Supplier part numbers in MYOB

I like to include supplier part numbers in purchase orders, and MYOB thoughtfully allows for this. I couldn't understand why they weren't coming through on the printed forms (of course they never show on the screen because of the MYOB lay out issues I've described before) and finally I've realised that its because of the supplier selection. For each item one can set up a normal supplier. If one then issues a PO to another supplier MYOB thoughfully conceals the supplier part number. This prevents us all inadvertently upsetting our secondary suppliers by revealing alien part numbers to them. Unfortunately MYOB doesn't have a secondary supplier pick and secondary supplier part number.

We also make use of the supplier part number to link our drawing registry and our accounting system. We use the supplier part number as our drawing number (for parts which are being manufactured to our drawings) and our own part number is our (MYOB) accounting part number. It is a work around but the accounts people are determined not to use drawing numbers as part numbers, and the drawing people simply can't use the acounting part number convention (because of the way the drawing package file structures are arranged).

I guess we're guilty of turning MYOB into a cheapskate ERP but there really aren't many good alternatives out there. Recently a competitor changed from Sage FC 500 to Exchequer and they tell me it is good. They were driven by pretty much the same issues that drive any SME manufacturer. I hadn't heard of this before but it appears they shelled out £20-£40k for the move whereas we've done a pretty good job with MYOB for £4k inc consulting. Equally interestingly our consultant has dropped out of the MYOB consulting scheme because she doesn't want to support MYOB until they take the networking issues seriously. She was a silver and really knew her stuff - much better than the gold tier people we checked out. But equally she says Sage is a poor network user as well.

El Reg carried an interesting article on ERP packages the other day. I'm not sure they ever consider stuff as small and insignificant as us, but given the way Sage are hoovering up mid to low end package vendors I guess we'll be rereading that article in a few years time. Hopefully making more microwind and water turbines by then but it might be something else given the way our R+D team are throwing out ideas.

Oh and this new blogger text editor is a disaster - it doesn't allow ampersands. What a nightmare. Turns out the offending amersand is in the label field !!