As the industrial landscape continues to evolve at an accelerated pace, manufacturers face increasing pressure to remain competitive, cut costs, and respond to shifting customer demands. A key enabler of success is leveraging the right technology—tools that not only streamline operations but also unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation. Infor OS, a transformative platform that is reshaping the future of industrial manufacturing.

Infor OS is a comprehensive cloud-based platform designed to integrate various business processes and provide manufacturers with the tools they need to enhance efficiency, innovation, and flexibility. By combining cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, and data analytics, Infor OS empowers manufacturers to stay ahead of the curve and drive their businesses into the future.

What is Infor OS?

Infor OS is an enterprise-grade platform built specifically for the modern, digital-first world. It acts as the backbone of Infor’s cloud-based enterprise resource planning solutions, connecting disparate systems, applications, and data sources within a unified ecosystem. Infor OS integrates seamlessly with other Infor software, enabling manufacturers to streamline operations, reduce silos, and improve real-time decision-making.

The platform provides a range of features that help manufacturers optimize their operations:

Data Integration & Connectivity: Infor OS connects all facets of the manufacturing business, enabling seamless communication and data flow across systems. This means better collaboration, smoother workflows, and reduced time spent on manual data entry.

Cloud-Native Architecture: Being cloud-based, Infor OS offers unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and security. Manufacturers can access the platform from anywhere, on any device, ensuring that teams are always connected and in control.

Advanced Analytics & AI: Infor OS leverages powerful AI and machine learning capabilities to analyze massive amounts of data, providing manufacturers with actionable insights. This enables predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, and other data-driven decision-making processes that can dramatically improve operational efficiency.

A New Era of Efficiency

The hallmark of Infor OS lies in its ability to optimize processes and reduce inefficiencies at every stage of production. By centralizing data and automating repetitive tasks, manufacturers can focus on value-added activities rather than getting bogged down by manual work.

1. Streamlined Operations

Infor OS enables end-to-end visibility into operations, giving manufacturers real-time access to critical data, production schedules, and inventory levels. This transparency allows companies to monitor their processes continuously, identify bottlenecks, and take corrective actions promptly.

2. Improved Collaboration

In traditional manufacturing environments, departments often work in silos, leading to communication breakdowns and delayed decision-making. Infor OS breaks down these barriers by connecting various functions within the business, ensuring that every department—from sales to procurement to production—has access to the same real-time data.

3. Reduced Downtime and Maintenance Costs

Infor OS uses AI-powered predictive maintenance tools to monitor machinery in real time. By analyzing sensor data from IoT-enabled equipment, the platform can predict when a machine is likely to fail and recommend timely interventions. This helps manufacturers reduce unplanned downtime, extend the lifespan of their equipment, and lower maintenance costs.

Fostering Innovation in Manufacturing

Beyond just optimizing existing processes, Infor OS paves the way for true innovation in the manufacturing sector. By providing manufacturers with advanced analytics, automation capabilities, and new digital tools, Infor OS helps businesses unlock their creative potential and transform their operations.

1. Smarter Product Development

Infor OS enhances the ability to design and manufacture products that meet customer demands more effectively. With better data insights, manufacturers can identify trends, gauge customer preferences, and develop smarter products that are aligned with market needs. This accelerates the product lifecycle and allows for quicker go-to-market times.

2. Agility and Flexibility

One of the key benefits of cloud-native platforms like Infor OS is the level of flexibility they offer. Manufacturers can quickly adapt to changing market conditions, whether it's scaling operations up or down, responding to supply chain disruptions, or experimenting with new production methods. This level of agility is crucial for staying competitive in the fast-paced industrial world.

3. Sustainability Initiatives

In a world where sustainability is becoming increasingly important, Infor OS enables manufacturers to track their environmental impact and optimize resource usage. By leveraging data analytics and AI, manufacturers can better understand energy consumption patterns, minimize waste, and make environmentally conscious decisions that contribute to a greener future.

.

International Computer Consulting Group (ICCG), a leading force in leveraging technology for business optimization, proudly announces its collaboration with Unilog, a pioneer in integrated product content and commerce solutions tailored for wholesale distribution, manufacturers, and specialty retailers.

As a premier global partner for Infor, ICCG’s seeks strategic alliances that underscore its steadfast dedication to add value to its customers in every aspect that impacts the customer’s growth journey in their business. This partnership reinforces Unilog’s commitment to provide robust connectivity between its integrated content and commerce solutions and the Infor ERP systems of its valued clientele.

Bala Anantharama, Executive Vice President, Business Strategy at ICCG, views this partnership as a catalyst for empowering businesses striving to deliver unparalleled customer experiences. "At ICCG, we are steadfast in our commitment to assisting customers in bridging the chasm between ERP and Supply Chain solutions and real-world business challenges, thereby extracting maximum value from their technological investments," affirmed Bala Anantharama. "Much like Unilog, we are renowned for our unwavering performance standards, adaptability, and customer-centric ethos, underpinned by a disciplined approach and unwavering integrity."

In the ever-evolving manufacturing realm, few sectors witness transformations as swift and constant. The perpetual evolution of consumer preferences shapes the landscape, the consistent disruption brought by innovative technologies, fluctuating regulatory frameworks, and the regular transformation of business models. Adapting to these unceasing shifts in the market has become necessary, requiring organizations to embody a heightened sense of agility.

Andrew Kinder, Senior Vice President of Industry Strategy with our partner, Infor, recently described how we find ourselves amidst the most volatile and uncertain period in recent memory. In this environment of compounded uncertainty, agility is not just an ideal trait but an absolute imperative for maintaining competitiveness.

Just as companies must transform to meet today’s challenges, the software vendors they rely on must also mutate their products to become a better fit for the next generation of organizations. And that’s happening with ERP. From my perspective, here are the seven ways ERP is evolving, along with my tips for selecting an ERP vendor.

The role of the CFO has changed dramatically over recent times and will continue to do so. The modern CFO is now emerging as a key enabler in creating a more ‘dynamic’ finance function that can react to ever changing demands from both internal stakeholders and external customer, suppliers and partners. In addition to the traditional responsibility of ‘managing the finances’ of the organisation, the CFO is now increasingly engaged with activities such as strategy formulation and business transformation projects. 

Business transformation projects are increasingly being undertaken to facilitate growth, reduce costs and increase competitiveness in a harsh global marketplace where only the organisations who continually evolve and innovate prosper. The finance function is not immune to this transformation process and can play a key role in its development and adoption.

As the manufacturing world continues to evolve to meet new challenges, there’s a step-change in innovation for the products and services that are delivered and supported. Many industry insiders are expressing the need for a focus on driving sustainable (and profitable) business growth. Deloitte suggests digital investment and supply chain resilience as the key pillars. Partnerships are also increasingly important to achieving sustainable business growth, whether that’s upstream or downstream within your supply chain or enabling partners such as application and technology providers.

In all of those partnering scenarios, it’s important to have a common understanding of your desired outcomes, so you can ensure you’re all speaking the same language, which helps shorten the time to value. Manufacturing is shifting towards industry-specific applications and these applications are now nearly always delivered in the cloud to maximize adoption, flexibility, availability, and security, as well as reducing through-life cost of ownership. In fact, Gartner forecasts end-user public cloud spending to grow by 18% through 2021.

Chief Financial Officers need to play a leading role to ensure data security within an organisation. Potential threats are proliferating and the financial impact of a breach of data security can be substantial. Consider how your turnover and profitability would be impacted due to a data security breach which could potentially hold your organisation to ransom or prevent users from performing their day to day activities.

At a recent Footwear Workshop organized by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), industry leaders and experts discussed key themes and supply chain challenges in the footwear market. At this event, industry leaders highlighted the need for brands to address multiple challenges like supply chain visibility, traceability, compliance, and sustainability. Here are some other key themes:

Even when your warehouse operations seem to be running smoothly, there is always room for improvement and a need to stay up to date with innovation. While steps are taken to keep warehouse operations at peak performance, when fulfilment times and levels are jeopardized, it’s still up to you and your team to race to recover, to ensure actions to get back on track are taken correctly so that product can make its way out the door, and time is always working against you.

If your organization previously reviewed and dismissed the value of moving your warehouse management system (WMS) to the cloud, it’s time to reevaluate. Decisions that seemed to make sense last year or even last quarter, likely look very different with new challenges emerging over the past several months. By empowering critical systems like a WMS with cloud capabilities, your organization can scale quickly, maximize productivity, and minimize outages and downtime to prevent bringing the company’s mission-critical operations to its knees.