Modern manufacturers are under constant pressure to do more with less. Legacy ERP systems slow teams down, fragment data, and hide profit-draining inefficiencies. A new Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study from Forrester Consulting reveals that Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) ERP can turn those pain points into measurable gains, delivering triple-digit ROI in less than two years.
Below, we translate the 36-page report into plain language and show how you can apply the findings to your own operation.
Why Economic Impact Matters to Manufacturing Leaders
Before diving into the numbers, let’s connect ROI to the shop floor. When margins run thin, every extra hour of uptime, every avoided inventory write-off, and every automated keystroke feeds directly into profit.
ERP upgrades used to feel like multi-year moonshots. Today, cloud-based, industry-specific platforms like Infor CloudSuite can produce hard financial returns in months, not decades. That speed changes how you plan capital budgets, staff IT teams, and grow your business.
Headline Metrics From the TEI Study
The Forrester analysis aggregates four Infor customers into a composite $1 billion manufacturer to model results.
- 114% return on investment over three years.
- 20-month payback period; cash-flow positive halfway through Year 2.
- $10.52 million net present value (NPV) after risk adjustments.
These numbers reflect fully burdened software subscriptions, implementation fees, training, and ongoing support. In other words, they are not marketing gloss; they are finance-department calculations vetted by a third-party framework.
Understanding the TEI Methodology
If you are new to Forrester’s TEI model, it balances benefits with costs, flexibility, and risk.
The framework has guided technology buyers for two decades and forces analysts to discount optimistic assumptions. That means the quoted ROI already bakes in implementation hiccups and adoption curves.
Where the Money Comes From
Let’s unpack the levers that drive the 114% ROI so you can benchmark them against your own plant.
Productivity Gains Across Departments
- Warehouse & operations: 30% boost. Standardized processes cut travel time, improve slotting, and slash order rework, saving $3.3 million across three years.
- Finance, procurement, data: 40% boost by Year 3. Automated three-way matching, real-time cost rolls, and a single chart of accounts shorten month-end close and reduce reconciliation effort, worth another $3.3 million.
- Compliance & audit: 70% boost. Embedded controls and audit trails replace manual spreadsheet policing, freeing $3 million.
- Production planning & field service: 25% boost. Digital schedules and better demand signals reduce delays and overtime, adding $2.5 million.
- IT: 50% boost by Year 3. Teams move from firefighting to innovation once patching and upgrades become Infor’s responsibility, saving $434,000.
Revenue Protection and Cost Avoidance
- 70% reduction in revenue leakage. System-enforced pricing logic and accurate costing recoup $1.5 million that previously slipped through cracks.
- $5.7 million saved in third-party logistics fees. Consolidating 3PL partners and optimizing warehouse footprints shrink overhead.
Resilience and Strategic Upside (Unquantified)
Not every benefit landed on the balance sheet, but interviewees flagged several qualitative wins.
- 99.7% uptime SLA keeps remote and multi-site teams working through local disruptions.
- Unified data visibility gives managers “one version of the truth” for faster decisions.
- Enhanced security and traceability lower cyber-risk and simplify customer audits.
Translating These Findings to Your Factory
Numbers are powerful, but context matters. Here is how to apply the TEI insights.
| ROI Lever | Questions to Ask Your Team | Quick Win Tips |
| Warehouse productivity | Where do pickers walk the farthest? | Map hot-zone SKUs before go-live so CloudSuite’s warehouse management slots them optimally. |
| Finance automation | How long is month-end close? | Configure automated invoice matching on day one—avoid importing bad habits. |
| Revenue leakage | How many credit memos involve mis-priced items? | Use CloudSuite’s pricing rules to lock margins, then audit variance monthly. |
| IT load | How many hours go to patching? | Shift staff toward analytics projects once CloudSuite is live. |
Real-World Success Story (Mini-Case)
One interviewed manufacturer summed up the business case succinctly:
“We chose Infor CloudSuite because it was mature SaaS with quality and stock management we could trust.” — Global Digital Manager, Manufacturing
That trust translated into faster carrier onboarding, automated quality holds, and real-time foreign-exchange exposure reporting, advantages impossible with their on-premise system.
Read our case studies for more real-world examples.
How Godlan Accelerates the Payback
Technology alone does not guarantee ROI; the right partner closes the gap between software potential and day-to-day reality.
Deep Manufacturing Expertise
Godlan has implemented Infor SyteLine ERP for discrete manufacturers since 1994. Our consultants speak MRP, routings, and quality compliance. Not generic IT. Explore SyteLine ERP.
Proven Implementation Framework
Our structured yet flexible methodology keeps projects on budget and on time, mirroring the TEI study’s best practices. See our ERP implementation services.
Training That Sticks
A cloud ERP only pays off when people use it. Godlan’s role-based training turns skeptical operators into power users. Learn about SyteLine training.
Long-Term Partnership
From tuning warehouse wave rules to spinning up IIoT pilots, we stay in the trenches with you long after go-live. Read our Infor implementation guide.
Ready to Capture Your 114% ROI?
Infor CloudSuite has proven it can double returns and pay back in under two years when implemented with discipline. If you are evaluating ERP modernization, now is the time to quantify your own economic impact.
Contact Godlan for a no-pressure discovery call and see how quickly CloudSuite can start working for you.
