Aeros and Integrations: A Wealth of Opportunity
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is not unique to Aeros. The term ERP was coined in 1990 by Gartner, but its roots date to the 1960s. Back then, the concept applied to inventory management and control in the manufacturing sector. Software engineers created programs to monitor inventory, reconcile balances, and report on status.
Today ERP can be defined as the ability to deliver an integrated suite of business applications. ERP tools share broad and deep operational end-to-end processes, such as those found in finance, HR, distribution, manufacturing, service, and the supply chain. ERP applications automate and support a range of administrative and operational business processes, including line of business, customer-facing, and administrative.
Does today’s definition mean “one-stop shopping”, one single solution to meet all of your business needs? The answer to this is no. The key terms mentioned earlier are “integrated” and “support a wide range”.
Vertical Market Software
Aeros is a vertical market software provider in the egg and poultry industry. What is vertical market software? A vertical market is a market that is focused on one specific industry whereas a horizontal market covers a much wider breadth of industry. When discussing software in general, a package such as Microsoft Office would be considered software for a horizontal market. Vertical market software is aimed at addressing the needs of any given business within a discernible vertical market that is specific to an industry or market. While horizontal market software can be useful in a wide array of industries with features such as word processors or spreadsheet programs, vertical market software is developed for and customized to a specific industry’s needs.
While most understand the intent of ERP as well as the value of focused vertical market software, there still is some misunderstanding of combining the two. At Aeros, we recognize that it takes several specialized technology systems and services to run your vertical business in today’s world.
Technology solutions are an investment in people. People with strong knowledge of your business process, domain expertise embedded in their software engineers, professional service consultants, and customer success representatives. However, the depth and breadth of solutions and services creates a faction in the pool of technology professionals. Not everyone can be an expert in everything.
Aeros and Interface Development
At Aeros we recognize and respect the need for specialized providers such as ourselves. Through the years we have partnered with other companies to develop interfaces between systems. These interfaces allow you to partner with specialized providers to bring decision-making data together without the need for duplicated data entry points.
This may seem like a simple enough concept, but it can be hard to accomplish. Each side of the integration fence has been developed by different software engineers on different types of databases. Company definitions of inputs may have the same name, but a completely different meaning to each integrator.
Our integrations are some of the most valuable modules of Aeros, but can be the most labor intensive to maintain. In order to be successful in system-to-system integrations, it takes a strong partnership between all three parties—Aeros, our customers, and each specialized provider.
What Partnership Looks Like
Partnerships are not always official partnerships or re-seller agreements. A partnership with Aeros means a shared commitment to the industries we serve in order to provide greater efficiencies and greater accuracy in data needed for management to make informed financial and or flock decisions.
Our valued industry partners include:
Summary
From the beginning of MRP systems in the 1960s to the birth of ERP in the 1990s and through to today’s need for several vertical market software partners, Aeros has remained a constant in the egg and poultry industries.
As a part of the Constellation Software (CSI) and Cultura Technologies family of companies, Aeros has the backing and support that allows us to continue our dedication to the egg and poultry industries. We are empowered to manage partnerships autonomously while having access to a wealth of best practices shared amongst our sister companies across the world.
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