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"TEC's solutions, which include research comparison reports selection tools
consulting services are driven by its powerful analysis engine, eBestMatch.TEC also provide Product Certification Report such as Bluebee ERP v.4b.08."
Source: Technology Evaluation Centers
TEC Product Certification Report: Bluebee ERP v.4b.08
Bluebee ERP V.4B.08 is also known as :
Bluebee Software,
Bluebee ERP Distribution Industry,
Bluebee B2C,
Blubee ERP Products,
Bluebee Distribution Process Management,
Bluebee Product for Managing,
Benefits from Bluebee ERP,
Bluebee ERP Certification Report,
Bluebee ERP Code,
Bluebee Security and Validations Standars,
Bluebee Distribution Centers,
Bluebee ERP Supports,
Bluebee ERP Software,
Find Bluebee ERP,
Bluebee's ERP Easy to Install,
Reviewing Bluebee ERP,
Web-based Bluebee ERP,
Bluebee ERP Product,
Bluebee ERP Attractive,
Easy Bluebee ERP,
Comparing Bluebee ERP,
Bluebee Distributor.
Table of Contents
Bluebee ERP (v.4b.08) has been certified by:
Gabriel Gheorghiu, TEC Research Analyst
Aleksey Osintsev, TEC Research Analyst
Demonstration conducted by:
Jean-Marc Blanchette, Bluebee Software Inc.
Jean-François Laviolette, Bluebee Software Inc.
Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) is pleased to announce that Bluebee Software's product,
Bluebee ERP v 4b.08 is now TEC Certified for use in the Discrete Manufacturing Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) and ERP – Distribution Evaluation Centers. The Discrete ERP and ERP
for Distribution Evaluation Centers enable you to compare and evaluate functionality based
on TEC's comprehensive model of the Discrete ERP and ERP for Distribution. Data used in TEC's
Evaluation Centers are obtained from the vendor's responses to TEC's request for information
(RFI). Certification ensures that:
- Bluebee Software's ERP product's capabilities are demonstrated to a TEC analyst based on
the responses it provided in its completed TEC RFI.
- Bluebee Software's RFI data has been reviewed analytically and comparatively by a TEC
analyst against known benchmarks.
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
conforms to a well-defined standard of accuracy. When a vendor's product is TEC
Certified, it means that a trusted, independent third party has seen the product up close
and verified that it provides the functionality as specified in our Evaluation Centers.
- Better Communication with Vendors: TEC certification helps ensure that vendors
understand and respond accurately to their clients' RFI criteria. Certification with
TEC analysts provides the opportunity to clarify any issues with the RFI criteria so the
vendor is speaking the same language as its potential clients-and giving the clients an
unambiguous specification of product functionality to inform their selections.
The certification seal is a valuable indicator for organizations who rely on the integrity of TEC's
research services for assistance with their software selection projects. Organizations looking
for a solution can be confident that they're comparing the product on an "apples-to-apples"
basis with other like products.
Bluebee Software Inc (www.bluebeesoftware.com) is a
Montreal, (Canada)-based company that offers a
Web-based ERP solution for midsized and large companies. The product evolved from a character-based system
using fixed-size fonts and text commands in the 1980s to a client/server with a graphical user interface (GUI)
in the 1990s, and finally a Web-based product in 2003.
Most of its customers are based in North America and are mainly involved in manufacturing
industries (lean, make-to-order, make-to-stock, repetitive, and batch process) and distribution.
The company also focuses on markets in Africa, Australasia, Europe (western and eastern), South America,
and the Middle East.
Bluebee's ERP supports multiple languages including English, French, and Arabic, as well
as multiple currencies. Customers having between one and forty sites will find Bluebee's ERP
very suitable for their businesses.
While reviewing Bluebee's ERP during the certification process, we determined that the
application is very user-friendly. The layout of the screens makes it very easy to navigate,
with the exception of the tool used for quality control and some parts of the manufacturing
process, which is a character-based interface.
Among the functionality of the Bluebee ERP system, here are some of the highlights:
- Being Web-based, Bluebee's ERP brings undoubted advantages to its customers:
the product is easy to implement, easy to use, and flexible when it comes to future
developments and integration with third-party tools and programs.
- The reporting is made flexible by the use of a business intelligence (BI) tool from
Jaspersoft, which provides easy access and manipulation of data, as well as allowing
dashboard creation and data export to different formats, such as spreadsheets and
portable document format (PDF).
- In addition to the modules that any ERP product offers (Purchase Orders, Inventory
Control, Bill of Materials, etc.), Bluebee also offers a tailor-made E-commerce module
that can be used for both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B)
transactions. It allows companies to provide their customers with a very user-friendly
interface for placing and tracking orders online.
- Bluebee's ERP has very strong quality management functionality, which makes it a good
product for companies in the following industries: consumer packaged goods, food and
beverage, furniture and fixtures, industrial and commercial products, and paper products.
- The system offers "rich client" Web access through a portal, providing rich functionality
independently of the central server. This involves fewer server requirements, as well as
more flexibility and mobility.
Despite all the software's features and advantages, there are a few areas where the capabilities
of Bluebee's ERP were not as robust as some of its competitors in this space.
Bluebee's ERP does not currently support human resources (HR) functionality, which is not entirely unusual
for distribution and discrete ERP vendors. Out of the 44 products certified in TEC's Discrete ERP Evaluation
Center, ten have rather poor results for HR; four have almost no HR functionality. Similarly, in TEC's ERP
for Distribution Evaluation Center, four out of 14 vendors have very low scores for HR.
Even though HR is not essential for companies in light manufacturing and distribution, this could
be a rather important disadvantage for companies who do need it. Of course, there's always the possibility
of implementing a stand-alone HR solution which could work in tandem with Bluebee's ERP.
Three of the four modules for Supply Chain Management (SCM) are not supported: Transportation
Management Systems (TMSs), International Trade and Logistics (ITL), and Supplier Relationship Management (SRM).
This makes Bluebee's ERP a product mostly suitable for "light" distribution. Distribution companies having less
complex business processes that involve mostly warehouse management system (WMS) functionalities will
best benefit from Bluebee's ERP.
Among the functionalities related to retail and commerce, point of sale (POS) and retail
are not supported, but can be greatly compensated by robust Web commerce and catalog management
functionalities. Companies concentrating mainly on e-commerce will find Bluebee's ERP attractive.
Ease of Use
- Layout: The application's layout is very simple and uncluttered, with no unnecessary sections,
tools, or gadgets. Information is arranged in tabs, and users can open multiple windows and easily
navigate from one to another.
- Interface: The Web interface is very user friendly (well structured and intuitive),
allowing users to easily identify the fields that they need and easily interact with the system.
- Performing tasks: The tasks to be performed in any specific module are logically defined and easily
accomplished, not requiring the user to go through many steps to complete them.
Workflow Design
- Server and database: Bluebee ERP uses Linux, Unix, and Windows server platforms,
but it can also be hosted if the customer requests it. Different types of databases can be used:
Oracle, SQL Server, and Progress.
- Information retrieval: The search and sort function is easy to use and applies to most of the
fields in the majority of the screens (for instance, by typing the first letters of a vendor code or
city, users can limit the selection to the requested entries). Criteria used for search and sort can
be customized (e.g., the number of records per page, default criteria, and the option to reset the filters).
Data extraction tools allow users to drill down information in each of the main sections of the system.
- Security: User rights and securities can be defined at the user level.
- Reporting capabilities: Reporting capabilities are enhanced by the use of a free third-party BI tool
from Jaspersoft. All reports can be exported to Microsoft Excel; users can define the criteria to be used
when reports are generated. Dashboards are also used, containing dynamic (Flash) or static
(Portable Network Graphics [PNG]) charts, with the option to see the raw data or export the graphs
to Excel or Adobe PDF.
- File storage: Files and pictures can be easily uploaded and downloaded to and from the
server without overloading the system.
Ease of Modification
- Setup: Being a Web-based product makes Bluebee's ERP easy to install: only a Web browser is
required, which makes deployment fast and painless. Training can be done remotely, and the Web
interface makes it easier for users to become familiar with the product.
- Flexibility: The source code of the application is available for customers who wish to
make changes according to their needs. Customers can purchase developing tools and the compiler
that is used to change the code. The level of customization is only limited by the programming
knowledge of the customer's IT department. The use of object-oriented standards allows Bluebee to
track the changes made by customers and isolate them from the original application.
- Multicompany: The system allows multiple companies to be created and managed together, as
well as multiple warehouses and locations.
Innovation
- E-commerce: The Web-based Order Entry module allows users to build product catalogs,
create and use prebuilt shopping carts, and offers order confirmation and shopping cart verification.
- Scalability: The solution is best suited for customers with users numbering from 10 to 5,000.
It offers the ability to set up multiple domains for different client groups.
- Mobile access: Handheld devices, such as scanners, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and smartphones,
can be used for stock adjustments, inventory count, and stock movement, but also for order picking and receiving.
For any other mobile needs, the product can be customized accordingly.
Using TEC's ebestmatch decision support engine, we have prepared a few high-level graphs
that identify this product's functional focus.
Explanation of Graphs
The following graphs represent the various modules within TEC's models of enterprise software
for Discrete Manufacturing ERP and ERP for Distribution. In figures 1 and 6, these modules are
depicted in a baseline contribution analysis graph. The graph shows the modules which contribute
the most or the least to the solution's overall functionality against a baseline, which assumes
that all modules are of equal relevance. In the second contribution analysis graph (figures 2 and 7),
the baseline is prioritized to represent the likely requirements of Bluebee's target clientele.
The information shown in this graph can be broken down as follows:
- When the solid line (the graph of functionality supported by the product) parallels
the dotted line (the importance of each module within the overall solution), it means that
the product provides a mix of functionality appropriate for a target clientele with similar requirements.
- Where the solid line is higher than the dotted line, the product provides functionality that may
exceed the client's requirements.
- Where the solid line is lower than the dotted line, the product is likely to provide a
less-than-ideal mix of functionality for the client's requirements.
Any organization whose priorities are similar to the benchmark would essentially
do well to consider Bluebee Software's ERP.
Baseline Graph for Discrete ERP
If you consider all your priorities as equal, this is how the vendor's product would stack up.
The dotted blue benchmark line represents equally weighted priorities.
However, ideally, your requirements would be like those that appear in the adjusted contribution
analysis graph below.
Discrete ERP Main Modules
- Financials
- Human Resources (HR)
- Manufacturing Management
- Inventory Management
- Purchasing Management
- Quality Management
- Sales Management
- Product Technology
By comparing Bluebee's ERP to the average-, lowest-, and highest-rated competitors in the
Discrete ERP space (see figure 3), we can clearly see where this product can do well to serve its customer.
The areas where Bluebee scores higher than the average for discrete ERP systems are as follows.
Financials
- In terms of fixed assets, Bluebee is a good product for managing depreciation and
other costs associated with tangible assets (buildings, equipment, etc.).
- Financial reporting is well supported by Bluebee, which allows in-depth, robust analysis
of financial data, per business unit or consolidated.
- Finally, project accounting allows decision makers to monitor schedules and spending for financial projects.
Manufacturing Management
Product costing is quite strong, allowing companies to efficiently define and track different
types of costs (standard, average, and actual) but also activity related costs (purchasing costs, labor, and manufacturing).
Bluebee's ERP has some strong areas that are common to both ERP discrete and ERP for distribution:
Inventory Management
- Processing requirements allow flexible inventory management, including cycle and physical
counts, adjustments, consigned inventory, parts classification, etc.
- Reporting and interfacing requirements functionalities allow for different inventory reports and
interface with general ledger to calculate costs.
- Reservations and allocations functionalities include inventory availability, allocation by location,
rules for reservations, and information on shortages and backorders.
Quality Management is essential for manufacturing companies, but it is also an important
functionality for the distribution industry. Bluebee's ERP includes:
- Production quality management functionalities enable defect and damage management,
defining and tracking inspections, corrective actions, and rework.
- Non-production quality management capabilities allow for product identification and
traceability, purchasing quality, and engineering change orders.
- Inventory quality management allows multiple stock evaluation methods and packaging
configurations, inter- and intra-site transfers, and forward and backward traceability.
Another very important functionality for ERP discrete that cannot be overlooked in the distributions
industry as well is Sales Management. Bluebee's ERP is particularly strong in creating and managing
quotes and orders, tracking changes made during order entry and invoicing, and the sorting and
printing of booking, back orders, billing, and backlog information.
Purchasing Management is very important for both manufacturing and distribution companies,
since it provides the tools to manage the purchase of raw materials for manufacturers and finished
goods for distributors. Bluebee's ERP is particularly strong in:
- requisitions and quotations
- receipts for procurement
- online requirements
- and reporting and interfacing requirements.
Areas for improvement for Bluebee would be HR; cost accounting under Financials; Manufacturing
Management (field service and repairs, and product/item configurator) (see figure 4); forecasting in
Inventory Management (see figure 5); and Sales Management (customer relationship management
[CRM] and e-commerce).
Baseline Graph for ERP for Distribution
If you consider all your priorities as equal, this is how the vendor's product would stack up.
The dotted blue benchmark line represents equally weighted priorities.
However, ideally, you will have priorities like the adjusted contribution analysis graph below.
ERP for Distribution Main Modules
- Financials
- Human Resources (HR)
- Supply Chain Management
- Distribution Process Management
- Retail and Commerce
- Product Technology
By comparing Bluebee's ERP to the average-, lowest-, and highest-rated competitors in the ERP for
Distribution space (see figure 3), we can clearly see where this product can do well to serve its customers.
The sections where Bluebee scores higher than the average for ERP for Distribution are the
same as the ones described earlier for Discrete ERP. Furthermore, the Web Commerce module specific
to ERP for Distribution is very competitive when compared to the average responses in the ERP for
Distribution Evaluation Center.
Despite the fact that the Supply Chain Management module only covers WMS functionality,
the Distribution Process Management module is highly competitive, especially in purchasing,
quality, and sales management.
Areas for improvement for Bluebee would be the modules for SCM (Transportation Management,
ITL, and Supplier Relationship Management) (see figure 9); Retail and POS (see figure 10);
cost accounting under Financials; and HR. Bluebee's future strategy does not include HR,
but the missing modules in SCM will be addressed using Sonic, a tool from Progress Software,
which allows integration of business components within a service-oriented architecture (SOA).
Bluebee's ERP is best suited for companies in the following manufacturing environments:
assemble-to-order, batch process, lean manufacturing, make-to-order, make-to-stock, as well as
repetitive and non-manufacturing. As for the size of the company, customers having from 1 to 40
sites and from 1 to 5,000 employees will reap the most benefits from Bluebee's ERP.
For both discrete manufacturing and distribution, Bluebee's ERP is strong in financials, purchasing,
sales, quality management, and e-commerce functionalities. The Web-based interface makes it easy to
install and is very user friendly. Customers can change the source code according to their needs, using
a compiler and developing tools provided by Bluebee.
Based on the ratings from the RFI and from the certification process, Bluebee's ERP can be considered
a good candidate for small and midsized customers in the distribution and manufacturing industries that
have specific needs (e.g., financials, e-commerce, purchases/sales, and quality management) and a limited budget.
Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) provides insight
and expertise in offering impartial resources and services
to minimize the costs, risks, and time associated with
software selection. Over 3.5 million technology decision
makers visit TEC's Web sites each month to find information
on hundreds of solutions, and to access articles, white
papers, and podcasts. TEC's decision support system (DSS)
and analyst data assist with the evaluation, comparison,
and selection of enterprise solutions and services. TEC's
offerings include in-depth research, detailed product
information, and software selection services for any
industry or company size.
Technology Evaluation Centers Inc.
740 St. Maurice, 4th Floor
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H3C 1L5
Phone: +1 514-954-3665
Toll-free: 1-800-496-1303
Fax: +1 514-954-9739
E-mail: asktheexperts@technologyevaluation.com
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