Choosing the Right ERP and Integrator
Ahmed Mahcer, President of TVH Consulting, shares his perspective on the challenges and points of attention during ERP implementation, as well as the criteria for choosing an integrator to ensure a long-term partnership.
In the context of integrating an ERP project, we always face two types of challenges: one strategic, the other operational.
What are the medium/long-term strategies that the company aims for?
This is often the first challenge encountered before implementing the software and needs to be considered during preparation workshops with top management. Do you have strong organic or external growth ambitions coming up in France and/or internationally? How do you position yourself compared to your competitors? Indeed, it is essential that the top management and business units are involved before deploying the ERP. The more the project is well-defined and all questions resolved, the lower the TCO (total cost of ownership) will be.
How to take into account very specific business processes and integrate them into the ERP?
The project methodology proposed by the integrator and its “business” expertise are crucial to ensure close and “tailored” support. The client’s business needs and business challenges must be the integrator’s priority. It is particularly “its business layer” that makes the difference in the choice. Beyond the tool’s ergonomics and technological feasibility, companies want a flexible and scalable software that allows for the integration of their issues. For example: offering features related to ultra-fresh/cold chain management for food or frozen goods companies, or “quality” tracking of pharmaceutical or biotech products to meet market-required pharmaceutical and regulatory validations, etc.
