SYSPRO - Smarter with more Mojo?

SYSPRO Mojo

Over the last two years, SYSPRO has set in motion new programs, technology, and structural changes, working to establish a stronger product and presence in their sales channels. These bolder moves set a direction to a broader position in the ERP market, especially in North America.

Smarter

Smart connected enterprises (digital supply chain, IoT, AI/machine learning, BOTS, etc.) are now critical elements for product-centric enterprises. However, the market is awash with toolsets and with integrators who are building applications and the supporting data stores/warehouses from scratch. There are still many enterprises that think they can deploy their old models of incremental process and technology change, or go it alone using those new tools, and getting lost in these new areas.

The smart, connected enterprise requires a different approach — a modern imagining of a new business strategy:

How will IoT be leveraged to broaden/change the company’s products and services?
What kinds of processes can be automated with machine learning?
What are the new questions we should ask to make discoveries and create insights with AI?

These and other key questions are central to creating that new strategy; and they are challenging to answer.

In that kind of corporate soul-searching environment, spending a lot of time on technology issues may be a distraction. So SYSPRO is taking the initiative to support their customers’ transformation. Rather than just providing tools and costly consulting, they release out-of-the-box applications. And they are creating those applications in several ways:

Talking/working directly with customers;
Leveraging their expanding and industry-specific partner network, which can also provide more automated solutions; and
Pursuing a Smart Manufacturing strategy, or as some call it, Industry 4.0.

Part of Smarter is the budding relationship with CESMII, smart manufacturing consortia whose stated mission is “ensuring the power of change and innovation is at the fingertips of every manufacturer.” The goal is to “build a specific smart manufacturing — solution. CESMII will build the platform with a highly talented collaborative team, which includes SYSPRO as part of the smart manufacturing platform working group,” says SYSPRO.

What is notable here, beyond the importance of the goals of SYRPO and CESMII, is that SYSPRO is the first ERP company to go through the comprehensive and arduous process to become a CESMII member.

Strategy — Partnerships and Channels

The global road for many companies has been their channel strategy. SYSPRO, in the past, created an intimate and powerful relationship directly with customers. That served their customer satisfaction and loyalty well and also allowed them to control development and maintain application quality with first-hand insights into product innovation. But, of course, that can limit growth. So last year they launched their PartnerUP strategy with well thought-out programs to ensure the ongoing integrity of products, services, and customer satisfaction. That goes beyond the requisite education/training and certifications to include ensuring they have the right partners who know their industries well.

Structure — One SYSPRO

Many of us take stock of our lives at certain junctures, and for many, forty years seems to be one of those markers. And so it is with SYSPRO, as they consolidate many of their operations around the world, calling it One SYSPRO. One SYSPRO’s goal is to “deliver a consistent customer, employee, and channel experience that solidifies and augments the company’s global market presence,” says SYSPRO. In addition, management changes include new CEOs — for the US, Geoff Garrett; and for Australasia, Rob Stummer. Phil Duff continues in the role of global CEO for SYSPRO, still headquartered in Johannesburg.

Conclusion

In our meetings with SYSPRO, there were some powerful discussions about what is to come as SYSPRO continues their aggressive path in innovation and growth. We hope to report more on these developments.

As companies get supercharged about sales, we frequently see a disconnect with customers. But SYSPRO says that their customer engagement and close relationships are not just part of their history, but core to their value, and they have no intention of taking their attention away from their customers.