Plex Systems vs Infor M3

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Our analysts compared Plex Systems vs Infor M3 based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Manufacturing Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Infor M3 Software Tool

Product Basics

Plex Manufacturing Cloud uses real-time data to connect and facilitate operations among various business aspects such as finance, distribution and production. It has built-in compliance and approval monitoring tools to ensure that your products are created accurately and with regulations in mind.

With Plex software, you also have the ability to develop customized reports and dashboards to make visualization easier and more streamlined. These reporting tools can make developing insights faster and easier, especially when considering the program’s use of actual minute-by-minute data.
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Infor M3 is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning solution for medium and large global distributors, manufacturers and after-sales service providers. It helps manage complex, mixed-mode value chains and distribution-intensive environments. It provides exceptional user experiences, flexible implementation options and industry-relevant capabilities in a multi-country, multi-site and multi-company environment. Organizations can adapt to industry trends, business models and boost their business’s growth. It has deep capabilities in chemicals, distribution, equipment, fashion and food and beverage industries.

It provides on-demand computing with industry-specific capabilities to provide customer service. It is deployed on Amazon Web Services, providing service at low costs with a secure environment. It is available in 23 languages and supports local requirements for 42 countries.

To explore other popular solutions that Infor offers, visit our Infor company page.
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Product Insights

  • Increased Efficiency: Plex Manufacturing Cloud uses real-time data and set parameters to maximize production capabilities. Its Advanced Planning and Scheduling tool uses information such as inventory levels, amount of production floor space and maximum productivity levels to generate a best-fit manufacturing schedule. 
  • Accessibility: As a cloud-based manufacturing software, Plex is available anytime and anywhere as long as a user has internet access. This is especially beneficial in the manufacturing center considering manufacturing managers and production line employees can access real-time data from internet-enabled devices while they’re actually on the floor working. 
  • Improved Customer Experience: Customers are the backbone of your business, and Plex software capitalizes on this fact through its customer portal, which provides visualization as a product moves throughout the supply chain. Shipping notifications are also included so that clients have an accurate expectation as to when an item should be delivered. 
  • Heightened Visibility: With increased visibility, you can develop insights more quickly. Plex Manufacturing Cloud contains the ability to use customizable dashboards to reflect minute-by-minute information such as inventory levels and labor allocation, which enables you to make informed decisions based on current processes. 
  • Collaboration: Plex allows for collaboration with clients through the customer portal. It also contains internal collaboration tools that are emphasized through its multi-site functionality for supply chain and financial processes. 
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  • Flexible and Scalable: Meets the needs of users’ businesses with high computing power and scalability for resources.  
  • Security: Supported by Amazon Web Services, making it secure with very low downtimes.  
  • Global Solution: Provides global financial visibility. It has multi-company, multi-site, multi-currency, multi-country and multi-language capabilities. Available in 23 languages and has support for 46 countries.  
  • Supports Core Business Processes: Supports customer sales, financial management, manufacturing, supply chain planning and execution, procurement management and service, rental and equipment management.  
  • Supports Multiple Business Models: Supports complex business models for manufacturing, service, rental and distribution. Manages complex products and includes attribute-based and configured kits. It supports make-to-stock (MTS), configure-to-order (CTO) and make-to-order(MTO). Enables after-sales service and multi-channel sales.  
  • Easy-to-Use User Interface: Creates role-based and personalized home pages. It also supports business collaboration with the help of alerts and workflows. Accessible via multiple devices and browsers.  
  • Low Total Cost of Ownership: Has a shared infrastructure that lowers users' total cost of ownership by lowering operating expenses, reducing implementation costs and time and removing the need for on-premise maintenance.  
  • No More Upgrades: Maintained in the cloud, removing the need for upgrades that on-premise software requires.  
  • Access to Innovation: Adds new functions regularly, and lets users try them out in a test environment before including the feature in their production environment.  
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  • Inventory Management: Plex Manufacturing Cloud allows you to track the quantity and location of your inventory, whether you want to look at raw materials, WIP or finished goods. It also supports barcode scanning and label printing in an effort to improve the accuracy of reported inventory levels. Controls are also in place to ensure that products are always developed using the right materials, therefore improving inventory viability. 
  • PLM Functionality: Built-in revision control workflows allow for approved changes to be reflected across the entirety of the product lifecycle. Product specifications can also be developed to expedite processes. 
  • Quality Management: Plex software helps to ensure that you are retaining compliance with standards such as ISO, TS and QS. You can also use supplier scorecards to look at your entire supply chain. For example, your suppliers can use checksheets to validate the quality of their materials before the goods reach your facility, therefore hastening the quality analysis process on your end. 
  • Management of Shipments: The shipping management system ensures that only products that meet acceptable quality specifications are sent to customers and that they are sent to the intended recipient. Plex software's manufacturing system also contains a labeling feature that automatically prints labels using customer information in order to avoid shipping errors. ASNs are automatically sent and formatted as products leave the production facility. 
  • Real-Time Financial Management: Plex software contains continuously updated information on components such as labor hour utilization and point-in-time inventory. The financial management system is designed for order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes and includes multi-site functionality. Financial reports are also easily accessible with this tool. 
  • Customer Relationship Management: This program includes a customer portal that provides visibility of a product as it moves throughout the supply chain and allows for enhanced collaboration ability. Important components such as quotes, estimates, issue resolution and order management are built into the tool along with an integrated EDI. 
  • Advanced Planning and Scheduling: The Plex Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) solution allows you to account for constraints in your workplace such as amount of resources and maximum production capacity to develop optimized production runs. Finite Scheduling includes the ability to plan your development schedule based on factors such as resources, tools and space. The program also allows you to level-load production across different manufacturing centers. 
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  • Chemicals: Has a suite of offerings specifically for the chemicals industry.  
    • Allows for the planning of by-products and co-products.
    • Lets users optimize their formulas.
    • Supports traceability and quality management protocols.
    • Has templates to manage regulatory compliance.
    • Has features for tank liquid management.
  • Distribution: Has features of support end-to-end distribution management.  
    • Supports order fulfillment across multiple channels.
    • Provides support for rebate management and value-added services.
    • Helps with warehouse, inventory and transportation management.
    • Supports traceability and lot-allocation.
  • Equipment:  Supports the entire equipment lifecycle with relevant features.  
    • Supports pricing, discounts, quoting and complex configuration.
    • Lets users forecast for replacements.
    • Also helps with mobile field service and rental management.
    • Helps users deliver, move and pick-up equipment.
  • Fashion: Handles inventory for fashion industries.  
    • Handles both style and not-in-style items.
    • Lets users sort by flexible style, fit, color and size matrix by product.
    • FSupports lot tracking for ethical sourcing.
    • Gives users support for kitting and pre-packs.
    • Supports automated planning, forecasting and assortments.
  • Food and Beverage: Supports the following features in the food and beverage.  
    • Provides visibility to raw materials and ingredient inventory.
    • Also provides traceability from the start to the end of the product life cycle.
    • Helps in producing scheduling and planning.
    • Helps users manage seasonality and shelf-life.
    • Provides guidance on regulatory compliance.
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Product Ranking

#14

among all
Manufacturing Software

#16

among all
Manufacturing Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Infor M3
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Bill Of Materials (BOM) And Routing Computer-aided Design And Computer-aided Manufacturing (CAD And CAM) Management Engineering Change Control Inventory Management Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Product Configuration Production Planning Production Scheduling Quality Management Recipe And Formula Management Reports And Dashboards Shop Floor Control Warehouse Management Work In Process (WIP) Work Order Management 43 0 56 71 80 67 79 36 67 70 80 47 100 70 44 0 44 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Good User Sentiment 32 reviews
Good User Sentiment 151 reviews
74%
of users recommend this product

Plex Systems has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 74% when considering 32 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

78%
of users recommend this product

Infor M3 has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 78% when considering 151 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

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3.3 (1)
3.3 (17)
3.8 (54)
4.2 (11)
4.37 (30)
n/a
4.3 (24)
4.3 (3)
4.1 (15)
3.0 (1)
3.0 (27)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Plex Systems and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Reports and Dashboards.

Reports and Dashboards Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Improved Shop Floor Visibility: Users praise Plex for providing real-time insights into production processes, enabling better decision-making and quicker responses to issues.
Streamlined Inventory Management: Plex helps manufacturers optimize inventory levels, reducing waste and ensuring materials are available when needed.
Enhanced Quality Control: The system's quality management features help track defects, identify root causes, and improve overall product quality.
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User Friendly: The system is easy to use and intuitive, as noted by approximately 91% of users who mention the system’s usability.
Functionality: Infor M3 offers a robust suite of successful project management tools, as reported by 92% of the users who mention the product’s functionality.
Collaborative: About 95% of users noted that this system helps bridge the gaps between remote teams and quickly coordinate users.
Integrations: Available integrations help add value to the base product, as reported by 100% of reviewers who mention integrations.
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Reporting Limitations: Users express frustration with the inflexibility and limitations of Plex's built-in reporting features, making it difficult to extract and analyze data in ways that suit their specific needs.
User Interface Complexity: The system is often described as being difficult to navigate and non-intuitive, especially for new users who require extensive training to become proficient.
System Rigidity: Plex is often criticized for its lack of flexibility in adapting to unique or evolving business processes, requiring workarounds or customizations that can be time-consuming and costly.
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User Interface: About 66% of users who mentioned the interface noted that it is old and needs a redesign.
Implementation: The physical implementation process misses the mark, and can be difficult according to 77% of reviewers who mention implementation.
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Want to know if Plex Systems is truly complex or simply complexly awesome? Recent user reviews suggest the former might be closer to the truth. While Plex Systems is praised for its comprehensive suite of features covering everything from planning and scheduling to supply chain management, users often highlight a steep learning curve and a sometimes clunky interface as drawbacks. This complexity can make it challenging for smaller businesses or those with less tech-savvy teams to implement and utilize effectively. However, Plex Systems shines in its ability to connect different aspects of a manufacturing operation, providing real-time visibility into production processes, inventory levels, and quality control data. This end-to-end integration is a key differentiator, allowing businesses to streamline operations and make data-driven decisions. For example, users cite the ability to track production in real-time and identify bottlenecks as a major advantage, leading to improved efficiency and reduced downtime. Ultimately, Plex Systems is best suited for larger, established manufacturing businesses with the technical resources and expertise to navigate its complexities and leverage its powerful features for maximum impact.

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Infor M3 provides a full-suite ERP solution that ranks high on usability and functionality. Some users think that documentation would make the tool easier to use. It supports multi-lingual and multi-currency operations. Most users think it lets them customize the tool according to their requirements. Also, a few users find it difficult to learn and get used to. Support is prompt. It is highly configurable, but a consultant may be required to implement it.

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