Sage 200 is a business management solution designed for the small-medium business (SMB) sector. Businesses in this section of the market are extremely diverse so the needs of one organisation will be vastly different from the needs of another. This is why Sage offers two versions of Sage 200: Sage 200 Standard and Sage 200 Professional.
The Standard version is entirely based in the cloud, offering all the benefits of cloud computing but with somewhat limited functionality if a business has niché requirements. The Professional edition is available as a cloud hosted, on-premise or hybrid solution with more extensive options for customisations, integrations and functionality.
Let’s look at the two in more detail and explore how they solve the challenges of the key industries.
Sage 200 Standard
This is an out-of-the-box solution that bridges the gap between Sage 50 and Sage 200 Professional. It is a superb system for growing businesses that need more than a basic accounting package.
Sage 200 Standard is very user-friendly but also very powerful as an entry-level ERP platform. It provides organisations with a range of tools and resources for managing their accounts online. It also enables you to access company data from anywhere and at any time, with many options for managing and visualising data from every department in the business.
Sage 200 Standard is a good fit for organisations with 5-200 employees and a turnover of up to £50 million. It is used well by industries like Non-Profit, Manufacturing, Services, Wholesale & Distribution, Retail and Education.
Sage 202 Professional
The Professional edition is a step up from the Standard one and is a better fit for businesses that need more extensive customisation for their system. It goes far beyond the reach of a mere financial system; Sage 200 Professional is a fully modular business management solution that you can bend and shape to meet your business needs. It can be hosted from your own on-premise servers, managed servers or hosted in the cloud on platforms like Microsoft Azure.
You can learn more about hosting Sage on Microsoft Azure in our article Sage 200 on Microsoft Azure – A Full Cloud Solution.
The beating heart of the software is the financials but there is immense flexibility to add further industry-specific modules. These can include things like:
- Project Accounting
- Commercials
- Business Intelligence
- Manufacturing
The package is designed for the management of more sophisticated or complex business processes throughout the entire organisation. It can be accessed from your office desktop or on the move at any time.
In terms of business suitability, the Professional edition is very similar to the Standard one. But it is generally more useful for businesses that are large and more mature. Companies with 10-200 employees are often a good fit, with a turnover of up to £50 million. The industries that most commonly use it are Warehousing & Distribution, Manufacturing, Services and Construction.
How Sage 200 Professional Solves the Challenges of Specific Industries
Sage 200 Professional is primed to meet the unique challenges of a variety of industries via additional modules that can be added to the software. The main industries are Manufacturing, Construction, and Warehousing & Distribution, so let’s take a look at how it meets the needs of businesses in these sectors.
Manufacturing
Sicon Manufacturing is a set of modules from third-party developer Sicon, developed for Sage 200 Professional. The tools and resources it provides will centralise and streamline all processes involved in manufacturing into a single interface for you to access. The modules included address processes like projects, estimating and works and order processing, among others. You can configure it for one-off project manufacturing or high-volume repeat production manufacturing.
Well-suited to batch or discrete manufacturers, Sicon Manufacturing is simple to use and highly intuitive. It enables the tracking of labour, materials and costs against individual jobs for robust reporting and data analysis. With accurate insights into every stage of the manufacturing process, sales orders can be fulfilled efficiently. There is also a Capacity Planning tool that centralises key information for making decisions. It integrates with other modules seamlessly, including:
- Bill of Materials
- Projects
- Quotations
With Sicon Manufacturing in your arsenal, your manufacturing business will gain access to a variety of benefits. With centralised data and improved reporting, you will have a more accurate perspective of performance to guide decision-making. The interface enables visibility of Sales and Purchase Orders, labour costs, estimates, machine usage and more for total control over fulfilment capabilities. This is just a small portion of the benefits you will get – essentially, manageability and productivity will be enhanced for any kind of manufacturing organisation.
If you’d like to learn more, please read our article Sicon Manufacturing for Sage 200.
Construction
Construction businesses require a powerful ERP system to carefully manage core business processes and meet challenges like project costing and management, using multiple sites of operation, compliance with HMRC’s Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) and more. Profit margins are always tight in construction so efficient operation is essential. Sage 200 Professional can deliver exactly that.
The cloud capabilities are ideal for construction businesses with numerous sites and operatives on the road requiring mobile access to data. Inventory can be booked in/out on-site directly from within the ERP, updating in real-time so everyone using the system can view the movement of materials and resources across multiple construction sites. The monitoring of labour is also enabled to ensure demand is always met – another real-time feature that helps avoid unnecessary delays.
Sage 200 Professional automates CIS and CITB deductions, simplifying the calculations for subcontractor payments and eliminating complex and time-consuming manual tasks. Sage 200 fully adheres to Making Tax Digital, so deductions can be submitted to HMRC as soon as they are made to maintain full compliance at all times.
Accurate project costing and management is also facilitated by Sage 200 Project modules, which integrate with other related functions for a holistic approach. The system even includes tools for paying suppliers in a straightforward and accurate way.
The main benefits of Sage 200 Professional for construction include:
- Project costing and management modules for maximum productivity and profitability.
- Automated CIS and CITB deductions.
- Accurate, efficient payment processing.
- Reliable records of payment retentions and release dates.
- Connecting construction sites with back offices via cloud hosting.
For a more in-depth look at Sage 200 for Construction, please read our article Why Choose Sage 200 for Construction Companies?
Warehousing & Distribution
Keeping everything on track in warehousing and distribution can be a vast undertaking. You need robust systems in place to handle key processes, rather than multiple disparate systems that fail to communicate with one another seamlessly. This is where Sage 200 Professional comes in.
It is crucial to ensure stock meets demands as much as possible. Failure to do so results in lost customers and you can end up with large amounts of cash tied up in excess inventory. Sage 200 enables real-time access to your stock to facilitate strategic decision-making based on accurate data. The Sales Order Processing feature can predict demand so that inventory can be matched, so you can maximise all sales opportunities.
Stock traceability is also managed by Sage 200 Professional. With lots of stock on the move, everything needs to be effectively tracked, and the Sicon Barcoding and Warehousing module for Sage 200 takes care of this. This module can be installed on mobile devices and integrates with other Sage 200 Commercials like:
- Sales Order Processing (SOP)
- Purchase Order Processing (POP)
- Bill of Materials (BOM)
- Stock
Your customer interactions and relationships can be improved by always having the necessary stock available and utilising the Sage 200 CRM module. The real-time visualisation and advanced reporting tools also empower you to boost sales, margins and profitability. There are many challenges that warehousing & distribution companies must face head-on, with stock visibility at the core and strong relationships with suppliers and customers paramount. Sage 200 Professional is a comprehensive solution that gives organisations everything they need to meet those challenges.
If you would like to learn more about Sage 200 for Warehousing & Distribution, please take a look at our informative article The Benefits of Sage 200 for Warehousing & Distribution.
Conclusion
It’s obvious that different industries face different challenges, and it’s essential for businesses operating in those industries to have software that can meet those challenges head on. With a host of additional modules available, Sage 200 Professional can be engineered to take care of these kind of industry specific requirements.
When implementing Sage 200 Professional, it’s important to sit down and identify all of your business requirements, including any foreseen future requirements. Your Sage Business Partner can help you do this, and suggest ways in which Sage 200 Professional can be tailored to your specific needs.
Why choose Eventura to help deliver your Sage 200 project?
With two decades of Sage deployments under our belt, we are experts in delivering robust Sage 200 solutions that are meticulously designed to suit your specific business needs. We take a full 360-degree view of your business, and help you identify all of your requirements.
Our team of expert business analysts, developers, consultants, technicians and support staff will guide you through your Sage 200 project from conception, through to deployment and ongoing support.
If you would like to speak with one of our Sage 200 experts, you can request a free call back here.
