Enterprise Software Certification Report

Mixed-mode Manufacturing ERP

Solarsoft Tropos 4.0.0
Aleksey Osintsev, TEC Research Analyst
June 2012

Table of Contents
TEC Product Certification Report

Background and Analyst View

Product Highlights

Product Analysis

10

Analyst Summary

21

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TEC Product Certification Report

Solarsoft Tropos certified by
Aleksey Osintsev, Research Analyst, Technology Evaluation Centers
Gabriel Gheorghiu, Research Analyst, Technology Evaluation Centers
Demonstration conducted by
Graham Curnow, Account Manager, Mitrefinch Ltd.
Colin Elkins, Senior Solutions Architect, Solarsoft Business Systems
Neil Gohil, Marketing Specialist, Solarsoft Business Systems
Ron Savas, Regional Sales Manager, Solarsoft Business Systems
Mike Tansley, Senior Consultant, UNIT4 CODA
Jim Wise, Product Marketing Specialist, Solarsoft Business Systems

Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) is pleased to announce that Solarsoft Tropos is now TEC Certified for online evaluation of
enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions for mixed-mode manufacturing in the ERP Evaluation Center. The ERP Evaluation
Center enables you to compare and evaluate functionality based on TECs comprehensive model of ERP software. Data used in
the Evaluation Center are obtained from the vendors responses to TECs request for information (RFI). Certification ensures that
Solarsoft Tropos has demonstrated Tropos support for specific real-world business processes chosen by TEC analysts; and that
TEC analysts have analytically and comparatively reviewed Solarsoft Tropos RFI data against known benchmarks.

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Benefits of Evaluating a TEC Certified Product

There are many benefits to evaluating a TEC Certified product. To potential clients of a software vendor, TEC certification
provides the following:

Reassurance: You can be assured that the data TEC provides about its certified products conform to a well-defined
standard of accuracy. When a vendors product is TEC Certified, it means that a trusted, independent third party has
seen the product up close.

Better communication with vendors: TEC certification helps ensure that vendors understand and respond accurately
to their clients RFIs. Certification with TEC analysts provides the opportunity to clarify any issues with the RFI criteria.
This ensures that the vendor is speaking the same language as its potential clientsand gives the clients an unambiguous specification of product functionality to inform their selections.

The certification seal is a valuable indicator for organizations that rely on the integrity of TECs research services for assistance
with their software selection projects. Organizations looking for a solution can be confident that theyre comparing the product
on an apples to apples basis with other, similar products.

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Background and Analyst View

Solarsoft Business Systems was founded in November 2007 when experienced vendors CMS Software Inc. (based in Toronto,
Canada) and XKO Software Ltd. (based in the United Kingdom) merged to provide their clients with a broader geographical
presence.
The global company maintained the Toronto headquarters, and provides development, sales, and services via its 11 regional
offices located in North America, Asia, and Europe. More than 250,000 users work with the software products, at over 10,000
installations in 12 countries, with the majority of their clients based in North America and the UK.
Solarsoft develops a range of software applications, and its strategy is to provide customers with niche-focused software
applications and grow with their customers to improve products within their niches. Solarsoft is not aiming to compete with
tier-one ERP vendors; rather than providing products that meet all requirements across various industries, Solarsoft focuses on
serving vertical segments.
The Tropos ERP product was built from the ground up for process manufacturing, as opposed to the many products that were
originally designed for discrete manufacturing and then modified by adding features or modules for process manufacturing.
Some types of discrete or mixed-mode manufacturing can also successfully use this software (as evidenced by the graphs in this
report), but the focus is still on recipe-based manufacturing. This certification report aims to quantify how well Solarsoft Tropos
meets the criteria for mixed-mode manufacturing.
Although Solarsoft was established in 2007, Tropos ERP has been on the market for more than 25 years and had already gained
an impressive client base by the time of the company merger. Currently Solarsoft Tropos ERP is installed at more than 100 sites
around the world.
The product is highly focused on process manufacturing, thanks to the Tropos ERP teams experience in the industry; the team
understands the nuances of the industry and can speak the customers language. The companys distribution model confirms
this, as Solarsoft does all the sales, implementation, and support on its ownwithout using resellers of any type. This allows the
development team to focus on the selected industry, work closely with clients and users, and, therefore, develop software
under the direct influence of its customers, fully aware of their real-life issues, requirements, and wishes.
In terms of the size of its customers businesses, the vendor has customers with from 5 to 1,000 concurrent users, but it mainly
targets businesses with annual revenues between $15 million and $300 million (USD)in other words, a large segment of small
to medium businesses (SMBs).
The company positions the Tropos product as highly specialized for the following types of businesses in four vertical industries:

Manufacturers dealing with dimensional products and industries with high levels of quality and testing regimes and
with a need for co-product and by-product management

Food and beverage processors that require flexible demand and scheduling, recipe-based bills of materials, full batch
traceability, and compliance to an appropriate legislation

Pharmaceutical products producers requiring high-level quality control, full traceability through multiple levels of
manufacturing, and United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance

Distributors of the above-mentioned products that deal with large numbers of stock-keeping units (SKUs) in multisite
environments, items traceability, CRM and telesales, flexible discounting policies, and trade-counter functionality

Solarsoft does not limit businesses to its Tropos ERP software; rather, the vendor offers a variety of optional applications to
support processes that are not part of the ERP softwares core functionality but may still be required by process manufacturers.
Some examples of additional functionality are EDI, distribution management, warehouse management, manufacturing
execution system, Web applications, and Informance enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI)all of which enables
organizations to get a complete view of their business.

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Product Highlights
Unlike many primarily discrete manufacturingoriented ERP products, Tropos ERP is positioned as a corporate-wide ERP system
specifically designed for process and recipe-based production environments. The product is also capable of supporting some
discrete manufacturing.
Specific components of manufacturing-focused Tropos ERP include its abilities to naturally work with co-products and byproducts with proper tracking of associated costs, to deal with recipes and formulas, and to handle inverted bills of materials. It
is also worth noting that lean manufacturing is one of the companys most important target software sectors.
Another important note is that although Tropos software is focused on manufacturing and distribution activities, its financials
and human resources functionality are supported via built-in integration with Solarsoft partner solutionsCoda Financials from
UNIT4 and human resource management and payroll solutions from Mitrefinch Ltd. Both products perform very well in their
areas and represent a best-of-breed approach to delivering the required functionality.
The software includes a project module whereby a company can track projects; for instance, a pharmaceutical company can use
the inherent project functionality to track its many research projects, such as clinical trials, and development projects, including
pre-production batches, and all their related costs can be consolidated by project. In addition, some specialized project
management applications and tools can be linked to Tropos if needed.
Since the system is compliant to food processing and pharmaceutical legal requirements, its workflow is designed with these
considerations in mind. For instance, the receiving procedure already includes quality control in easy-to-define steps, so no
additional modifications or code amendment is required. Due to quality management requirements, the software includes item
traceability by attribute, positive and at risk release logic, multiple quality specifications, and other functions. Reporting and
in-depth analysis on quality and product traceability at various levels are also available out-of-the-box and differentiates Tropos
ERP from its competitors.
There is a version of the system's user interface that is specifically adapted for mobile devices, such as hand-held and truckmounted bar code scanners, as well as personal computerbased devices for the capture of textual and graphical data. This
version uses a simplified interface for touch screen devices that use wireless communications within a factory and can be easily
tailored to specific operations and used by staff wearing gloves or working in other specific environments. Menu text can be
replaced with pictograms of actual equipment unit or products or any other icon.
Tropos ERP is available in English, French, and German, and includes translation capability for other languages.
Based on four main principles, here are the product highlights for Tropos ERP:

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Ease of Use

Layout: Tropos ERP screens have a consistent look throughout the application and contain multiple features to
facilitate quick navigation. Screens can be customized according to a users preferences, including in the areas of menu
content, list of available actions, look ups and drill downs, and a quick code command for direct navigation to a certain
screen. Context-dependent help files are also available.

Task performance: Functional screens are designed in a way to sequentially guide users through fields and forms in a
logical manner, and contain hyperlinks allowing users to drill to lower levels for more detailed information or to
related screens and forms. This visual workflow-driven environment makes navigation and work tasks easier and more
effective.

Integration capabilities: Tropos ERP is built on the principles of open architecture and Microsoft standards, so
integration with Microsoft applications is natural, and not difficult when it comes to other systems. The vendor
specifically underlines the systems high capabilities for integration with shop floor machines and devices.

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Workflow Design

Information retrieval: Look-up enquiries are user-defined and easy to navigate through. Possible options include
embedded integration with Microsoft Excel, multiple sorting capabilities, various filtering tools, grid customization,
and drill-down functionality to display lower-level information (up to transaction detail). Users are also able to create
their own look-up enquiry screens.

Alerts and notifications: Within Solarsoft Business Process Manager, an additional business process management
tool, users can create various alerts based on critical events in the business to be received by e-mail or short message
service (SMS). Tropos ProActive has an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface and does not require programming skills.

Security: Security is role-based and can be defined by a system administrator. User access rights can be managed by
company, but also can be set for individual users down to the screen and field levels.

Reporting capabilities: Tropos has a variety of standard reports that are based on Microsoft Reporting Services,
including an ability to create an unlimited number of new custom reports if required. In addition, interactive analysis
in a business intelligence application from QlikView and a range of predefined key performance indicators (KPIs) and
dashboard applications are available as extra offerings. Dashboards and KPIs are customizable to display the
information required and allow for drill down and drill back to the initial data and data from third-party sources, such
as other systems or spreadsheets.

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Ease of Implementation

Server and DBMS platforms: Tropos ERP is a Web-based application built on Microsoft technology, it works on
Microsoft Windows server, and it may use either Microsoft SQL database or Oracle database. The architecture of the
software includes an application object layer that allows the use of objects and documents in other formats, such as
xml or EDI, process e-mail, and process plant equipment with logic controllers. The design allows naturally operating
with various types of computers, mobile devices, tablet computers, and industrial hand-held devices. Solarsoft usually
customizes existing devices for Tropos ERP, so theres no need to re-purchase this type of equipment.

Deployment options: Tropos ERP is currently available only as on-premise. Solarsoft does not offer a software-as-aservice (SaaS) deployment model; however, a hosted solution is available as well as a SaaS-type pricing model for its
on-premise product.

Flexibility: Although the software is a single code application, modules can be turned on and off as needed, and
implemented incrementally. Tropos ERP is designed to fully cover all the functional requirements of a midsize processbased manufacturer within the same software system, without the acquisition of add-ons or applications for specific
functionality from third parties.

Innovation

New features: The software contains approximately 40 job roles that cover core business activities and lead users
through a series of visualized and simplified business operations. This is an essential function that many ERP systems
lack, that helps prevent user confusion about what to do next and where the function is located within the system.
Solarsoft Business Process Manager, an extra business process management tool, provides six main business process
automations. It allows users to create and manage advanced business alerts, to create series of multi-decision linked
events for workflow automation, to automate production and publishing of documents, to push and update data to
Web sites or intranets, to automatically receive a request for information by e-mail and supply that data, and to
integrate with other third-party products.

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Product Analysis
The following high-level graphs identify this products functional focus and competitive strengths. All data may be reviewed in
depth, using the TEC Advisor decision support system in TECs public Evaluation Centers.

The TEC Focus IndicatorTM

This TEC Focus Indicator shows you which types of functionality are most likely to differentiate Solarsoft Tropos from other
products in the ERP software for mixed-mode manufacturing space. It includes three zones indicating the products functional
focus: the Dominant Zone, Competitive Zone, and Minimal Support Zone. TECs model of mixed-mode manufacturing ERP
systems is designed with a comprehensive breadth; generally vendors will deliver a common base of functionality. While its
necessary to know whether a product supports a base of common functionality, its very helpful to understand how a product
really differs from the crowd.
The rankings in this Focus Indicator represent neither the quality of the product nor an absolute quantity of supported
functionality. Rather, the rankings show support relative to the quantity of functionality supported, on average, by software
products in this market space. The functional focus axes indicate the modules of a typical ERP product for mixed-mode
manufacturing. Red dots that are near the center of the functional focus axes reveal where Tropos ERP is more likely to
differentiate itself through breadth of functionality. If your needs tend toward the type of functionality for which the red dots
are located closer to the center of the Focus Indicator, this product will be a strong competitor for what you need.

Criteria Legend
1 Financials
2 Human Resources
3 Discrete Manufacturing Management
4 Process Manufacturing Management
5 Inventory Management
6 Purchasing Management
7 Quality Management
8 Sales Management

TEC Focus Indicator for Solarsoft Tropos ERP

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Dominant Zone
Tropos ERP has five modules located in the Dominant Zone: Human Resource Management, Process Manufacturing
Management, Inventory Management, Purchasing Management, and Quality Management. Tropos strengths in process
manufacturing, inventory, purchasing management, and quality management are related to Solarsofts deep understanding of
business processes and customer needs, and its focus on support for these critical processes. Human resource management
functionality is supported via a partner product.
The dominant modules of Tropos ERP represent the bulk of the functionality within the product. If your business requires
more than the average breadth of functionality from these modules, this product will stand a much better-than-average chance
of satisfying your requirements.
Competitive Zone
Tropos ERP has four modules located in the Competitive Zone: Financials, Discrete Manufacturing Management, and Sales
Management. All these modules demonstrate a high level of support and so are located in the competitive zone. Tropos ERP
exceeds the average solution for financials and sales management (as explained in the Functionality Benchmarks section below).
Minimal Support Zone
Tropos ERP has no modules located in the Minimal Support Zone. This is no surprise given the vendors focus and experience in
the manufacturing software market, along with its deep specialization in certain vertical segments.

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Understanding the TEC Focus Indicator Zones

TEC defines an average solution using data about real software products available on the market. We assess the capabilities of
the software and assign numeric ratings representing various levels of support in our models of enterprise software. Depending
on the model, we use anywhere from a thousand to several thousand criteria to determine average scores. These models and
product scores may be accessed through our publicly available Evaluation Centers.
We calculate what an average solution would look like based on the features and functions about which software vendors have
provided us with recent information. We then normalize the scores of this solution as the circle labeled Industry Average
bisecting the TEC Focus Indicator graph. We also define boundaries on the high and low ends of the average, which are the
demarcation points for passing into Dominant or Minimal Support zones. Next, we determine the quantity of functionality
supported by the product for each module in our model. We assume that all criteria are equally important. In a real-world
situation, of course, you would give a greater priority to criteria that are more important for your needs. However, for the sake
of the TEC Focus Indicator analysis, we want to draw conclusions about the products focus independently of any priorities.
The Industry Average forms the benchmark from which we calculate the difference in functionality offered by the product. The
difference between the product score and the Industry Average is plotted as a positive or negative distance from the Industry
Average line. For example, if the product offers a greater quantity of support than average for a particular module, the red dot
will be located toward the inner focus of the graph. Note that a product is not good or bad just because it has more or less
functionality than other products. To understand whether it will do what you need it to do, at a price within your budget, you
must evaluate the product in depth.
The Zones
The area of functional focus within the green Dominant Zone indicates where a product has a much greater level of support for
functionality than the average solution in this market space. Dominant modules are likely to be competitive differentiators.
The area of functional focus falling within the pale Competitive Zone indicates where the product has a level of support for
functionality that is generally on par with what you can find from other solutions on the market. The functionality provided by
the vendor likely remains a core part of the products focus. In some cases such a module may be considered a commodity
within the market: many vendors offer the majority of the functionality, which makes it difficult to differentiate a product based
on breadth of that functionality alone.
In other cases, a vendor may intend its product to compete on a level that satisfies most customers requirements, with a
market focus requiring that it differentiate itself through other modules or through the qualitative manner in which it provides
its functionality.
The Competitive Zone is bisected by the Industry Average circle, which shows the quantity of functionality supported, on
average, by software products in this market space.
The red Minimal Support Zone indicates where the product supports fewer features and functions than the average solution in
the market. Modules listed in this zone are unlikely to be as important to the vendors target clientele as the other modules. If a
product has rankings in this zone, it generally offers the bare essentials and isnt focused on competing for clients that highly
prioritize this functionality.
Even if a product has modules in the Minimal Support zone, it may still be entirely capable of satisfying your requirements,
particularly if the average solution on the market offers more functionality than you require.
In all cases, its likely that you will need to review the product in more depth to determine whether the functionality it provides
in any zone is applicable or sufficient for your requirements.

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Functionality Benchmarks
The following functionality benchmark graphs represent the quantity of support by Tropos ERP for the functionality within each
module identified in the TEC Focus Indicator, on a scale of 100 points. The closer the plotted value is to 100 (toward the outside
in spider graphs; toward the top in bar charts), the more functionality Tropos ERP supports. For the sake of comparison, you can
see an average of what competitor solutions offer by referring to the dashed orange line.
Financials
The Financials module provides features and functions that allow accountants and financial managers to ensure financial
transactions are tracked and properly recorded, and that this information is available via reports and other data retrieval tools.
Traditionally, this module includes the General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Fixed Assets, Cost Accounting, Cash Management,
Budgeting, Accounts Receivable, Financial Reporting, and Project Accounting submodules.

Criteria Le ge nd

No. of Crite ria

1 General Ledger

314

2 Accounts Payable (A/P)

235

3 Fixed A ssets

89

4 Cost Accounting

49

5 Cash Management

16

6 Budgeting

65

7 Accounts Receivable

105

8 Financial Reporting

35

9 Project A ccounting

51

Except for cost accounting functionality, Tropos ERP does not have its own financial module; however, it offers full integration
with best-of-breed financial software, Coda Financials, from its partner UNIT4. The rating score for this partner support
positions Tropos ERP in the dominant zone of the TEC Focus Indicator. Obviously, other ERP products for mixed-mode
manufacturing that rely on their own development in this area demonstrate a slightly lower support level.

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Human Resources
Management of Human Resources (HR) encompasses all the applications necessary for handling personnel-related tasks for
corporate managers and individual employees. Modules include Personnel Management, Benefits, Payroll, Employee Selfservice, Employee Metrics, Health and Safety, Workforce Management, and Training.

Criteria Lege nd

No. of Criteria

1 Personnel Management

97

2 Benefits

24

3 Payroll

70

4 Employee Self-service

22

5 Employee Metrics

13

6 Health and Safety

11

7 Workforce Management

147

8 Training

26

The situation for human resources management functionality is similar to that for financialsTropos ERP does not have its own
HR functionality but comes fully integrated with a solution from partner Mitrefinch Ltd. By TECs rating scale, the partner
support receives pretty high numbers; thus Tropos overall level of support within the HR functional module exceeds the level of
an average ERP for mixed-mode manufacturing competitor.

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Discrete Manufacturing Management

Discrete Manufacturing Management covers functionality for intermittent type of manufacturing and provides the ability to
plan production at various scalesrolling high-level plans down into daily schedules of individual machines and workers, and
tracing real-time situations in production shop floor and in planning to control manufacturing, thus ensuring manufacturing
facilities follow production plans in an accurate and timely manneras well as the ability to alter manufacturing schedules and
current operations as required. It involves product configuring, work centers and machines dispatching, all aspects of work-inprogress management, along with comprehensive product costing functionality. It also provides a consolidated view of the
production situation using extensive multilevel reporting capabilities.

Criteria Lege nd

No. of Crite ria

Product Costing

105

Shop Floor Control

385

Field Service and Repairs

119

Production Planning

297

Project Management

36

Product Data Management (PDM)

68

Product/Item Conf igurator

38

Since Tropos ERP was originally and primarily designed and developed for process-oriented manufacturing, it is unreasonable to
expect a high level of support for all areas of discrete manufacturing. The graph above confirms this statement. While the
product is still very strong in product costing, shop floor control, production planning, and project managementareas that are
common for both types of manufacturingSolarsoft falls behind the average ERP solution for mixed-mode manufacturing in
more discrete-specific areas, such as field service and support, product data management, and product/item configuring.
Nevertheless, Solarsoft has many customers that successfully use Tropos to support their discrete-like business processes, for
example, the packaging of recipe-based products.

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Process Manufacturing Management

Process Manufacturing Management covers specifics that are applicable to process manufacturing. Formulas and
recipes, modeling of processes using formulas and routings, process batch control and reporting, conformance reporting,
process manufacturing costing, and process manufacturingrelated material management are the major functional areas of this
module. It also provides a consolidated view of the production situation using extensive multilevel reporting capabilities.

Criteria Lege nd

No. of Crite ria

Formulas/Recipes

67

Process Model (Formulas + Routings)

22

Process Batch Control and Reporting

25

Conf ormance Reporting

21

Process Manufacturing Costing

Material Management

46

Process manufacturing is the functional area where Tropos ERP is in its natural environment, which is definitely confirmed by
the rating score and the graph above. The softwares support level significantly exceeds that of the average product for mixedmode manufacturing and in the cases of functionality for process model (formulas + recipes) and process manufacturing costing
it reaches the maximal rating score of 100 points.
Tropos ERP is located close to the center of the TEC Focus Indicator for process manufacturing management, which means the
product is confidently dominant within this functional module.

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Inventory Management
Solutions for Inventory Management are used for the record keeping of goods that are warehoused, and for managing the
movement of these goods to, from, and through warehouses. Forecasting, finished goods reservation and allocation processes,
and inventory adjustments are also a part of this functional module.

Criteria Lege nd

No. of Criteria

Inventory ManagementOnline
Requirements

29

Processing Requirements

28

Data Requirements

12

Reporting and Interf acing Requirements

(Inventory Management)

Locations and Lot Control

20

Forecasting

52

Reservations and Allocations

26

Adjusting Inventory

Despite the high average level of support for this module, Tropos ERP demonstrates excellent support in this area and exceeds
the average mixed-mode ERP solution in all submodules. Functionality for data requirements, reporting and interfacing
requirements, and locations and lot control received the highest possible ratings of 100 points. For these reasons, Solarsoft
Tropos is located in the dominant zone of the TEC Focus Indicator for inventory management.

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Purchasing Management
Purchasing Management encompasses a group of applications that controls purchasing of raw materials needed to build
products and that manages inventory stocks. It also involves creating purchase orders and contracts, supplier tracking, goods
receipt and payment, and regulatory compliance analysis and reporting.

Criteria Le ge nd

No. of Crite ria

1 Profile of Suppliers

12

2 Rating of Suppliers

13

3 Requisitions and Quotations

13

4 Purchase Orders (POs)

63

5 Pricing

13

6 Vendor Contracts and Agreements

16

7 Management of POs

25

8 Procurement Reporting and Online Reporting

24

9 Repeat Procurement

19

10 Receipts for Procurement

30

11 Online Requirements for Purchasing

Management

14

12 Reporting and Interf acing Requirements f or

Purchasing Management

18

Purchasing management is another module well supported by most vendors in our ERP for mixed-mode manufacturing
evaluation center, which explains the high average rating numbers. Tropos ERP is no exception to the rule, with a very good level
of support for all submodules, with Requisitions and Quotations and Receipts for Procurement being fully supported out of the
box. Some features of Tropos ERP may require modifications or customizations or third-party support.
The absolute rating numbers look good for Tropos software and, even with the high average support level by its competitors,
allow Tropos to be located in the dominant zone, but in its boundary zone.

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Quality Management
For Quality Management functionality in the ERP for mixed-mode manufacturing model, the only submodule is Production
Quality Management. This area encompasses a group of applications that controls processes for quality data collecting,
processing and tracking materials and finished products, and reporting quality-related information.

Criteria Legend

No. of Criteria

1 Production Quality Management

29

Quality management is another functional area where Tropos ERP is a dominant product within ERP for mixed-mode
manufacturing. With embedded quality assurance and traceability activities that are compliant with the high standards for food
and drug regulation in the US, UK, and Ireland, this software outperforms its multiple competitors. The difference between the
rating scores for quality management of Tropos and the average ERP solution for mixed-mode manufacturing is 8.3 points.
Of note, though, there is a relatively low number of criteria for the Quality Management module compared with other
functional areas in the ERP for mixed-mode manufacturing space.

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Sales Management
Sales Management encompasses a group of applications that automates the data entry process for customer orders and keeps
track of the status of orders. It involves order entry, order tracing and status reporting, pricing, invoicing, etc. It also provides
basic functionality for lead tracking, customer information, quote processing, pricing and rebates, etc.

Criteria Le ge nd

No. of Cr iteria

Online Requirements (Sales Management)

42

Reporting and Interfacing Requirements

(Sales Management)

49

Available-to-promise (ATP)

10

Pricing and Discounting

77

Customer Service and Returned Goods

Handling

29

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

23

For sales management, Tropos ERP plays very well in our ERP for mixed-mode manufacturing evaluation center. Available-topromise functionality received a maximum rating score of 100 points. In fact, five out of six functional areas the product
confidently wins the average ERP software reaching rating maximums. The only exception is for the Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) submodule, where Tropos ERP is slightly behind the average rating. Tropos requires some modifications and
customizations in order to fully support CRM functional criteria. For this reason the sales module of Tropos ERP is only in the
competitive zone of the TEC Focus Indicator, but bordering the dominant zone.

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Analyst Summary
Solarsoft Tropos ERP is a powerful single-code enterprise-wide software that is designed primarily for medium-sized processtype manufacturers within the following vertical industries: mills, metal and plastics manufacturers, food and beverage
processors, pharmaceutical products producers, and distributors of recipe-based products.
Besides specializing in batch manufacturing of recipe-based products, Tropos ERP can also be differentiated from its
competitors as:

capable of providing many process manufacturingrelated standard functions, such as attribute processing, catch
weight, and multiple packaging configurations
naturally supporting by- and co-products along with accurate costing
easily integrated with third-party applications and with factory devices and machines
offering embedded quality control capabilities within the entire application
providing total item and components traceability

All the aforementioned factors make the Tropos software product a strong competitor in the ERP for mixed-mode
manufacturing space, and this was clearly evident during the certification process. As the certification report shows, the
software outperforms its industry rivals, including large and well-known tier-one and tier-two vendors, in the functional areas of
human resource management, process manufacturing management, inventory management, and quality management.
A wide variety of food and beverage processors, pharmaceutical, health care, cosmetics, and mills and metal processing
businesses, as well as businesses with process and some discrete manufacturing requirements, can successfully use the system
for managing their everyday activities. Its broad functionality, easy-to-understand and work with system design, and userfriendly interface along with its focus on compliance and traceability make Tropos ERP a very competitive enterprise software
for the targeted business size and industry.

Compare ERP Solutions for Mixed-mode Manufacturing Now!

Use TEC Advisor to compare Solarsoft Tropos ERP with other ERP solutions
for mixed-mode manufacturers, according to your organizations needs
and characteristics. Its free, fast, online, and easyand youll see the
results immediately.

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