Solar power systems designer and manufacturer Amonix completed an 18-module ERP implementation and training in just 10 weeks. Weeks, not months. At the time, industry research showed the average ERP implementation had actually grown longer over the preceding two years. Five key factors enabled Amonix to implement a complete solution in less time than it takes most companies to close a quarter.
1. No customizations. "We had a million requests internally to take on different configurations," CFO Pat McCullough said. "We said 'no' to all of them. We said, 'No, you're going to live with out-of-the-box for six months.'" Customization can be time-consuming and complicated to sync between modules that aren't already integrated. To avoid this problem, choose a system that is flexible and scalable right out of the box.
2. A solid deadline. With the company's IPO just a few months away, McCullough was worried that the company's legacy system would not keep up with rapid growth. The implementation deadline was non-negotiable. Having a strong business case paired with a hard deadline helped benchmark success — it is difficult to track completion of ERP implementations that don't have a clear goal.
3. 100% buy-in from leadership. The CFO described the implementation process as "heavy-handed" leadership. The otherwise laid-back company achieved this feat because upper management kept the project moving at a deliberate and precise rate. Order was enforced from the top down.
4. Direct support from the ERP manufacturer. The implementation was a direct, collaborative effort between Amonix and their ERP manufacturer — no dealers or third parties involved. Software manufacturers have a deeper knowledge of their own product and can implement more efficiently than a third party, minimizing approval time and trial-and-error.
5. Dedicated training teams. Twelve employees became full-time educators, forming a dedicated training team whose sole purpose was to ensure end users across all departments understood how the solution worked for them. This ensured consistency in both software usage and data entry. Their depth of experience made them resident experts, reducing long-term reliance on the ERP manufacturer for support.
Carillon® ERP is a fully integrated, feature-rich software that makes implementations like this one possible for any company. Our US-based support team is here to help organizations implement cost-effective solutions as efficiently as they need. We have been improving our software in-house for decades, and its real-time updates remain faster than most other software on the market. For more information, please contact us.