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quotes from the Guide
Background information on how Vendor Guide is compiled. Key overview of Gartner position on Ross’ strengths The detailed explanation of Gartner position Who Gartner will recommend Ross tî Summary and brief interpretation Ross is staying in step with the industry A graphical comparison of Ross to the industry Gartner perceives functionality is an area of strength for Ross Key quote In each of our key markets, Ross ranks higher than average Ross also ranks very high compared to our competition Use this against negative positioning by competitors Key quote Gartner on the advantages of SAM Important in competitive positioning Gartner’s position on Ross future The infamous spider diagram The take home message |
The Gartner Group has issued their
ERP Vendor Guide and Ross has received very good marks in all the key areas
that matter to process manufacturers: functionality, service and support
and product strategy. While we haven’t been able to review all competitors,
you will see how we rate against products from Baan, Oracle, Fourth Shift
and Marcam.
The three quotes below are some of the powerful statements Gartner made about Ross and Renaissance. Use this information to position us as a leader in the process manufacturing market sector. "Ross will thrive in the short term, because of its strengths in the process market, the weakness of other ERP vendors' process offerings, and the demand for proven and easy-to-install year-2000-compliant products." "…few process and midmarket-oriented ERP vendors can match Ross' functional breadth and depth." "With good service and support, Ross can be a good choice for enterprises seeking rapid remediation of year 2000 compliance issues." Background "The 1997 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Vendor Guide represents Gartner Group’s position on the ERP market as of the close of the calendar year 1996." The reason for this was for consistency and for them to compile all of the data from each vendor as each of the vendors’ FY’96 closed. The Vendor Guide will provide detailed reviews of 33 vendors and are posted in Lotus Notes. So far, reviews of Baan, Oracle, Ross, Fourth Shift, Symix, and Marcam’s Mapics have been released and summaries will be provided as time permits. In the Vendor Guide, Gartner uses 6 elements to evaluate each vendor. These are viability, technology, functionality, service and support, cost, and vision. This paper will begin with Gartner’s overall position on Ross then move onto Gartner Group’s position on these key areas for Ross. It will also provide some comparison to reports on competitors that are available at this time. Detailed comparison will be reserved for a later time when all data has been received. Cost is not addressed in this document due to a lack of comparison of Ross to industry average. Summary of Gartner overall Position on Ross "Strengths · Process-based functional breadthIn the short term, Ross will continue to improve it’s standing in the ERP market, because of the proven functionality in its Renaissance C/S product and a dearth of competition for process manufacturers between $50 million and $500 million in revenue. We do not see Ross as a financial casualty during the next five years. However, Ross' ability to break out of its existing financial holding pattern will come from how it exploits the year 2000-related strong demand for process ERP applications. Process-oriented manufacturers between $50 million and $500 million in revenue should put Renaissance on their short list if they: · Immediately must resolve year 2000 compliance issuesGartner on Ross Financials "Ross will thrive in the short term, because of its strengths in the process market, the weakness of other ERP vendors' process offerings, and the demand for proven and easy-to-install year-2000-compliant products." "For its next fiscal year (from July 1997 to June 1998), the number of process-based users needing competent, easy-to-implement ERP will allow Ross to raise its ERP-related revenue to near-market-growth rates." Key points · Gartner feels our core focus on process manufacturing is a key competitive advantageGartner on Ross Technology "Ross has three years of active experience with its client/server architecture and has been able to demonstrate that Renaissance's scalability and performance are consistent with Ross' target client size." "With release 4.0, Ross keeps pace with the ERP market trend of componentizing the application screen and associated business logic level, starting with inventory functionality and planning to complete this level of componentization in the second half of 1998 (0.6 probability)." Key Points · Gartner speaks about the strength of ou technology and how it is on target for the market we serve..**Ross has spent many hours working with Gartner to share our technology and functionality direction. When they refer to the 4.0 release, they are referring to our next release level of the product. Source: Gartner Group Figure 27. Usability Meter ** When compared to our competition, whose reports are available, we rate higher on this meter than both Baan and SSA while coming in equal to Oracle. Gartner on Ross Functionality "For process manufacturers with $50 million to $500 million in revenue, Ross' Renaissance C/S offers balanced functionality across manufacturing, financials and distribution." "Ross has been able to develop competent and balanced functionality across manufacturing, distribution and financials for process manufacturers, although functionality development tends to be user driven. Given Ross' tenure in the process-oriented markets, enterprises should expect a wealth of industry-standard functionality, but few breakthrough business concepts." "…few process and midmarket-oriented ERP vendors can match Ross' functional breadth and depth." Key Points · Gartner views functionality and industry experience of Ross as our key strength. Functionality Ratings
Source: Gartner Group Figure 30. Batch/Repetitive Functionality Ratings We scored very well in this category as only SSA came in slightly higher with a summary rating of 5.80 followed by Oracle GEMMS at 4.47 and Baan at 2.20 (out of 10).
Source: Gartner Group Figure 31. Continuous/Batch Functionality Ratings This is a core strength of Ross. Our next highest competitor is Oracle GEMMS who received a summary rating of 4.2, followed by SSA at 4.06 (out of 10) and Baan at 2.20.
Source: Gartner Group Figure 32. Overall Functionality Ratings In the overall functionality ratings, Ross also beat the competition with a summary rating of 5.60 while SSA came in at 5.35, Oracle came in at 4.67, and Baan came in at 4.04. Gartner on Ross Service and Support "Ross receives good marks in service and support, and Ross' SAM is a good start at addressing many issues that slow down the implementation and support of ERP applications." "With good service and support, Ross can be a good choice for enterprises seeking rapid remediation of year 2000 compliance issues." "We believe that Ross' introduction of SAM will significantly help the implementation and support of Renaissance C/S. SAM can be tied to Ross' implementation methodology to streamline project management, business process identification and organization modeling." "Process manufacturers with ISO 9000 and U.S. Federal Drug Administration validation requirements should examine SAM as it assists in developing, maintaining and providing end users with online documentation of operational procedures." Key points · While our competition will say otherwise, Gartner feels service and support is a Ross strengthGartner on Ross Vision "With concepts like SAM, the introduction of an NT product and the articulation of an object-based strategy, Ross' vision is in many regards in step or slightly ahead of the ERP market." Key Points · The market is primed for Ross. Gartner believes we are in position to significantly improve our performance over previous years. 
Source: Gartner Group Figure 33. Bottom-Line Position Key Points · In comparison to SSA, we are significantly higher in service and support but relatively even in other areas.In the Sales Cycle · Position Ross strengths as the leader in process specific functionalitySummary As evidenced by the recent referrals Ross has received, Gartner Group has upgraded their opinion to being a favorable one in our target markets. The vendor guide presents many of Ross’ strengths and is clear in its recommendation of Ross to our target market of $50-$500 million process manufacturers over our competition. It also speaks about the tremendous opportunity we have at this time and that it is up to us to capitalize on the situation in our market. Ross has worked hard to gain approval of the industry analysts. This report confirms our efforts have been fruitful. We have a great story to tell relative to our competitors in terms of service and support as well as functionality. Remember: Ross Systems, Inc. is the leading ERP vendor that sells exclusively to the Process Manufacturing industry! |
