Current ERP Studies - ABAS Software AG

Current ERP Studies: What is Important to ERP Users? 

How satisfied are users with their ERP software? 

(Excerpt from the ERP-Z, Konradin ERP, and Benchpark studies)

2 

Satisfaction is the central benchmark 

Selection of an ERP system is an important task – companies are not only 

dealing with large investments, but also optimization of their business processes 

to meet constantly changing market demands and successful, longterm 

survival. A large share in the market or extensive functionality within 

the ERP software package are not always a guarantee for long-lasting 

customer support or high customer satisfaction. 

References provide the best security when selecting a software. Talking to current ERP software 

users about their ERP experience provides valuable information. Results from market 

surveys can provide perspective to companies looking for a new ERP software and help them 

to make the very best long-term decision. 

Studies like ERP-Z and the Konradin ERP study, as well as the evaluation portal 

benchpark.de place focus on aspects of satisfaction: How satisfied are ERP users with 

the used solution? How do users rate their software vendors? Last, but not least: What is 

important to ERP users? 

“We have very strict requirements regarding flexibility of the software since we cover many 

different business areas and processes, and also because requirements change often – 

due to Pankl‘s growth. In the car racing industry we often work within very short 

time periods from development to supply. This means we must plan in detail, 

flexibility and within extremely short processing periods. abas Business 

Software optimally supports us here.” 

Daniel Konrad, ERP Manager, Pankl Racing Systems AG

3 

What is important to ERP users? 

Decisive factors for customer satisfaction are the expectations users have 

of their business software and to whether these expectations are fulfilled. 

Which criteria influence satisfaction with the used ERP system? On the one 

hand this concerns functional aspects, but so-called ”soft factors” are also 

becoming more important – for example, the trust placed in the software 

provider and the software provider's reliability. 

Examples of user expectations regarding ERP providers and ERP solutions: 

• Future-proof and investment-secure business software, 

which will still be using state of the art technology 10 years down the road 

• Long-term release policy with unlimited continuous development of the software 

• Representation of standard business processes 

• Full integration of all functions 

• Industry sector know-how 

• Adaptability to company-specific tasks 

• Workplace tailored to individual requirements 

• User-friendliness and easy to learn 

• Reliability of the ERP provider or system vendor 

• Support during implementation and upgrade 

• Consistent response to customer requirements 

Excerpts from ERP market studies presented in the following will provide information about 

how users rate the used software.

4 

ERP-Z study: User Satisfaction 

ERP / Business Software 2010/2011 

User satisfaction is an important indicator of the cost effectiveness and benefits 

of an ERP system. For the fifth time since 2004, Trovarit AG, together with 

the FIR (Research Institute for Operations Management) at the RWTH Aachen 

University, conducted research about the use of ERP solutions in Germany on 

a broad empirical basis. The ERP-Z study highlights the use of ERP systems 

in German companies and rates them by means of the actual satisfaction of 

users in practice, and not based on their range of functionalities. 

The ERP-Z study is based on a survey, which was carried out between the end of March and 

middle of July in 2010. 1,914 evaluations were included in the study. With a percentage of 

about 66% the focus is in the processing industry. The participants, however, are from all 

sectors of industry and company sizes. 

Learn more in the following excerpt from the ERP-Z study. 

”Due to its specific software architecture, I am amazed at the options abas Business Software offers 

especially during an upgrade. In the past several years, we have adjusted functions that we required 

by means of the flexible user interface programming which is integrated in the software. 

These modifications remain after an upgrade. We carry out the adjustments as well as the 

upgrades ourselves, which can be implemented in one weekend. In the case of capacity bottlenecks, 

we can always rely on the help of our supporting abas partner ABAS Consulting.This includes all costs, 

i.e. maintenance costs or costs for an upgrade, abas Business Software scores strong against other systems.” 

Christian Kern, Head of IT, Eisenwerke Friedr. Wilh. Düker GmbH & Co. KGaA

5 

Top 5 ERP requirements from a user’s point of view 

Average of all systems 

abas Business Software 

MBS Dynamics AX 

oxaion 

PSIpenta 

proALPHA 

Semiramis 

InforCOM 

APplus 

MBS Dynamics NAV 




APplus 

oxaion 

proALPHA 

InforCOM 

Semiramis 


PSIpenta 

Time and effort for upgrade/release change 

Ergonomics 

Adaptability/Flexibility 

Interfaces 

Representation of business processes 

Releaseability of the ERP system * 

3.81 

4.11 

3.84 

3.72 

3.71 

3.63 

3.60 

3.36 

3.23 

3.07 

© Trovarit AG / Aachen / www.erp-z.de, 2010 

Adaptability of the ERP system* 

3.88 

4.35 

4.30 

4.22 

3.94 

3.92 

3.86 

3.85 

3.79 

3.56 


15.5% 

13.6% 

13.5% 

11.8% 

11.4% 

USER SATISFACTION ERP/BUSINESS SOFTWARE GERMANY 2010/2011 © Trovarit AG / Aachen / www.erp-z.de, 2010 



oxaion 


Semiramis 

proALPHA 

PSIpenta 

InforCOM 

APplus 


Average of all system 


oxaion 

Semiramis 

proALPHA 

InforCOM 

APplus 



PSIpenta 

* Excerpt of participants and results of the ERP-Z study ”User satisfaction 

ERP/Business software Germany 2010 / 2011” 

Support for upgrades/release change* 

3,88 

4,17 

4,06 

3,93 

3,88 

3,84 

3,74 

3,69 

3,58 

3,48 


Customizing* 

3.90 

4.08 

4.06 

3.96 

3.89 

3.88 

3.87 

3.74 

3.71 

3.58 


“ABAS knows what customers require AND what they want: 

a flexible ERP software which is particularly upgrade secure.” 

Dr. Ing. Wolf-Dieter Kiessling, CEO, Beutter Präzisions-Komponenten GmbH & Co. KG


is given the best rating of all 

surveyed ERP systems in 

the area of user satisfaction 

in the automotive industry. 

6 

User satisfaction ERP / Business Software 2010/2011 

in the automotive industry 

Overall satisfaction wirh the provider (1.0 – “unsatisfactory”; 5.0 – “very good”) 

User satisfaction 

ERP/Business Software 2010/2011 in the automotive industry 

Legend of main use 

Larger companies (> 500 employees) 

Medium-sized companies (100–500 employees 

Small companies (> 100 employees) 

n ≥ 10 ratings in peergroup 

Average (Peergroup) 

y-axis: Satisfaction with software provider 

x-axis: Satisfaction with ERP system 

Rating: 1 = Unsatisfactory, 5 = Very good 

ABAS: 

Best rating by far for 

“Overall satisfaction – system” and 

“Overall satisfaction – provider” 

“We have been using abas ERP in all our locations for over 10 years. 

As an automotive supplier, abas ERP provides us with excellent tools to cover our customer‘s 

requirements in the automotive industry. Another huge advantage of the system 

is its multi-language support, which allows employees in different locations 

to work in their respective language.” 

Harald Schmid, Head of IT, Burgmaier Metalltechnik GmbH & Co. KG 

ABAS 

Overall satisfaction wirh the system (1.0 – “unsatisfactory”; 5.0 – “very good”)

7 

User satisfaction ERP / Business Software 2010/2011 

in mechanical and plant engineering 

Overall satisfaction wirh the provider (1.0 – “unsatisfactory”; 5.0 – “very good”) 

User satisfaction ERP/Business Software 2010/2011 

in mechanical and plant engineering 

Legend of main use 

Larger companies (> 500 employees) 

Medium-sized companies (100–500 employees 

Small companies (> 100 employees) 

n ≥ 10 ratings in peergroup 

Average (Peergroup) 

ABAS 

Overall satisfaction wirh the system (1.0 – “unsatisfactory”; 5.0 – “very good”) 

y-axis: Satisfaction with software provider 

x-axis: Satisfaction with ERP system 

Rating: 1 = Unsatisfactory, 5 = Very good 

ABAS: 

In mechanical engineering 

best rating among all 

sector-independent 

ERP systems > 1,000 installations 

Quote from the study: 

Solutions with 

above-average ratings 

are systems such as 

FEPA, SIVAS and ABAS- 

systems, which have 

many installations 

in mechanical and plant 

engineering companies. 

“We have come to know and appreciate abas ERP as the best system for us 

as a mechanical engineering company. Thanks to the flexibility of abas ERP, our customized 

business processes are displayed within the system and even remain after 

software upgrades.” 

Stefan Kuhlmann, Accounting, dft technology GmbH

8 

Konradin ERP Study 2010/2011 

Konradin has conducted its seventh ERP study, analyzing the use of ERP 

solutions in companies with 50 employees or more in the five central 

sectors of industry in Germany: metal working and finishing, mechanical 

engineering, the vehicle construction and component supplier industry, 

the electrical engineering/electronics industry and process industry. User 

satisfaction with the selected ERP system as well as an ERP market analysis 

is highlighted. The ERP study 2011 by Konradin is based on 1,579 interviews. 

Since the first study in 1999, users gave top grades to abas Business Software. In 2011, abas 

ERP solution was again given strong ratings. The following excerpt from the Konradin ERP 

study 2011 shows the specific criteria important to ERP users in terms of ERP solution and 

contract partner, as well as a selection of charts regarding user satisfaction. 

“The adaptability while upgradeability remains impresses me again and again. 

Our company has implemented almost all infosystems within abas ERP. The cost-conscious prospect 

will especially be pleased with this. Also, our project manager from 

ABAS Projektierung was always able to realize our requirements.” 

Uwe Sünnemann, Project Manager, FRIESE GmbH & Co. KG 

“We were particularly looking for a flexible software that would fit our needs both now 

and in the future, which we have found in the abas ERP software. The scalability of the software 

is fantastic and lends itself well to the specific requirements of our business. ” 

Frank Braun, CEO, nie wieder bohren AG

9 

abas Business Software is rated above average in all criteria! 

Average 


oxaion 

Dynamics NAV 

Dynamics AX 

FOSS 

proALPHA 

Sage ERP 

PSIpenta 

Learnability of the system 

User friendliness of the system 

Orientation toward specific needs of the industry sector 

Adaptability to company-specific and individual interests 

Price/Performance ratio of the solution 

Openness of the system to integrating further modules 

Benefits through release changes 

Importance of individual criteria in the ERP solution 


©ERP study 2011 

Average 


Good adaptability to company-specific 

and individual interests 

Learnability of the system 

Orientation toward the needs of the industry sector 

System development through release changes 

Good price/performance ratio of the solution 

Openness of the system to integrating future modules 


2.2 

Average 

1.9 


1.9 


2.0 

oxaion 

2.0 

Dynamics AX 

2.1 

Dynamics NAV 

2.3 

PSIpenta 

2.3 

FOSS 

2.4 

proALPHA 

Adaptation to company-specific interests 


“The decision for ABAS Projektierung and abas ERP set the tone for our company. 

The entire project team cooperated well. We came to know and love ABAS. There is nothing that can't be 

done. Since going live we have been optimizing the system permanently to our 

requirements and those of our customers. Just two weeks after go-live all departments were working 

routinely and employees were able to safely operate the system. The decision for ABAS was right 

and I would make it all over again.” 

Kai Höpfinger, Member of the Management, Ewald Kaufmann GmbH & Co. KG 

102 

103 

102 

103 

105 

101 

103 


Range of grades 1 to 6 (1 = very satisfied, 6 = very unsatisfied) 

1.6 

1.7 

1.8 

1.8 

1.8 

1.9 

2.0 

2.0 

Index representation of 

system grading in relation 

to the average grading of all 

systems (=100%) for 


Which factors are 

contributing the most to 

user satisfaction with 

the used ERP system? 

In the course of the study 

it was determined how 

important the respective 

performance criteria are for 

evaluating an ERP software. 

(according to a scale with 

1 = very important, 

6 = not important at all) 

2.3 

2.0 

2.0 

2.0 

2.1 

2.1 

2.1 

2.3 

2.3

Average 


Dynamics NAV 


Dynamics AX 

FOSS 

oxaion 

proALPHA 

PSIpenta 

Average 


Dynamics NAV 

Dynamics AX 

FOSS 

oxaion 

proALPHA 

PSIpenta 


10 

Importance of the service criteria of a contract partner 

Average 

Dependability/adherence to commitments by the service partner 

Good upgrade support 

Good implementation support 

Incorporation of requests and suggestions 

Good helpdesk quality 

High quality of training 

Good quality of industry sector-specific consultation 

Dependability of the contract partner 


Quality of training 


2.2 

1.8 

1.8 

1.8 

1.9 

2.0 

2.0 

2.2 

2.2 

2.3 

1.9 

1.9 

2.0 

2.0 

2.1 

2.1 

2.3 

2.3 


1.7 

Average 


FOSS 

oxaion 


Dynamics NAV 

Dynamics AX 

PSIpenta 

proALPHA 

Average 



Dynamics NAV 

FOSS 

Dynamics AX 

oxaion 

proALPHA 

PSIpenta 

Range of grades 1 to 6 (1 = very satisfied, 6 = very unsatisfied) 

1.8 

1.8 

1.9 

1.9 

1.9 

2.0 

2.0 

Incorporation of requests and suggestions 

of the selected contract partner 


Upgrade support of contract partner 


“The abas Business Software implementation was carried out 

according to plan. Everything we had agreed upon was realized 100% in terms of 

time and budget.” 

Dirk Schirmbrand, Manager, MF-Schirmband KG 

Which services in terms of 

ERP use have a high priority 

for the users? Among the 

most important criteria is 

the reliability of the contract 

partner. 

(according to a scale with 

1 = very important, 

6 = not important at all) 

2.2 

1.8 

1.9 

1.9 

1.9 

2.0 

2.0 

2.2 

2.3 

2.1 

1.8 

1.9 

1.9 

1.9 

2.0 

2.1 

2.2 

2.2

11 

100% 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0% 

Meeting deadlines when implementing abas Business Software 

25.6% 

Shorter than 

planned 


57.3% 

16.2% 

As planned Slightly longer 

than planned 

Much longer 

than planned 

Regarding meeting deadlines, abas Business Software was able to improve even more 

compared to the ERP study 2009 and showed a positive development: 25.6% of ERP projects 

were implemented in a shorter time than planned (2009: 18.1%). 57.3% of ERP implementations 

as planned (2009: 51.2%). Only 16.2 % of projects took a little longer than planned – the 

value from 2009 (27.5%) could thus almost be halved. 

Thus, 82.9 % of abas ERP implementations are as planned or completed ahead of time! 

The percentage of abas ERP implementations taking considerably more time than planned 

is almost zero. 

“ABAS has impressed and convinced us from the very beginning. 

The extremely short implementation period of only 2 months, even though a very high number of tasks 

had to be managed, proves that the decision for abas Business Software and the 

implementation partner was the right one. We are still impressed and very happy with ABAS.” 

Michael Jagdt, Manager, lignotec MassivHolz GmbH 

“Both the high coverage of our functional requirements in the standard, 

the manageable adjustments, and the methodic implementation by the partner 

ABAS Projektierung GmbH in Karlsruhe have helped our decision in favor of ABAS. 

This has proven to be true during the course of the project and the successful, 

on time implementation.” 

Elke Ade, Head of IT, Michelfelder group of companies 

0.9%

Customer satisfaction 

"very good" 

12 

as of 02/17/2011 

Internet evaluation platform Benchpark 

In the Benchpark ERP software provider directory about 160 ERP providers 

are evaluated and IT managers exchange practical experience, and offer 

evaluations as well as recommendations. 

abas Business Software user satisfaction 

compared to other ERP systems 


Average of all providers 

Functionality 

10 

Price/Performance 6 

Flexibility 

Product support Technology 

8 

4 

2 

0 

Documentation 

©www.benchpark.com

13 

User satisfaction 


“very good” 7.02 

Average ERP software providers D-A-CH 

6.16 

Functionality 



“good” 6.77 

6.60 

Flexibility 




6.74 

Technology 



Documentation 



“good” 6.98 

6.14 

“good” 5.36 

4.67 

Product support 




6.37 

User satisfaction abas Business Software 


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

> 

© ERP satisfaction ranking Benchpark 2011 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

> 


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

> 


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

> 


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

> 


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

> 


“Our experience with abas Business Software and abas eB has been very good. 

In my opinion there is no comparable solution which would be suitable for our requirements 

in terms of functionality and flexibility.” 

Peter Stalling, Head of IT, STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG

14 

Software from a midsize business 

for midsize businesses 

The core competence of ABAS Software AG is the development of flexible 

ERP and eBusiness software for midsize companies. The ABAS company was 

founded in 1980 and has now become an international group of companies with 

50 abas partners in 30 countries. ABAS covers the entire range of small and 

midsize businesses from 4 to 400 ERP users. 

Corporate philosophy: „The Spirit of ABAS” 

Satisfaction, quality, and service go together – ABAS is guided by this principle in its daily 

work. The main idea is that ABAS customers can concentrate on what is of most importance 

to them: their core business. ABAS lives with its users and looks for the constructive dialog 

with them, their suggestions give important impetus for the further development of abas 

Business Software. Directness and trust contribute to a continually profitable cooperation. 

ABAS has proven this for over 30 years. 

“We have been using abas Business Software since 1991. Through upgrades we always remain 

up-to-date, in terms of technology and function. The software supports our complex requirements optimally 

due to its flexibility and adaptability. Without abas Business Software 

we would not be what we are today: world market leader for technical meshes.” 

Dipl.-Ing. Ingo Kufferath-Kassner, Board of management, GKD Gebr. Kufferath AG

15 

Solid economic basis 

ABAS has always relied on a stable economic basis. It is the requirement to invest in 

innovations and for long-term planning. For over 15 years ABAS has been profitable. The 

strategy of the sustainable development in connection with independence of banks and 

investors is important for ABAS in the future. 

Global partner network through common dedication 

ABAS has assembled a global network of qualified implementation partners: about 50 abas 

software partners in 30 countries worldwide know the requirements of their local markets. 

They guarantee short reaction times and high service quality. With the international abas 

implementation methodology which has been proven in numerous projects, ABAS ensures 

implementation success even across borders. 

“We were impressed by the easy adjustability and flexibility of the software. 

The strategy for the future of ABAS Software AG – compared to other providers – made a solid impression. 

Another advantage: ABAS is represented worldwide by software partners, 

who are available on site as a contact for ERP projects and also provide support.” 

Mario Brückner, International Sales Employee/Responsible for ERP, SKF ECONOMOS GmbH 

“Why did we not start using abas Business Software earlier?” 

Uwe Trefz, CEO, Trefz GmbH

www.abas-software.com Follow us: 

ABAS Software AG · Südendstraße 42 · 76135 Karlsruhe · Germany · Tel. +49 721 / 9 67 23 - 0 · Fax +49 721 / 9 67 23 -100 · info@abas.de 

© ABAS Software AG · August 2011 · Subject to change: Folder ERP studies

Current ERP Studies - ABAS Software AG

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