and enhance manufacturing and supply chain efficiency.
QAD Adaptive ERP 2021.1 Highlights
For QAD Adaptive ERP and QAD Adaptive Applications, the latest enhancements putting manufacturers on the path to becoming Adaptive Manufacturing Enterprises include:
Effective Enterprise Management
From integrated multi-currency, multi-GAAP and multi-entity financials to best practice purchasing, from shared services to real-time data and flexible data analytics, Effective Enterprise Management ensures that manufacturers operate from a trusted set of essential enterprise processes that meet today’s and tomorrow’s needs. Enhancements include:
- QAD Internationalization adds updates to help customers meet recently required international compliance standards for Brazil, China, Hungary, India and other countries.
- Our mobile platform enhances user efficiency and the ability to execute critical operations when and where needed with new mobile features that include Attachments, Activity Feed, Inbox Tasks and support for all generic approvals delivered with Adaptive UX.
- QAD Analytics provides customers quicker access to KPIs and personalized Action Centers with bulk KPI options to manage more and flexibility in moving analytics data from one environment to another.
- QAD Financials boosts the user experience for budgets by simplifying the budget creation process and better aligning budgets with the Financial Report Writer. As a result, customers will improve efficiency with easier scenario planning and an intuitive integration with Excel.
Complete Customer Management
Complete Customer Management delivers an outstanding customer experience that builds a company’s brand and helps acquire and retain customers with the least effort and expense.
- QAD’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for Manufacturers solution provides added visibility for sales managers to better manage their team and individual performance. In addition, more detailed KPIs are available for improved decision making. QAD CRM for Manufacturers is fully integrated within QAD Adaptive ERP, and provides manufacturers a comprehensive and single view of their customers to align efforts that deliver an optimal customer experience.
- Trade Activity Management is no longer an add-on product but an included solution allowing clients to better manage trade promotion activities and promotional spending.
Digital Manufacturing
Digital Manufacturing allows manufacturers to leverage digital and advanced technologies to better communicate, analyze and use real-time information to meet cost and quality objectives. In this area, enhancements include:
- QAD Manufacturing adds eSignature functionality for Inventory Detail and Transfer, Test Specifications and Production Orders Operations to improve productivity and reduce risk. Restricted Transactions are now supported for key inventory transactions, which complements 21 CFR Part 11 and GxP regulatory requirements.
- QAD Production Execution streamlines planning and shop floor communication while also improving the coordinated management of material, labor and equipment. It provides the production insights needed to rapidly respond to unplanned inventory shortages, equipment failures and productivity slowdowns.
- QAD Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) enhances project structure management, improves Indirect Supplier Price Agreements and adds new scheduling capabilities to streamline previously manually intensive activities. eSignature capabilities have also been introduced to support compliance requirements, especially for our Life Sciences customers.
- QAD Enterprise Quality Management System (EQMS) has provided managers a clearer understanding of who is trained and where training is needed. For Life Science customers, we have updated the FDA Medwatch/Adverse Event reporting to meet updated requirements. For Automotive customers, we have taken further steps in fully supporting the AIAG/VDA for failure mode and effects analysis.
Integrated Supplier Management
Integrated Supplier Management creates value for manufacturers by improving supplier collaboration and supply chain visibility allowing for faster response to changes in supply and demand. New enhancements are comprised of the following:
- Based on QAD’s acquisition of Allocation Network, QAD SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) is a new solution that provides manufacturers and their suppliers a single point of entry to facilitate real-time communication, improve procurement processes and reduce inbound supply risks. It delivers value across direct and strategic indirect procurement activities by improving strategic sourcing, supplier quality management, contract management and supplier performance.
- As part of QAD SRM, QAD Demand and Delivery (formerly QAD Supplier Portal) exposes all supplier Invoices, including those not related to a receipt to reduce the burden on finance departments, limit errors and provide greater invoice visibility. PO Acknowledgement has been simplified to reduce the ERP integration effort, speed up implementation time and reduce costs. Supplier schedule exceptions provide delivery incident notifications to more rapidly respond to supply disruptions, optimize safety stock and avoid expediting costs.
- QAD Sourcing adds new autopilot sourcing capabilities and further automates the source-to-contract process. This especially helps buyers save valuable time when sourcing low value or highly standardized products and services that do not require detailed communications with suppliers. Auctions can be better managed and higher bids obtained with the automatic check of the bidder’s internet connection and a more intuitive auction graph.
Connected Supply Chain
Connected Supply Chain helps manufacturers effectively collaborate with supply chain partners and address the challenges associated with managing complex and ever-changing global supply chains. Enhancements include:
- QAD Dynasys Digital Supply Chain Planning (DSCP) introduces promotion planning for our Consumer Goods manufacturers to electronically exchange promotional data with their retailers and manage the full lifecycle of a promotion, from concept to execution. This allows planners to improve promotion scheduling, enhance profitability and better adhere to budget constraints.
- QAD Precision Global Trade & Transportation Execution (GTTE) adds a new Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) solution allowing manufacturers and distributors to establish and successfully manage FTZs and bonded warehousing operations – resulting in lower import costs and improved supply chain velocity. Reduced time and effort has progressed for Customs filings with integration to key Customs Brokers for the electronic filing of Product Classification and Entry data and an integration with UK Customs’ “Customs Declaration Service”. Additionally, customers can reduce and better control transportation costs with an expanded integration to LTL US carriers, adherence to European Union cross border e-commerce VAT requirements and a new Operational Analytics dashboard.
Key Contributors
Many of these improvements have been developed with direct insights from customers and based on user feedback. As a result, QAD Adaptive ERP 2021.1 allows manufacturers to intelligently orchestrate production and automate operations internally and externally with effective exception handling. Our next generation cloud ERP empowers business users with the visibility necessary to quickly adjust and respond as required. To discover how QAD Adaptive ERP 2021.1 can help manufacturers more rapidly respond to and plan for unexpected disruptions, please contact us.
