AS400 Trucking, TMS and Logistics Software

Can a trucking company keep its IBM i ERP and add a modern TMS?

Yes, and for most carriers and shippers that is the lower risk arrangement. The ERP already on the box is usually the constraint that decides the shortlist, not the TMS feature list.

Answer

If order, inventory and invoice transactions live in BPCS, MAPICS-XA, PRMS or ERP-LX, the field narrows fast to transportation products that have integrated with those systems before. AR Traffic states that its suite is designed to integrate with i-based supply chain software including ERP-LX, Warehouse Boss, PRMS, BPCS and MAPICS-XA, and positions itself as an Infor solution partner. Varsity describes ShipSoft as integrating with legacy, ERP and order entry systems running on IBM i Power. Both are vendor statements and both are checkable. Ask for reference accounts running your ERP on a similar IBM i release, and make sure someone owns the integration after go-live, because an unmaintained interface between a new TMS and an old ERP fails quietly and expensively.

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