http://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2010-12-04T23:24:53ZIt's a question folks like Jeff Stiles get pretty often. Stiles is senior vice president of small and midsize enterprise marketing for SAP AG, so he comes across a lot of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that feel they have outgrown their current, single-purpose bookkeeping application, or are tired of reading canned reports and trying to reconstruct some semblance of their day-to-day transactions and run rates using static spreadsheets. The burning question is: "Can we really afford an ERP system?"http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200337?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIt's a question folks like Jeff Stiles get pretty often. Stiles is senior vice president of small and midsize enterprise marketing for SAP AG, so he comes across a lot of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that feel they have outgrown their current, single-purpose bookkeeping application, or are tired of reading canned reports and trying to reconstruct some semblance of their day-to-day transactions and run rates using static spreadsheets. The burning question is: "Can we really afford an ERP system?"Unfortunately, the idea that typical ERP deployment costs far outstrip the budget of a lowly SMB is rampant. In fact, it's often so ingrained that many small business managers never bother to ask it. Unfortunately, these managers may be unaware that costs have come down substantially for SMB-scale ERP deployments - so much so, it might be more appropriate for many SMBs to ask, "Can we really afford <em><strong>not </strong></em>to deploy an ERP system?" <P> "Customers can get started at very reasonable cost," Stiles said in answer to questions posed by audience members during a<a href="http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=245218&s=1&k=A872F3968747F26B0221EBDC4DEC6602"> recent InformationWeek SMB webcast</a>. "The cost is a combination of the per user charge for the software itself, as well as the cost of deployment, but customers can get started easily for under $10,000." <P> SAP itself has published marketing materials stating that pricing and deployment options start as low as $149 a month for SMBs, on a per-user basis. Companies considering a deployment should also take into account how quickly they are likely to recoup the costs, and the potential return on their investment. <P> SAP implementation experts cite an average deployment time of about 12 weeks for an SMB, but as we saw with InformationWeek On Location's Season One subject, the Torelli Bicycle Co., the initial deployment can be much faster. <P> "I think it's really turned out to be a great solution for small companies, but also for companies that are looking to grow and scale their business," Stiles said. <P> <em><strong>New licensing and delivery models are making ERP solutions much more affordable. Is your company still on the fence about whether it can afford ERP? Share your comments.</strong></em>2010-12-01T12:54:23ZIf you've been following this season's saga of a very special small to midsize business (SMB) getting its big break into the realm of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, you've probably already picked up on a recurring theme - one that continues to emerge in this collection of associated blogs, videos and "how to" articles. The lesson is: When it comes time to implement a new ERP solution for your SMB operations, seek professional help.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200406?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIf you've been following this season's saga of a very special small to midsize business (SMB) getting its big break into the realm of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, you've probably already picked up on a recurring theme - one that continues to emerge in this collection of associated blogs, videos and "how to" articles. The lesson is: When it comes time to implement a new ERP solution for your SMB operations, seek professional help.In the case of the Torelli Bicycle Company, the subject of this season's extreme ERP makeover, the four-person firm reached out to ERP software vendor SAP and one of its premier integrators for the SMB market, Navigator Business Solutions. According to Torelli's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake, having an integrator deeply involved in the implementation process may result in some additional costs, but those costs are easily justified, regardless of the size of the company that is taking on the challenge of installing an ERP system. "For larger businesses or smaller businesses, having &#91;the integration partner onsite is&#93; worth every penny, and it was priceless to us in the implementation," Feldhake said during <a href="http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=245218&s=1&k=A872F3968747F26B0221EBDC4DEC6602">a recent webcast sponsored by InformationWeek SMB and SAP</a>. <P> "For a lot of the businesses that are looking at this software, some of the ... major questions are, 'How long will it take?' and 'Where can I get training for my employees?' " Feldhake said. "What you really have to do is sit down with the people who are going to be implementing this, and have them accept it. Once they accept it, they need to go full force into this software and really get as deep as possible," he advised. <P> "One of the things that was priceless about having &#91;the integration partner&#93; here is, when you do hit one of those small barriers - and you don't know that it's a small barrier when you're looking at it in the new software - you can walk into the other room ... and just ask &#91;the integration partner. Its staff has&#93; so much knowledge on how to fix this problem, how to go around this problem, and how your company may want to implement with this problem," Feldhake said. "Then it isn't a problem any more. It becomes, `How do we make a solution to get around this, or to make it work better for our business.'" <P> <em><strong>Find out more about Torelli's ride on the ERP express by experiencing the webcast, "<a href="http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=245218&s=1&k=A872F3968747F26B0221EBDC4DEC6602">InformationWeek SMB On Location Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System</a>," in its entirety, courtesy of InformationWeek SMB and SAP.</strong></em>2010-11-28T19:12:00ZIn <a href="http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=245218&s=1&k=A872F3968747F26B0221EBDC4DEC6602">a recent InformationWeek SMB On Location webcast</a>, the grateful employees of Torelli Bicycle Co. discussed details of their successful enterprise resource planning system deployment. The feat was accomplished through the help of ERP solution provider SAP and Navigator Business Solutions, a premier SAP integration partner that specializes in serving the small and midsize business (SMB) community.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200475?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIn <a href="http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=245218&s=1&k=A872F3968747F26B0221EBDC4DEC6602">a recent InformationWeek SMB On Location webcast</a>, the grateful employees of Torelli Bicycle Co. discussed details of their successful enterprise resource planning system deployment. The feat was accomplished through the help of ERP solution provider SAP and Navigator Business Solutions, a premier SAP integration partner that specializes in serving the small and midsize business (SMB) community."One of the things I would compare it to is when you drop your cell phone and it breaks," Torelli's Director of Product Design Christian Feldhake said during the webcast. "You don't really want to get a new cell phone and &#91;program&#93; everything into the phone that you've already &#91;programmed into&#93; the old phone." However, Feldhake said, when you begin to take advantage of the new features and ease of use built into the newer solution, you realize that the &#91;process&#93; will pay substantial dividends. "It's like, once you look at going from some of the old flip phones to some of these new smartphones, and you get that &#91;set up&#93;, it becomes so easy to do all these things." <P> Carrying the cell phone analogy further, Feldhake said that the key to unlocking access to the array of new and improved features available from the SAP solution was having an expert implementation partner on the premises and available to provide the customized integration support that was needed. <P> "Having Greg &#91;Woodward of Navigator Business Solutions&#93; here was kind of a priceless tool. It's like when you go get a new phone, and the best thing to do is to have someone follow you around all day who has had that phone for six months, and you can just ask him or her, 'How do I do this?' " Feldhake said. <P> "When the iPhone came out, the best thing would have been to have Steve Jobs standing next to you, showing you how to use your iPhone." He said "With Greg here, it really felt as if we had someone we could go to and get a lot of solutions in an instant, instead of having to e-mail back and forth." <em><strong> So it appears that Steve Jobs has nothing on Greg Woodward of Navigator. In fact, there's a major difference: Steve Jobs does not do house calls. Are you ready for your big ERP makeover? And if so, is your company considering bringing in a professional implementation partner to handle the transition? Share your plans with us.</strong></em>2010-11-26T19:10:52ZIn this series, we've been following the exploits of a particular company in the small to midsize business (SMB) category as it implemented the type of enterprise resource planning solution typically associated with Fortune 1000 firms. In fact, with its four full-time employees, Torelli Bicycle Company in North Hollywood, Calif., may be among the smallest companies to ever install an integrated ERP system from a leading software provider such as SAP.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200467?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIn this series, we've been following the exploits of a particular company in the small to midsize business (SMB) category as it implemented the type of enterprise resource planning solution typically associated with Fortune 1000 firms. In fact, with its four full-time employees, Torelli Bicycle Company in North Hollywood, Calif., may be among the smallest companies to ever install an integrated ERP system from a leading software provider such as SAP.However, the tiny firm is only one of the many thousands of SMBs around the planet that are taking on the challenge of an ERP implementation this year. InformationWeek SMB recently caught up with the chief information officer of another, somewhat larger SMB, that undertook the process of installing an ERP solution from SAP last year and is now beginning to reap the benefits. <P> We asked the CIO of this U.S.-based midmarket specialty retailer to elaborate on some of the unique aspects of deploying an ERP solution at an SMB, and how the implementation process for his company differed from the way a large enterprise would typically handle the situation. <P> "Where we emulated a large enterprise was in selecting a Tier 1 implementation partner," the CIO said. "Where we were different was that we actually followed the advice of the implementation partner," he added wryly. <P> "Another area where we were different was in knowing that we could not consume all the SAP modules in one implementation," he said. Rather than stretch the company's limited resources beyond the breaking point by trying to take advantage of all the myriad new features offered by the integrated ERP system, "We chose to take a safer route and keep some of our best-of-breed systems &#91;in place&#93; to support some business processes." Banking on the familiarity his staff already had with the existing applications, he decided it would be simpler, less risky and more cost-effective to leverage the existing applications and simply develop interfaces to the ERP system. "Turns out that we were correct," he said. <P> An additional area where the retailer deviated from typical best practices established by large enterprise firms was to forgo some of the standard configuration options of the ERP platform, he said. "Instead, we made sure that we had optimized processes defined in our selection process and &#91;that we&#93; implemented them during our 'blueprinting' phase. While this may have introduced some nonstandard industry processes, it did not require modification to the ERP, so we were still able to install a 'vanilla' package." <P> By avoiding customization wherever possible, the company was able to deploy the ERP in record time, while keeping costs low - both at the time of installation and in terms of support and maintenance as it moves forward with the new ERP operating environment. <P> Have any enterprise software deployment tips you'd like to share with the InformationWeek SMB community? Please let us know how your small company has taken a fresh approach and avoided the pitfalls associated with installing "big business" applications on an SMB scale.2010-11-23T23:37:39ZIn our last installment of the InformationWeek SMB On Location blog, we talked with Torelli Bicycle's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake about the benefits of his company's new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200517?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIn our last installment of the InformationWeek SMB On Location blog, we talked with Torelli Bicycle's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake about the benefits of his company's new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.In that interview, Feldhake acquainted us with the concept of the "Mack Truck Syndrome," an insidious ailment that often afflicts small and midsize businesses (SMBs) such as Torelli. In simple terms, the malady describes companies that would be hard-pressed to carry on if something untoward were to happen to a key staff member - such as (Heaven forbid!), getting hit by a Mack truck. <P> In fact, with companies as small as Feldhake's four-person firm, even something as minor as a sprained ankle or a drained cell phone battery can have a devastating impact. Relatively low sales volumes and slim margins mean that every sale counts against the bottom line, and any missed opportunity can be deeply felt throughout the organization. <P> While the Mack Truck Syndrome can present itself in companies of any size, it is more likely to affect SMBs that lack a sophisticated ERP system capable of capturing important details regarding customers, specific transactions, orders and inventory, as well as company financials and related information. Without such systems in place, it is common for employees to store important information only in their heads, or in various manual processes (such as in handwritten notes or spreadsheets) where it is not readily accessible to colleagues. When it hits with its typical unexpected force, the Mack Truck Syndrome can render a small company extremely vulnerable, Feldhake warns, but there is a remedy. <P> "It comes down to a lot of different things, such as price lists and discounts, and so many things that you can give people access to," Feldhake said, describing the many real-time data points that can be made instantly available to team members, allowing them to step in and fill gaps left by colleagues who are incapacitated, or just otherwise engaged. <P> Feldhake also talked about additional tools, part of the company's new integrated ERP software solution from SAP, which will further improve access to Torelli's business data. "The way you can set up the 'cockpit' in SAP, you'll be able to give employee who are new - or give an existing employee - a very good dashboard &#91;where&#93; they can have everything available via quick buttons and quick links right on their screen, and exactly what they need," Feldhake said. These dashboards can be customized to the needs of each employee, he added, "so someone who is never going to see production orders won't have that up on &#91;his or her&#93; screen ready to go, but someone who is on the phone and immediately needs a sales order right in front of &#91;him or her&#93; - one click and you've got a sales order from your main screen on the computer." <P> It's a far cry from the world of single-purpose bookkeeping applications and spreadsheets with which Torelli operated for most of it 30-year history, and according to Feldhake, and a potent remedy for the Mack Truck Syndrome. <P> <em><strong>What hot keys would you add to <u>your </u>ERP dashboard? Share your wish list for the information you'd like to have at your fingertips when that (Heaven forbid!) Mack truck comes calling.</strong></em>2010-11-22T11:46:10ZWhat's the best part of having a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system running your small business? For Torelli Bicycle Company's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake, it's all about taking the guesswork out of operating the business.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200490?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsWhat's the best part of having a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system running your small business? For Torelli Bicycle Company's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake, it's all about taking the guesswork out of operating the business."Probably the best benefit is the accuracy that it holds itself to," said Feldhake in a recent interview. "Everything is very 'tracked.' From the moment it's being ordered to the moment it goes out the door, there is always something you can do with that product, as far as finding out where it is, how much it cost you and where it is in the process." <P> Feldhake and his colleagues at Torelli in North Hollywood, Calif., are still getting used to their new ERP platform from SAP, and find themselves marveling daily at how comprehensive the system is - especially in terms of its ability to manage every detail of Torelli's inventory, sales, customer relationships and more. "It just makes it so that any one employee here can go to a certain sales order or sales quotation - or even a purchase order - and find infinite data on whether any of those products were sold, to whom it was sold, when (custom chrome, paint, etc.) it's going to get done, the time it needs to be delivered, and even how it might be shipped to the dealer," Feldhake said. <P> The ability for any one of Torelli's four employees to instantly access an in-progress transaction and seamlessly pick up where a co-worker left off - to complete the sale, realize the revenue and generally move the enterprise forward - represents a tremendous competitive advantage, according to Feldhake. "Everyone can be privy to the same information, which really helps everyone be on the same page - from the customer, to the dealer, to the vendor, to the manufacturer." <P> In fact, one of the common limitations of a small to midsize business (SMB) operation such as Torelli is that specific product, customer and financial information often is not stored in the company's business management systems. Instead, the data resides only inside the brains of particular staff members, and when the employee is absent, that business process or transaction simply grinds to a halt until that staff member returns. <P> It's what makes SMBs so susceptible to what Feldhake calls the "Mack Truck Syndrome." <P> "If you go home tonight and get hit by a Mack truck, we need someone to be able to come in here and take over your job as quickly and as easily as possible. It's not the fact that you won't be missed, but it's the fact that the business just needs to keep running," Feldhake explained. <P> <em><strong>What protects <u>your</u> company from the dreaded Mack Truck Syndrome? Please post a comment and share your secrets for providing business continuity in your SMB operations.</strong></em>2010-11-19T12:25:31ZThere is an old folk song that talks about the promise of "an uncloudy day," a time and place where everything is clear, serene and peaceful. Sounds pretty tempting - especially if you operate a typical small to midsize business (SMB), where clarity and serenity are seldom the order of the day.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200448?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThere is an old folk song that talks about the promise of "an uncloudy day," a time and place where everything is clear, serene and peaceful. Sounds pretty tempting - especially if you operate a typical small to midsize business (SMB), where clarity and serenity are seldom the order of the day.I had a glimpse of an uncloudy day recently during an outing with Todd Linscott, owner and CEO of Torelli Bicycle Company in North Hollywood, Calif. If you've been following this series, you know that Torelli is the subject of an ambitious technology makeover project, in which his four-person importing company received a transformative enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, courtesy of SAP and its implementation partner, Navigator Business Solutions. <P> The moment of clarity came, ironically, not in spite of clouds, but actually because of the cloud. The cloud I'm referring to is the Internet cloud, where the Torelli's integrated ERP application resides. I accompanied Todd on an outing to visit one of his favorite customers, Topanga Creek Bicycles in the Santa Monica Mountains. The rustic bike shop is located on a picturesque bend in the road that winds through Topanga Canyon, a circuitous stretch of two-lane highway that connects Southern California's San Fernando Valley with the storied beaches of Malibu. <P> While I hunted for a stray cellular signal to make a tenuous connection back to the outside world, Todd quietly tapped into his cloud-based ERP system using the store's Wi-Fi connection. He had instant access to real-time inventory and sales information, getting a quick update on store owner Chris Kelly's recent purchases. He then entered some new purchase orders, negotiated a few minutes earlier over cups of fresh-brewed coffee served around Kelly's cozy wood-burning stove. <P> For Linscott and Torelli, it was another small milestone in the larger process of reinventing their 30-year-old company. At the same time, it was a rare opportunity to see how deploying the latest ERP tools and solutions can part the clouds that obscure access to real-time data for most SMBs. While the "uncloudy day" referred to in the song is a paradise beyond this world, this was an example of how new, cloud-based software can help SMBs begin reach that place "where no storm clouds fly," where business can be conducted seamlessly, and customers can be left with a smile, regardless of location or time of day. <P> <em><strong>Chris Kelly of Topanga Creek Bicycles <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Topanga-CA/Topanga-Creek-Bicycles/81517346754#!/photo.php?fbid=452031171754&set=a.102593111754.106037.81517346754&comments">captured the moment for posterity</a> as the InformationWeek SMB video crew descended on his small shop to document Torelli's "uncloudy" cloud experience. Stay tuned for the complete video documentary. In he meantime, please tell us how your company plans to dispel the gathering storm clouds and gain actionable, real-time insight into your business processes.</strong></em>2010-11-15T00:05:41ZIn our previous installment, we revealed that SAP chose Torelli Bicycle Co. to be the recipient of a brand spanking new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution because Torelli is, in fact, pretty typical. It's a little counterintuitive, I know. But when it was explained by Mike Coleman, SAP America Vice President for North American Distribution, Direct Marketing Resellers (DMR) & E-Store, it begins to make sense.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200496?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIn our previous installment, we revealed that SAP chose Torelli Bicycle Co. to be the recipient of a brand spanking new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution because Torelli is, in fact, pretty typical. It's a little counterintuitive, I know. But when it was explained by Mike Coleman, SAP America Vice President for North American Distribution, Direct Marketing Resellers (DMR) & E-Store, it begins to make sense.Coleman said that Torelli was not singled out because it was so unique, but because it is actually "emblematic" of millions of small and midsize businesses (SMB) around the globe that are struggling against the confines of ill-equipped, single-purpose accounting systems that are holding them back from reaching their full potential. <P> As Coleman said in a <a href="http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid587316518001?bclid=586617689001&bctid=632028656001">recent video update</a>, Torelli is one of more than 80,000 SMB customers that are now part of SAP's worldwide installed base. The fact that SAP, a company best known for automating and integrating the business process of Fortune 100 companies, has developed such a large customer base of SMBs around the world "may be surprising to some folks, but it's really a testament to the strength of our small to medium enterprise solutions," he said. <P> Why are tens of thousands of small businesses suddenly lining up to use the same tools that are being wielded by their largest competitors? For one thing, they can afford it now. SAP and other software vendors have dramatically lowered the entry price for integrated ERP solutions. (Find out just how inexpensive ERP has become for SMBs in the exclusive webcast "InformationWeek SMB On Location Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System," featuring Coleman and others, including Jeff Stiles, Senior Vice President of SME Marketing for SAP AG.) <P> The other reason ERP's popularity is soaring among SMBs is that in many cases they can quickly realize significant operational benefits that go directly to the company's bottom line, Coleman said. "Many of &#91;our SMB&#93; customers have experienced tremendous growth. Some have experienced &#91;benefits such as&#93; a 25 percent reduction in inventory, based on the efficiencies of a Business One implementation," he said. <P> Faster implementation time and lower upfront costs have combined to shorten the payback period for an ERP solution, Coleman added. "We have seen customers implement in as little as 30 days, sometimes maybe 60 days, but &#91;they can achieve&#93; a complete implementation in a very short time frame. And we've seen many companies actually recoup or recover the cost of the implementation and the software in less than a year, with resounding results." <P> <em><strong>What kind of "resounding results" would get your company to switch from a standard accounting package to a full-blown ERP solution? Share your ERP wish list with the InformationWeek SMB On Location audience.</strong></em>2010-11-10T23:21:44Z"The Torelli Bicycle Company is the perfect company for us to do this implementation with," said Mike Coleman, SAP America's Vice President for North American Distribution, Direct Marketing Resellers (DMR) & E-Store, after visiting Torelli's rustic headquarters in North Hollywood, Calif. "I think it's a prime candidate for &#91;an SAP&#93; makeover. "http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200483?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors"The Torelli Bicycle Company is the perfect company for us to do this implementation with," said Mike Coleman, SAP America's Vice President for North American Distribution, Direct Marketing Resellers (DMR) & E-Store, after visiting Torelli's rustic headquarters in North Hollywood, Calif. "I think it's a prime candidate for &#91;an SAP&#93; makeover. "Why? Not because Torelli is unique among small and midsize businesses. Actually, it's not, according to Coleman. In fact, Torelli fit the bill for an SMB enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution from SAP precisely because, in many ways, it is so typical, Coleman said in a recent video update. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=632028656001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> "You might think that Torelli is unique. I don't think that it necessarily is," Coleman said. "The better word is 'emblematic.' I think it's the perfect candidate &#91;for an ERP implementation&#93; based on its business model and its growth needs." <P> The unique part about Torelli, in Coleman's view, is the gutsy move the company's CEO Todd Linscott made when he decided to push forward with plans to upgrade his simple bookkeeping system to an integrated ERP solution - even after the global economy took a turn for the worse. <P> "Todd really had to stick his neck out," Coleman said. "When he bought the company a couple of years ago ... it was just when the economic crisis was declared. He was at a crossroads, and he had an opportunity to make a decision: Does he stay with the current business model, which is based on QuickBooks, or does he take the opportunity to really step up and begin to use the tools - in this case the SAP Business One tools - to compete like a larger company and essentially position &#91;his company&#93; for growth, even in a depressed market condition. These tools do, in fact, give him that capability and that capacity." <em> <strong>What gutsy moves has your company made lately? Tell us how you're investing in your business processes to "grow your way out of" the current economy and set the stage for a bigger, brighter future. Then watch <a href="http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid587316518001?bclid=586617689001&bctid=632028656001">the video above </a>to find out more about the benefits companies like Torelli can expect from their ERP investment.</strong> </em>2010-11-06T14:52:26ZThe benefits are starting to roll in at Torelli Bicycle Company as employees begin to hit their stride with the new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution from SAP. InformationWeek SMB checked in again with implementation expert Greg Woodward, who is leading the project for SAP integrator Navigator Business Solutions.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200494?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe benefits are starting to roll in at Torelli Bicycle Company as employees begin to hit their stride with the new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution from SAP. InformationWeek SMB checked in again with implementation expert Greg Woodward, who is leading the project for SAP integrator Navigator Business Solutions.Woodward sees major breakthroughs in store for Torelli's business management processes, "Especially with the ability to go through and take a look at historical transactions that occur within the application, (letting them) adjust their inventory levels based on the seasonality of demand," Woodward said. "I think that will be a huge step forward for these guys." <P> Another advantage Woodward mentioned in a recent video interview is Torelli's newfound ability to have its native financial software track real-time fluctuations in international currency exchange, something that required time-consuming workarounds with the company's old bookkeeping system. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=655314390001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> "They do purchase out of country, so getting a true understanding of exchange rates - what the inventory valuation is and what the profitability is on a per-item basis - that's another huge step forward for the folks at Torelli," according to Woodward. <P> However, the real payoffs will result from the integrated, all-in-one approach that the ERP solution provides, he said. "One of the very most beneficial things about SAP is having that information aggregated in one system." <P> Typically, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) such as Torelli "might have QuickBooks, and an Excel spreadsheet, and they may have an Access database - and then somehow &#91;they'd&#93; try and cobble all these disparate systems together to derive a somewhat iffy number," Woodward explained. "Now with SAP being a purpose-built, aggregate system, the amount of information has been something that was almost in the exclusive realm of the Global 1000 and . . . we've really brought it down to the `masses,' this ability to drill down and mine the data that's within the application. It really is pretty impressive." <P> <em><strong>How impressive? Find out what members of Team Torelli had to say about their new SAP implementation in the exclusive webcast, <a href="https://www.techwebonlineevents.com/ars/eventregistration.do?mode=eventreg&F=1002589&K=ODOLA">"On Location Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System.</a>"</strong></em>2010-11-01T19:27:42ZAs part of a live webcast last week featuring executives from Torelli Bicycle Company, enterprise resource planning software leader SAP, and ERP implementation specialists to the small and midsize business market Navigator Business Solutions, we had the opportunity to conduct a live poll of the nearly 200 SMB companies in attendance.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200513?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsAs part of a live webcast last week featuring executives from Torelli Bicycle Company, enterprise resource planning software leader SAP, and ERP implementation specialists to the small and midsize business market Navigator Business Solutions, we had the opportunity to conduct a live poll of the nearly 200 SMB companies in attendance.We asked: "What is your current status with implementing your own ERP or business management software in your organization?" It comes as no surprise that the vast majority of SMBs have yet to implement an ERP system, even though most of them recognize the value and need for such a solution to manage their business. <P> Ironically, almost equal numbers of SMB respondents chose one of these two responses: <P> 1. About 17 percent said, <em>"We are happy with spreadsheets and related approaches and do not feel the need for any additional technology in our operations at this time."</em> 2. Another 17 percent said, <em>"We have already implemented ERP/business management software and have it integrated into our operations."</em> <P> That leaves all the rest somewhere in the middle ground between <em>"We recognize the benefit that ERP and business management software technology can deliver but have not begun to investigate our options,"</em> (44 percent) and <em>"We have selected a vendor but have not begun implementation"</em> (4.9 percent). The remaining 16 percent are either "actively evaluating vendors and solutions to begin a project" or have actually begun to short-list specific vendors for a near-term implementation. <P> The poll results came as no great surprise to Jeff Stiles, senior vice president of small and midsize enterprise (SME) marketing for SAP AG, a company known for its ERP solutions for large businesses. What may surprise others is just how invested SAP has become in the SMB/SME marketplace: The company now boasts that 90 percent of its more than 100,000 customers are actually small and midsize firms. <P> "It's certain that one answer doesn't fit all, but there are a couple of general trends," Stiles said regarding the poll results. "First, a lot of small businesses find themselves with a myriad of spreadsheets, and at some point, they outgrow the ability to work effectively across the different parts of the business &#91;by&#93; simply using manual processes or spreadsheets. <P> "The second thing we see an awful lot of is folks who work to automate a specific part of their business - and financials is the first &#91;part&#93; that many choose - and then they realize that they have outgrown that financials-only system. They may have a need to better manage distribution, customer service, or warranty and repairs, etc.," Stiles said. The result is often a gradual awakening to the benefits of a full-blown ERP solution that addresses all the critical information needs of their business. <P> <strong><em>To learn more, check out the webcast,<a href="https://www.techwebonlineevents.com/ars/eventregistration.do?mode=eventreg&F=1002589&K=ODOLA"> "On Location Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System ."</a></em></strong>2010-10-26T13:18:25ZI recently checked in with Greg Woodward, who is heading up Torelli Bicycle Company's enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project for SAP integrator Navigator Business Solutions. I asked Greg what gains Torelli will realize from the technology makeover it's receiving.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200549?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsI recently checked in with Greg Woodward, who is heading up Torelli Bicycle Company's enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project for SAP integrator Navigator Business Solutions. I asked Greg what gains Torelli will realize from the technology makeover it's receiving.One of the major items on the list of benefits for Torelli, according to Woodward, can be summed up in a single word: warranties. "Probably the biggest thing for &#91;Torelli&#93; is that previously under &#91;its&#93; QuickBooks application, warranty-related issues were a big question for the company," he said. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=653416369001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> It came down to the ability to assign a unique serial number to each product, such as the company's imported bicycle frames, which carry a lifetime warranty. "Torelli really didn't have a formal process by which &#91;it&#93; could track not only warranty issues related to the manufacturers of the frames, but also for the end users of the frames." <P> While the previous accounting system had no support for assigning, recording and tracking serial numbers, Torelli's new SAP-based ERP solution for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) is providing the bike company with the means to serialize its incoming inventory from Italy and Taiwan, and then track each individual item from the manufacturer, to the dealer and ultimately, to the end customer - and maintain that information throughout the life of the product. "One of the nice things about that is now &#91;the people at Torelli&#93; are actually aware of who the end consumer is, which I believe is the limit of their warranty. They provide the warranty only to the original purchaser of the frame," Woodward said. "So that in itself - the ability to go through and validate when a warranty claim is submitted whether that claim is valid or not - I think that is a huge step forward for the company." <P> In the absence of a record-keeping system that tracked individual SKUs and the eventual owners of each SKU, Torelli essentially had to rely on the honor system to judge whether a customer was telling the truth about being the original purchaser of a Torelli bike. "I'm not sure what criteria &#91;Torelli&#93; would use in the past to know whether a phone caller was pulling its leg or not, but I know that if it was me relying on that, I would quickly be out of business," Woodward said. <P> "The Torelli company has kind of built itself up and tried to set itself apart from the other bike manufacturers in the sense that the company has a very, very high customer touch point, and frankly, I think with this new serialized warranty function built into SAP Business One, it will only get better at improving that high value customer touch that it provides." <P> <em><strong>For more examples of how ERP technology is transforming SMBs like Torelli, join Greg Woodward and other key players in Torelli's technology transformation for a live webcast. <a href="https://www.techwebonlineevents.com/ars/eventregistration.do?mode=eventreg&F=1002589&K=OLS">"Extreme SMB Technology Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System"</a> takes place Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT).</strong></em>2010-10-21T13:04:04ZA few years ago, the idea of a four-person company running a back-end business solution from SAP would have been an absurd suggestion. In the minds of most business executives who are familiar with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems from market leader SAP, the very name is synonymous with large-scale enterprise operations and implementation efforts measured in years and millions of dollars.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200598?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsA few years ago, the idea of a four-person company running a back-end business solution from SAP would have been an absurd suggestion. In the minds of most business executives who are familiar with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems from market leader SAP, the very name is synonymous with large-scale enterprise operations and implementation efforts measured in years and millions of dollars.So where would the president of a tiny Southern California bicycle company get the idea that he could deploy an SAP solution and revolutionize his small business? <P> "I had some technology background, as well as an understanding of business and business processes, coming from a larger corporate background," Torelli Bicycle Co. CEO Todd Linscott explains in a video interview just posted to the InformationWeek SMB On Location website. It was enough to spark an idea: Linscott had witnessed firsthand the results that ERP technology could achieve for a Fortune 100 company. He reasoned that applying the same principles to a promising small business could achieve similarly spectacular results. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=590161985001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> Linscott also knew something that still eludes most small business owners. In fact, it could be one of the best-kept secrets in the IT industry: ERP isn't just for big companies any more. Today, SAP and others are specifically targeting small and midsize businesses (SMBs) by offering appropriately scaled solutions that combine accounting, inventory and customer management, and related functions into an integrated system that can be deployed for a fraction of the cost of a traditional ERP implementation. <P> Even so, what could a company as small as Torelli really hope to gain from ERP? Linscott is happy to elaborate. <P> The company's brand-spanking-new SAP solution for SMBs "will enable us to have much more visibility with regard to our ongoing business, and more flexibility &#91;to accomplish&#93; some of the things we want to do," Linscott says. "For example, we'll be able to look at the gross profit of an invoice, and discounting may be offered at the time when you have the dealer on the phone." It's the kind of real-time, drill-down capability that a large company might expect as a matter of course, but for an SMB, it is still generally the stuff of dreams. <P> <em>Want more examples of what ERP can do for an SMB like yours? Tune in to the live webcast, "<a href="https://www.techwebonlineevents.com/ars/eventregistration.do?mode=eventreg&F=1002589&K=OLS">Extreme SMB Technology Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System</a>," featuring Linscott and the rest of Team Torelli, as well as representatives from SAP and its partner, SMB integrator Navigator Business Solutions. Register now to participate in this groundbreaking interactive event, which takes place Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT).</em>2010-10-17T17:57:03Z"One of the real benefits of an SAP solution is with the experience we have in the Fortune 1000 - well beyond the Fortune 1000, for that matter, in the large enterprise - we've taken a lot of that learning and brought it down into a very affordable package for the small to medium enterprise, that essentially allows folks like Torelli here, and Todd the CEO, to do things he could never do before."http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200624?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors"One of the real benefits of an SAP solution is with the experience we have in the Fortune 1000 - well beyond the Fortune 1000, for that matter, in the large enterprise - we've taken a lot of that learning and brought it down into a very affordable package for the small to medium enterprise, that essentially allows folks like Torelli here, and Todd the CEO, to do things he could never do before."Those were the words of Mike Coleman, SAP's vice president of distribution and direct response channel, during his visit to Torelli Bicycle Co. in August, as small business owner Todd Linscott surrendered the keys to his computer systems into the able hands of Navigator Business Solutions for an "extreme technology makeover," courtesy of Navigator and SAP. <P> In this video interview, shot by InformationWeek SMB On Location's crack team of documentarians, Coleman outlined some of the specific benefits in store for Torelli once its new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is in place. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=590172058001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> "For example, based on &#91;Todd's&#93; current system, he's unable to essentially track SKUs and have landed costs on those SKUs based on the import/export duties," Coleman said. As a result, Torelli could not "assign those duties to a particular SKU and then be able to cost that to a customer and price it accordingly." The upshot of that for Todd and Torelli was a lot of guesswork, and never really knowing for sure whether its imported items, such as the fine handmade Italian steel racing frames, were actually being sold at a profit on a day-to-day basis. <P> "With an SAP solution, that will transform his ability to . . . price himself very competitively, and be able to grow exponentially as a result of that," Coleman added. <P> <em>So how is that transformation going? Find out later this month in a live webcast: <a href="https://www.techwebonlineevents.com/ars/eventregistration.do?mode=eventreg&F=1002589&K=OLS">"Extreme SMB Technology Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System."</a> The webcast takes place Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT). Don't miss it!</em>2010-10-11T15:04:10ZWhether you're a professional bike racer or a small business owner, you must have the heart of a true competitor to break away from the crowd and achieve success. And every competitor, at some point in his or her career, reaches that "make-or-break" point, where there is a clear choice of whether to push the envelope of endurance, or settle for being second best.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200602?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsWhether you're a professional bike racer or a small business owner, you must have the heart of a true competitor to break away from the crowd and achieve success. And every competitor, at some point in his or her career, reaches that "make-or-break" point, where there is a clear choice of whether to push the envelope of endurance, or settle for being second best.Owner Todd Linscott and his small dedicated team at Torelli Bicycle Co. reached that crossroads earlier this year, and decided to take the harder road. In their case, it was the choice to leave behind an outdated accounting system that was holding them back, and embrace a new way of doing business based on the same enterprise resource planning (ERP) principles typically used by large, multinational businesses, <P> Once that decision was made, Linscott turned to the professionals at Navigator Business Solutions, an integration firm that specializes in applying ERP solutions from market leader SAP to small businesses such as Torelli. From the first day that Navigator's Western U.S. Project Manager Brian Hedrick arrived on the scene at Torelli's humble Southern California headquarters, he was confident that the combination of SAP's technology and Navigator's implementation know-how would pave the way for the small company to turn the corner on its business processes and achieve the next level of entrepreneurial success. <P> In this video interview recorded during a visit to Torelli in August, at the very outset of the InformationWeek SMB On Location series, Hedrick predicted a smooth and fast transition for Torelli. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=590172066001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> "I don't see any major challenges at all; this is a perfect fit," Hedrick said. Like many small companies, he added, Torelli's business model and day-to-day operations are actually much more conventional than its management may realize and, as a result, can easily adapt to the ERP processes of an SAP solution. <P> "Sometimes customers think they're unique in the world: 'We're a warehouse. We buy things for cheap, put them on our shelves, and sell them for more money.' That's not unique; everyone does that. I think they have a very common business model. They have some specific nuances that are unique to them, but as far as challenges, nothing right now. It looks very, very smooth." <P> <em>Was the implementation as smooth as Hedrick predicted? Find out later this month when representatives from Navigator, SAP and Torelli join me in a live roundtable webcast on the real challenges and rewards of implementing ERP in a small business. The <a href="https://www.techwebonlineevents.com/ars/eventregistration.do?mode=eventreg&F=1002589&K=OLS">"Extreme SMB Technology Makeover: Torelli Races for the Finish Line with New ERP System" webcast </a>takes place Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT). Mark your calendar!</em>2010-10-05T01:31:11ZWorking at Torelli Bicycle Co. in North Hollywood, Calif., takes more than just the physical stamina necessary to withstand the extreme heat of LA's 100-degree-plus Indian summer while rummaging through Torelli's stifling hot warehouse. It also takes a prodigious memory to know precisely what's housed in that cavernous storage area at any point in time.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200608?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsWorking at Torelli Bicycle Co. in North Hollywood, Calif., takes more than just the physical stamina necessary to withstand the extreme heat of LA's 100-degree-plus Indian summer while rummaging through Torelli's stifling hot warehouse. It also takes a prodigious memory to know precisely what's housed in that cavernous storage area at any point in time.This week, we go on a video walk-through of Torelli's storehouse with Communications Director Ray Asante to find out just what he and his co-workers are up against. The glimpse Ray gives us provides an inkling of the hundreds of obscure parts and pieces that make up Torelli's complex inventory - from the imported steel racing frames to the mysterious bags of talcum powder that have raised the suspicions of local law enforcement on at least one occasion. (The powder is used to lubricate the inflatable rubber tubes inside those skinny racing tires, in case you were wondering.) <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=599625347001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> A big part of the problem is Torelli's old accounting system, which does not provide a real-time snapshot of inventory. As a result, employees are constantly making trips to the warehouse to check inventory levels in order to fill orders. With all four employees answering phones and servicing customers all day long, order entry can also lag behind order taking, creating more potential problems - and more trips to the warehouse. <P> That's all about to change, however, as the company prepares to "go live" with a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation designed for small and midsize businesses. The new system being installed, courtesy of SAP and Navigator Business Solutions, combines a wide variety of warehouse and inventory management features into a single software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering. Major new capabilities of the system will include the ability to: <P> &#8226; Manage inventories in multiple warehouses and locations using methods such as first in, first out (FIFO), moving average or standard costing &#8226; Record goods receipts and goods issues, and track stock transfers between locations &#8226; Maintain units of measure and item prices in local and foreign currency &#8226; Handle consignment, drop-ship and back-to-back orders &#8226; Issue and release production orders manually and by backflush &#8226; Implement serial and batch number management &#8226; Use a "pick-and-pack" manager to fill deliveries &#8226; Generate comprehensive item-list, transaction and valuation reports &#8226; Perform inventory and cycle counts <P> As far as Torelli's Asante is concerned, one of the biggest boosts the company will receive from the new ERP system will be the empowerment of the individual employees, who share equally in the tasks of customer and inventory management along with their other duties. <P> "The thing about calling Torelli is: You'll never get a receptionist &#91;on the phone&#93;," Asante says. "There's no such thing as a lowly salesperson here. Don't be surprised if the president's also packing the box, or delivering it." <P> <em>Can you remember life "before ERP?" Or maybe you're still living it, waitng for your own company's big ERP makeover -- either way, please share your "war stories" with us. And stay tuned for more news and video updates as Team Torelli flips the switch on its new ERP implementation.</em>2010-10-01T00:53:20ZTeam Torelli is tensing for the final assault. As you read this, CEO Todd Linscott and his small crew of hardworking Torelli Bicycle Co. employees are huddling with small-business implementation experts for Navigator Business Solutions, who have flown in to finally flip the switches on Torelli's new production ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution from SAP.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200580?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsTeam Torelli is tensing for the final assault. As you read this, CEO Todd Linscott and his small crew of hardworking Torelli Bicycle Co. employees are huddling with small-business implementation experts for Navigator Business Solutions, who have flown in to finally flip the switches on Torelli's new production ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution from SAP.Just days ago, Greg Woodward, Navigator's project leader on the SMB technology makeover project, filed this <a href="http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid587316518001?bclid=586617689001&bctid=616484739001">video report </a>on last-minute preparations for Torelli's business systems transformation. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=616484739001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> "We are in the final stages now of actually going through and prepping the site for it to go live," Woodward explains. The tension is palpable, as even Greg's "lovely sidekick Zara" demonstrates her readiness to break away from her role as the family dog to lend a paw to this exhilarating enterprise. <P> "Now that &#91;Torelli has&#93; had the opportunity to actually interact with the sandbox test site, I'm starting to migrate data over from that sandbox environment to what will be their production environment, ultimately," Greg explains. <P> Stay tuned as we learn details of what's in store - literally and figuratively - for Torelli's retail business as it makes the final transition from its old single-purpose accounting system to a state-of-the-art ERP environment that provides real-time, end-to-end business visibility. <P> <em>What do you think will be Torelli's biggest gain from implementing an SMB ERP solution from SAP? Will it be the ability to support foreign currency exchange rates right out of the box, or the easy access via software as a service (SaaS) availability of integrated accounting, customer management, inventory management and more? And once Torelli goes live with its new implementation, will Greg finally have time to play ball again with Zara?</em>2010-09-27T13:41:20ZExcitement is building inside Torelli Bicycle Co. headquarters in North Hollywood, Calif., as employees anxiously await another birth.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200772?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsExcitement is building inside Torelli Bicycle Co. headquarters in North Hollywood, Calif., as employees anxiously await another birth.This blessed event - the actual "go live" date for Torelli's new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system - represents the metaphorical birth of a new Torelli, one that operates with the data-driven precision that few small to midsize businesses (SMBs) ever achieve, unless they have the good fortune to grow into a large-scale enterprise capable of deploying a full-blown ERP implementation. <P> Of course, this metaphorical birth (or "rebirth," as the case may be) was upstaged recently by an actual birth, as Torelli's Communications Director Ray Asante became the proud parent of the latest addition to the Team Torelli family. However, even that happy event has not deterred Ray and the rest of Torelli's small crew of bicycle business professionals from racing ahead with plans for their ERP deployment. <P> In a recent video update from his Silicon Valley workshop, expert ERP integrator Greg Woodward from Navigator Business Solutions gave a detailed report on the state of preparations for Torelli's impending "go live" event. <P> <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=616485850001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> "It's the last couple of weeks prior to 'go live,' and we are just doing some final touches on the environment for the crew at Torelli," Greg reports. Preparations include loading inventory data into the Torelli "sandbox" environment. Along with loading and mapping approximately 1,300 inventory items into the ERP system, Woodward has also overseen "the final scrub" of the customer data, and loaded it into the sandbox test environment. The next steps in setting the stage for going live, according to Woodward, will include transferring balances from Torelli's old QuickBooks accounting system general ledger into the new SaaS (software as a service) ERP environment from SAP. <P> <em>Stay tuned as Torelli trades in its sandbox for a <u>real </u>ERP system. What could a real ERP solution do for your small business?</em>2010-09-15T17:38:42Z<strong>"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!"</strong> Of course, those are the words of the incomparable Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology was probably the last thing on the good doctor's mind when he penned those lines, but they perfectly describe the prevailing attitude at Torelli Bicycle Co. these days, as employees contemplate life in the future, aided by an ERP business information system tailored to their specific small-business needs.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200766?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors<strong>"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!"</strong> Of course, those are the words of the incomparable Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology was probably the last thing on the good doctor's mind when he penned those lines, but they perfectly describe the prevailing attitude at Torelli Bicycle Co. these days, as employees contemplate life in the future, aided by an ERP business information system tailored to their specific small-business needs.In a video blog posted this week, Torelli's Product Design Manager Christian Feldhake describes how with the company's new ERP implementation, a simple thing like offering a customer free shipping on a product would actually become, well &#8230; simple. <embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1568178642" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=599600214001&playerId=1568178642&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed> <P> When asked by a colleague whether it was okay to extend a free shipping promotion on a phone order, Feldhake explains that currently, only <a href="http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid587316518001?bclid=586617689001&bctid=593328986001">CEO Todd Linscott </a>can authorize the offer on those particular products in question, and the chief executive was off-site at the time, visiting customers. So for the time being, no discount, and consequently, no sale. <P> But that is all about to change, Feldhake says, thanks to the technology makeover Torelli is receiving this month, courtesy of SAP and Navigator Business Solutions. <P> "With the new software we're going to have from SAP, we'll be able to go in and put a limit on the amount of discounts, or set predetermined discounts in the software," Feldhake says, taking a break from packing up bike frames to ship out to Torelli's dealer network. As a result, "The salesperson, or the customer directly over the phone, will be able to answer those questions without having to go to higher management." <P> That kind of empowerment means that everyone at this small company - and even the customers themselves - will have the information at their fingertips to close deals, and thereby help Torelli meet its goals for success. <P> Or, to put it in Dr. Seuss' words: <P> <strong>"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."</strong> <P> <em>How could your company benefit from an ERP makeover such as the one Torelli is receiving? Let us know the places <u>you'd</u> go!</em>2010-09-02T12:28:12ZIf you drop in on Torelli Bicycle Co. headquarters in North Hollywood, Calif., these days, you'll find CEO Todd Linscott and the rest of Team Torelli spending every spare moment reveling in their new "sandbox."http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200758?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsIf you drop in on Torelli Bicycle Co. headquarters in North Hollywood, Calif., these days, you'll find CEO Todd Linscott and the rest of Team Torelli spending every spare moment reveling in their new "sandbox."This sandbox is no plaything, however. It's actually a very sophisticated test bed containing Torelli's critical business data, reconstructed on an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution from SAP. <P> The sandbox environment was created through the efforts of Applications Consultant Greg Woodward and his colleagues at Navigator Business Solutions, an SAP partner that specializes in ERP implementations for small and midsize businesses, or SMBs. (Check out Greg's video blog, where he describes the process of exporting Torelli's dealer and product data from the company's legacy accounting application, scrubbing it and then importing the information into the new SAP environment.) <P> Establishing the sandbox is a landmark event at Torelli, paving the way for the company to enter a new era of operational efficiency, according to Linscott. In a video interview, the CEO explains the significance of finally gaining real-time visibility to the company's actual business data. <P> "The sandbox is essentially a playground for the baseline Torelli information," Linscott says. "We can now start logging into the hosted environment that's been set up for us, so we can start working with the baseline item and customer data. Over the next week we'll be able to have access to that." <P> In the coming weeks, we'll watch as Torelli transforms itself into a data-driven small enterprise, capable of responding to its customers and adapting to changing market conditions with a speed and agility that Torelli executives thought could only be experienced riding one of their blazingly fast Italian-made road bikes. <P> Do you have a question for Todd and Team Torelli -- or perhaps even a word of warning as they prepare to transition from playing in their high-tech sandbox to actually moving their day-to-day business operations into the SAP environment? Please share your thoughts, and stay tuned as Torelli Bicycle Co. sets out on the technology ride of its life.2010-08-24T14:17:05Z"No pain, no gain." That's what the coach told us in high school, and it's as true today as it was then. If you're in the bicycle business, for instance, the height of summer is also the height of your sales season - and perhaps not the perfect time to switch your entire business operations over to a new platform.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200835?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Authors"No pain, no gain." That's what the coach told us in high school, and it's as true today as it was then. If you're in the bicycle business, for instance, the height of summer is also the height of your sales season - and perhaps not the perfect time to switch your entire business operations over to a new platform.Then again, the sooner you can make the transition, the sooner you can begin optimizing your sales, accurately tracking your profits and costs, streamlining your inventory, being more responsive to your customers, and generally running your business better from top to bottom. <P> That's how Torelli Bicycle Co. CEO Todd Linscott has it figured anyway. That's why he gave the thumbs up to a major business makeover - even though it was coming smack in the middle of his busiest time of year. <P> "The biggest thing we've learned is: This is never easy to do," Todd told the team at InformationWeek SMB this week, "especially when you're in the busy season of your business. But in the end, we know that our time and efforts are going to pan out by giving us better business operations." <P> As Todd explains in the InformationWeek SMB: On Location Makeover video, better business operation translates into tangible information, such as being able to record his costs in the correct currency. His current accounting system supports only one currency, but as an importer, he pays for his Italian frames and accessories in euros, then jumps through hoops to track exchange rates and perform all the currency conversions manually. His new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, being installed this month courtesy of SAP, can seamlessly track purchases in any currency. It's just one of the ways this makeover will make life easier - and business better - for the folks at Torelli. <P> However, as Todd and his team struggle to fill every sales order during the current busy season, and still make time for their big makeover, it's like the final push for the finish line at the velodrome: Sure, it's going to hurt a little bit, but in the end, it's all worth it. <P> As Lance Armstrong once said: "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."2010-08-16T18:07:13ZThe economic downturn has taken its toll on companies of all sizes, but there is no question that the nation's smaller businesses have been the hardest hit. At last count, there were about 30 million companies in the U.S. - and 99.9 percent of them are small to midsize businesses (SMBs), according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200882?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsThe economic downturn has taken its toll on companies of all sizes, but there is no question that the nation's smaller businesses have been the hardest hit. At last count, there were about 30 million companies in the U.S. - and 99.9 percent of them are small to midsize businesses (SMBs), according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.These companies employ about 40 percent of all tech workers in the U.S., account for 44 percent of all private payrolls - and they fail at an alarming rate. Only about half of all SMBs are able to survive for five years. In 2008 alone, the most recent year for which data has been released by the government, about 627,000 new SMBs were created, while 595,600 SMBs closed their doors for good. <P> What makes SMB survival such a precarious proposition? According to the Small Business Administration's SBA.gov website, "Research indicates that poor planning is responsible for most business failures. Good organization - of financials, inventory, schedules and production - can help you avoid many pitfalls." Unfortunately, many - if not most - small businesses lack the resources or the foresight to invest in backend planning systems capable of efficiently managing these core business processes. That's beginning to change, however. Business software companies such as SAP, which have traditionally catered primarily to large enterprises, have begun to recognize the potential of the smaller-business sector. In response, they have created scaled-down versions of their enterprise resource planning (ERP) offerings that are specifically tailored to the SMB marketplace. <P> Can "right-sized" ERP offerings make a measurable difference, and truly put a dent in the fearsome failure rate of the country's imperiled SMBs? InformationWeek and SAP have created this series in hopes of finding out. Over the next several weeks, we will watch as one small business gets the technology makeover of a lifetime. With the help of business technology from SAP, and the on-site efforts of SAP implementation specialist Navigator Business Solutions, InformationWeek's SMB On Location Makeover Team will be on hand to document what happens when <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/08/living_the_drea.html">a little company with big dreams</a> gets the opportunity to reinvent itself, and transform the way it does business from the inside out. Stay tuned!2010-08-11T18:19:58ZWhich of us doesn't harbor the dream of eventually chucking it all, dropping out of the corporate rat race and following our passion? But it's a rare individual who actually has the guts, the grit and the determination to pull it off.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229200887?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_AuthorsWhich of us doesn't harbor the dream of eventually chucking it all, dropping out of the corporate rat race and following our passion? But it's a rare individual who actually has the guts, the grit and the determination to pull it off.Meet Todd Linscott. A few years ago, Todd was a senior strategy consultant for IBM Global Services. Today, he's shed the suit and tie and taken up residence as the president of Torelli Bicycle Co. in North Hollywood, Calif., a 30-year-old importer of fine Italian-made racing bikes. Welcome to Todd's dream. <P> Funny thing about dreams, though. They can be a little unpredictable. When Todd stepped off the career track, he knew he had the raw materials to build a thriving company and realize his dream of owning and running his own successful business. He also knew that his new road to success and personal fulfillment would involve a few twists and turns. But he didn't fully realize just how fast a track he was getting on. As Torelli's reputation and sales orders began to climb under Todd's management, he soon found the company was bursting at the seams. The accounting, inventory, sales tracking and customer management systems that had sustained the importer for its first 30 years were no longer sufficient to support the kind of growth Torelli was starting to experience. It was time for a change. That's when Todd and Torelli first came to the attention of InformationWeek and SAP. SAP was looking for a small business that was ripe for transformation, a case study in the making to demonstrate the benefits of implementing the software company's tailored solutions for small and midsize enterprises (SMEs). So InformationWeek, in conjunction with SAP and SAP implementation specialist Navigator Business Solutions, began the search-and-selection process for the perfect test case. Torelli's story made its way to the head of the pack. Now, the rest is about to become history. In return for allowing InformationWeek reporters and the Navigator team to invade its small North Hollywood headquarters over the course of the next several weeks, Torelli will receive the best business solutions SAP has to offer in the SME marketplace. And we'll be there with our cameras rolling and our blogs reeling, bringing you right into the action as SAP and Navigator lend their special brand of expertise to transforming Torelli's business processes, and helping Todd make his dream a reality.