[mfruhling]

I worked at Black & Decker for 5 years implementing SAP. I also wrote custom software to integrate into SAP when their modules didn't "fit" B&D's needs. A Manufacturing operation is really an incredible orchestration of different people in different departments, but those departments incentives and measurements aren't always aligned with one another. A large ERP system like SAP makes these departments tightly integrated and there is a lot of battling for territory. One department may make and entry to move inventory around for their own purposes and that will affect another department adversely. My experience makes me believe that ERP systems should take a more loosely coupled approach so that each department can have it's on custom software and communicate with other departments via a standard interface like XML. Also don't discount the fact that some corporations benefit from the inflexibility of ERP software. Most high level people I worked with liked the fact that they could dictate from a high level how things were to be carried out, even if they weren't the people who knew the process the best. I can promise anyone who interviews 4 different people in a manufacturing plant, at different managerial levels, about processes in the plant, will receive at least 3 different answers. Every guy there thinks he knows what is best and he controls his fiefdom how he sees fit. Very often the Corporation uses software to dictate to him how he will do his job, and that person will usually bitch about the ERP system because if they bitched about the plant manager they would get canned. You are tackling a huge problem and I would be interested in keeping up with your progress, so if you need anyone to bounce anything off of...feel free to drop me a line.