Microsoft has issued new Windows update packages to fix the printing problems introduced by the MS16-098 security updates on August 9.

We have tested these updates and can confirm that printing from BarTender now works as expected.

46 states start their fiscal year on July 1. With that comes a whole new set of sales tax laws to follow. Are you up to speed with what you need to know about the big changes taking effect? The proposed changes could impact your business when they’re enacted as law.

When it comes to the 50 states and sales tax, it is confounding and frustrating to keep up with the new regulations. If your business sells nationally (whether by the Internet, catalog or other means), it is time to review the systems, software and rates you are using.

(Not all systems will automatically update to the latest rates and rules)

To help you get your team up to speed, we have an overview of the basics about sales tax, new laws and what’s “in the news” regarding proposed sales tax regulations.

It has been said “necessity is the mother of invention” which leads us to make enterprise software upgrades with a “wait until there is a problem” mindset. This only makes sense if you think “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” shows wisdom and foresight.

Waiting for when things are “broke” or an emergency will result in high costs, untrustworthy fixes, and decisions that will have a long-term negative impact. Many issues lie under the surface and unobvious to a less experienced enterprise management team. Cash flow, revenue growth, waste, warehouse efficiencies, the speed of customer service, and inventory accuracy are but a few areas impacted.

Frankenstein software monsters are created when new software is invented and attached to an old system. Systems already broken may not appear to be so.

i.e. Your accounting department is running off of a stand-alone accounting package; your sales team is using a separate CRM, and your inventory is tracked in Access or Excel.

New Announcement: Winner of New Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute and New Manufacturing Hub Competitions

The Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, brings over $140 million in public-private investment from leading universities and manufacturers to develop smart sensors for use in advanced manufacturing.

The 2016 Intenet Security Threat Report provides an overview and analysis of the year in global threat activity.

Last year, 2015, Symantec discovered more than 430 million new unique pieces of malware. Remarkably, these numbers no longer surprise us. Attacks against businesses and nations hit the headlines with such regularity that we’ve become numb to the sheer volume and acceleration of cyber threats. Most threat reports only scratch the surface of the threat landscape, whereas the breadth of Symantec’s data enables the Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) to examine multiple facets, including:

• Targeted attacks
• Smartphone threats
• Social media scams
• Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities
• Attackers’ tactics, motivations, and behaviors

INTRODUCTION:

Manufacturing Material (Inventory) Requirements Planning (MRP) - an APICS Review; is a discussion of a major functional system, MRP, within most ERP software products. MRP operates as if it is your onboard Materials and Resource Management Ph.D. MRP is a system that knows all and tells all. That is, of course, what it can only know are data within your database included for calculations determining your gross and net requirements for materials and resources. If data are external to the system, they are excluded. You are encouraged to use your ERP system fully to gain the most value.

MRP Benefits:

• Reduced Inventory with fewer (to no) shortages
• Improved Customer Service
• Improved Direct Labor Productivity
• Reduced Purchasing Cost
• Reduced Traffic Cost
• Reduced Obsolescence
• Reduced Overtime
• Correct numbers to run the business
• Accountability throughout the organization
• Improved Quality of Life

The first minimum wage was $0.25 per hour (equivalent to $4.18 today) and affected about 20% of the entire labor force. In 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 74.6 million workers over age 16 who were paid an hourly wage. Of this group, about 4.7% or 3.5 million were paid the minimum wage or lower.

Arguments about the benefits and potential chaos are presented in the news and has become a part of the politicians campaign rhetoric.

This week you may be attending the SYSPRO Conference, SIMPLY SMARTER 2016 May 23rd – May 25th at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel.

The SYSPRO Simply Smarter 2016 User Conference is designed to deliver both value and innovation. SYSPRO is bringing together customers, partners and industry experts in a forum designed to foster education and idea exchange, enabling you and your business to better leverage your SYSPRO investment.

To be held at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel in sunny Southern California, the Simply Smarter 2016 User Conference will offer:

• Technical and product support
• Networking opportunities
• SYSPRO’s tips and tricks

There is an opportunity to win prizes!  

Among the prizes, Dash is offering an opportunity to win COLD HARD CASH along with special conference prices. (good until June 30^th)

The U.S. offers some valuable R&D tax incentives, however, if you are not taking advantage of them, you are not getting the money available.

WIP and ERP Tax Benefits has its roots in Research and Development (R&D) tax credits for manufacturing organizations. Tapping into extended advantages of ERP’s Work In Process (WIP) application. Most teams see producing products for sale to be the sole purpose of WIP. Here is how your company, by extending the use of WIP can add value to the ROI of ERP.

WIP base functionality is Bill of Materials (BOM) execution. In this case, WIP jobs are created using BOM, which contains Labor, and Sub-Contract Operations, and components, or materials. These lists, sequenced parts, and labor steps constitute the sum of costs and time to produce a given product. We can also say, they impact your organization, taking into account capacities to produce.

In 2015 alone, hackers stole the records of - 11 million people from Premiere Blue Cross - 10 million people from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield - 80 million people from Anthem In contrast, only 22 million people were directly affected by the hackers who stole information from the Office of Personnel Management.

A recent APICS Ventura event offered the attendees new informatoin about the dark side of cyberspace, what to watch for resources to learn more.  Gerry Poe, CEO of Santa Clarita Consultants, led the discussion and shared why there is a growing concern for cyber security.