NORFOLK, VA
High-Tech Garment Manufacturer Goes "Live" on Open Source-Based ERP in 30 Days
OpenMFG, the leading provider of open source-based enterprise solutions for small manufacturers and distributors, today announced version 1.3 — the fourth release of its namesake Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, packed with major new features such as integrated credit card processing, a robust financial reporting tool, and full shipping integration with leading package delivery services. This is the second release to incorporate a substantial number of actual source code improvements from OpenMFG partners and customers.
OpenMFG's flagship product is an advanced ERP software solution built with open source components, such as the Linux operating system, the PostgreSQL database, and the OpenRPT report writer. Available OpenMFG modules include Inventory Management, Product Definition and Costing, Work Order Management, Master Scheduling and MRP, Capacity Planning, Purchase Order Management, Sales Order Management, Shipping and Receiving, Sales Analysis, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and a full General Ledger.
Under the company's innovative hybrid license, customers and partners have full access to the application source code, and any enhancements made to the product flow back to OpenMFG for review, quality testing, and possible incorporation into the baseline product.
One of those customers, garment manufacturer Marena Group of Lawrenceville, GA, purchased the OpenMFG software shortly after Thanksgiving, and went live in full production on January 3. Marena's Director of Operations John Rogelstad has already contributed code enhancements to the OpenMFG product; he noted that Marena was able to go live so quickly, and even start writing code, "because the implementation is so straightforward, and the system is rock solid. There was no funny business, so we were able to pick up the business logic and adapt very quickly."
Marena chief financial officer Jim McCluskey, an active user of the Financial Reporting Engine new in version 1.3, added, "The discipline these guys used to design the system is outstanding. It is the most normalized database I've ever seen."
Marena, whose Comfortwear(r) post-surgical compression garments are manufactured in the United States and distributed worldwide, had previously used the Visual Manufacturing software, one of dozens of product lines acquired by the software holding company Infor Global. Marena is growing rapidly, and elected to switch to OpenMFG (over the legacy Infor system and a strong push by SAP) so they could manage that growth affordably, and exercise real control over their technology investment.
All OpenMFG products are built with robust open source components including the PostgreSQL database, and the Qt framework for C++. This underlying technology, invisible to the user, enables OpenMFG and its partners to deliver sophisticated ERP functionality at a very low total cost of ownership. It also enables a true multiplatform solution for individual workstations; the OpenMFG Client runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and various commercial Unix systems. By leveraging this open source "stack," and through its innovative hybrid licensing, OpenMFG brings a competitive new approach to a sorely underserved market.
About OpenMFG
OpenMFG, LLC develops next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) software applications powered by open source software such as Linux, PostgreSQL, and Qt. OpenMFG products give companies visibility into costs, supply chains, processes, inventory and financial operations with a lower cost of ownership than competing products, and are sold to end-user customers through a network of value added partners throughout North America.