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ERP offering relies on open source

By John Cox , Network World , 09/05/2005
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A 4-year-old company is using open source software as the foundation for an ERP suite targeted at small and midsize manufacturers.

OpenMFG this week plans to release Version 1.2 of its software, which goes by the same name as the company and includes some 200 changes from the earlier version. While most of the changes are small, about 25% of them came from the company's network of value-added resellers (VAR) and 20 customers. Those changes reflect the fact that users get the complete source code for the various OpenMFG modules and can make changes that get incorporated into the suite.

The suite was designed for manufacturers and can be readily adapted for discrete and process manufacturing, according to Ned Lilly, OpenMFG's CEO and co-founder. Modules include the standard ERP functions, such as part definition for bills of materials, capacity planning, inventory management, purchase orders and a complete set of financial programs.

The software uses or exploits several key open source components. It runs on several operating systems, but the preferred platform is Linux. The heart of the application is the PostgreSQL object-relational database. The application is written in C++ using Qt, an open source tool kit from Norway's Trolltech.

This open source software stack eliminates two issues that make it hard for smaller firms to adopt modern ERP products, according to Lilly. One is the cost of licensing proprietary ERP solutions from vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP. "By using open source components for the stack, we've changed the dynamics of who can afford it," he says.

The company offers a subscription service starting at $15,000 yearly or a traditional software licensing scheme at $2,500 per concurrent user. A typical OpenMFG deployment would cost $30,000 to $40,000 per year for about 15 users, depending on the number of modules selected and the number of users. Lilly says OpenMFG is typically one-third to one-half less expensive than software from its chief rival in this market, Microsoft.

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