Infor M3

Infor M3

What is Infor M3?

Infor M3 ERP is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning solution designed for the manufacturing and distribution industries. Infor M3 has been developed as a multicompany, multicountry and multisite ERP solution which is well-suited for distributed organizations operating in several locations and jurisdictions.

Infor M3 has specifically developed functionality for multiple manufacturing and distribution sub-industries, including chemicals, distribution, food and beverage, fashion and industrial manufacturing. These industries are supported with specially designed implementation templates which provide sector-specific capabilities out of the box.

Infor M3 includes inbuilt analytics, dashboards and KPIs to bring business users closer to the information they need to make business decisions. The platform also leverages the Infor OS (Operating Service) layer which provides a modern user experience, AI/ML capabilities through Infor Coleman, and data analytics through Infor Birst.

As part of the broader Infor CloudSuite portfolio, M3 is available as Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage, CloudSuite Fashion, CloudSuite Chemicals and CloudSuite Distribution, each tailored with industry-specific functionality.

Modules & Features List

Manufacturing Operations

Product Data Management (PDM): Manages product data throughout the product lifecycle, including design, introduction, manufacturing, and discontinuation.

Planning and Scheduling: Offers tools for demand planning, production scheduling, and material requirements planning (MRP), ensuring efficient use of resources and timely delivery of products.

Shop Floor Control: Provides real-time visibility into manufacturing operations, enabling better control over production processes, work orders, and quality management.

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Customer Order Management: Supports the entire order-to-cash process, including order entry, pricing, configuration, and delivery scheduling, enhancing customer service and fulfillment accuracy.

Purchasing Management: Automates procurement processes from requisition to payment, including supplier selection, purchase order management, and invoice matching.

Inventory Management: Offers comprehensive tools for managing inventory levels, locations, and movements, optimizing stock levels and reducing carrying costs.

Warehouse Management: Provides functionalities for warehouse operations, including receiving, putaway, picking, packing, and shipping, improving warehouse efficiency and accuracy.

Sales, Service, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Sales Management: Supports sales processes from quotation to order fulfillment, including sales contracts, pricing, and discount management.
• Service Management: Manages after-sales services, warranty claims, and service contracts, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• CRM: Offers tools for managing customer interactions, sales opportunities, and marketing campaigns, aiming to improve customer relationships and drive sales growth.

Financial Management

• General Ledger (GL): Serves as the core of the financial management module, handling all financial transactions and reporting.
• Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR): Manages all aspects of invoicing, payments, and cash management, improving cash flow and financial controls.
• Asset Management: Tracks and manages fixed assets, from acquisition through disposal, including depreciation, maintenance, and insurance.

Human Capital Management (HCM)

• Human Resources Management: Supports HR processes, including recruitment, onboarding, employee development, and performance management.
• Payroll: Manages payroll processing, tax calculations, and compliance with regulatory requirements, ensuring accurate and timely employee payments.

Equipment and Rental Management

• Equipment Management: Tailored for businesses managing heavy equipment or machinery, this module supports the lifecycle management of equipment, from acquisition to disposal.
• Rental Management: Provides tools for managing rental operations, including contract management, billing, and inventory availability, catering to businesses that rent out equipment or products.

Analytics and Reporting

• Business Intelligence (BI): Offers advanced analytics and reporting capabilities through Infor Birst, enabling businesses to derive insights from their data, make informed decisions, and monitor performance in real-time.

Infor M3 Modules & Functionality

Accounting & Financial Management

Every business needs to keep accurate financial records. With Infor M3 Accounting and Finance Management, operational transactions from other modules are automatically recorded using flexible structures and rules that you can control. The integrated financial functionality handles your accounting, budgeting, consolidation and reporting requirements.

True multi-country, multi-company, and intra-company capabilities also allow you to manage multiple operational units even when they operate under different regulatory controls. Finance Management provides a single, integrated system to help you manage, control, and analyze your business operations.

The Infor M3 Finance Management Suite includes:

• Budgeting
• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• Fixed Assets
• General Ledger
• Group Consolidation
• Cash Flow Management
• Cost Accounting
• Product Costing
• Multiple Unit Coordination
• Report Generator

Supply Chain Management

At the heart of a manufacturing, distribution or service management business is the supply chain. Supply Chain Management provides you with a powerful set of tools to plan, schedule, and execute across your extended value chain, resulting in optimum customer service levels and profitability.

The Infor M3 Supply Chain Management Suite includes:

• Warehouse Management
• Manufacturing Resource Planning
• Transport Planning
• Freight Cost Management
• Package Management
• Supply Chain Planning
• Distribution Requirements Planning
• Demand Planner
• Master Production Scheduling
• Advanced Production Planner
• Procurement
• e-Procurement

Manufacturing Operations

Manufacturing Operations simplifies complex challenges with the capability to manage traceability, change control, configured products, product attributes, laboratory inspection, co-products, and by-products in discrete, process, and mixed mode manufacturing environments.

The Infor M3 Manufacturing Operations Suite includes:

• Time & Attendance
• Production Statistics
• Manufacturing Execution
• Product Configurator
• Product Data Management
• Attribute Control

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)

Enterprise Asset Management provides a solution for managing and maintaining equipment and assets. Integrated with other operational and planning applications, it synchronizes maintenance with production plans to maximize efficiency.

The Infor M3 Enterprise Asset Management Suite includes:

• Preventive Maintenance
• Diagnostics Management
• Work Order Processing
• Equipment & Component Control
• Maintenance Performance & Costing
• Vehicle Operations Management

Sales & Service Suite

Infor M3 Customer Sales & Service offers support for market development, sales and after-sales service processes — particularly in multi-channel sales environments where you need a complete picture of customer commitments. It combines web, mobile, and traditional order management tools with full service and rental management capability.

Features include:

• Sales & Marketing Automation
• Sales Management
• e-Sales
• Service Management
• Rental Management
• Maintenance Order Management
• Project Management

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Deep industry-specific functionality for process manufacturing, food & beverage, chemicals, fashion and distribution.
• True multicompany, multicountry and multisite capabilities for distributed organizations.
• Modern cloud platform on AWS with Infor OS, Coleman AI and Birst analytics.
• Strong batch and lot traceability for regulated industries.
• Flexible deployment with both Cloud and On-Premise options.

Cons

• Can be complex to implement and configure for organizations with limited ERP experience.
• User interface, while improved with Infor OS, may still have a learning curve for new users.
• Less suited for small businesses — primarily targets mid-market and enterprise organizations.

Infor M3 Industry Fit

Food & Beverage

Infor M3 provides specialized capabilities for food and beverage manufacturers including recipe and formula management, shelf life tracking, allergen management, catch weight processing and regulatory compliance. Available as Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage.

Chemicals

For chemical manufacturers, Infor M3 offers batch processing, formula management, quality control, hazardous materials handling and regulatory compliance capabilities. Available as Infor CloudSuite Chemicals.

Fashion & Apparel

Infor M3 serves the fashion industry with capabilities for style, color and size matrix management, seasonal planning, PLM integration and supply chain visibility. Available as Infor CloudSuite Fashion.

Distribution

For distributors, Infor M3 provides warehouse management, demand planning, order management, logistics and multi-channel distribution capabilities. Available as Infor CloudSuite Distribution.

Industrial Manufacturing

Infor M3 supports discrete and mixed-mode manufacturing with production planning, MRP, shop floor control, quality management and product lifecycle capabilities.

Infor M3 for Process Manufacturing vs Discrete Manufacturing

Infor M3 is specifically architected for process manufacturing, which distinguishes it from discrete manufacturing ERPs:

For discrete manufacturers, Infor recommends CloudSuite Industrial or Epicor Kinetic.

History

Infor M3 has its roots in the Swedish software company Intentia, which developed the Movex ERP system in the 1970s. Movex was one of the earliest ERP solutions designed specifically for process manufacturing and distribution industries.

In 2006, Intentia merged with Lawson Software, and Movex was renamed to Lawson M3. When Infor acquired Lawson Software in 2011, the product became Infor M3. Under Infor's ownership, M3 has received significant investment in cloud capabilities, modern user experience and industry-specific functionality.

Today, Infor is owned by Koch Industries and has made M3 a cornerstone of its CloudSuite strategy for manufacturing and distribution industries.

Infor M3 User Interface (UI)

Infor M3 leverages the Infor OS platform for its user experience, featuring the Infor Ming.le collaboration layer and responsive design. Dashboards and views can be tailored based on the user accessing the system, allowing for the user interface to be made as simple or detailed as necessary for each role.

The platform supports mobile access and provides a modern, browser-based experience that connects users with analytics, collaboration tools and contextual insights.

Infor M3 Demo

ERP Research can organize a personalized demonstration of Infor M3 Cloud ERP that meets your business requirements. We can arrange demonstrations with as little as 48 hours notice depending on availability.

Deployment

Infor M3 is offered both as a Cloud ERP solution (hosted on AWS) and as an On-Premise ERP solution. The cloud deployment is available through the various Infor CloudSuite industry editions. Customers can also exercise the ability to move between deployment models.

Integration

Infor M3 provides integration capabilities through Infor ION (Intelligent Open Network), a middleware platform that enables integration between Infor applications and third-party systems. ION supports both real-time and batch integration patterns using standard protocols.

Infor M3 Support

Infor provides a comprehensive support framework for M3 customers including:

• Infor Concierge portal for incident management and self-service
• Phone, web and chat access
• 24/7 critical system down support
• Global access to live support
• Extensive searchable knowledge base
• Online documentation and training guides
• Regular product updates and releases

Localizations

Infor M3 has been deployed in over 60 countries with localization packs covering local tax standards, statutory reporting and compliance requirements. The multicompany and multicountry architecture makes it well-suited for international organizations.

Languages

Infor M3 supports multiple languages to serve its global customer base across manufacturing and distribution industries.

Infor M3 Pricing

Infor M3 pricing is licensed on a subscription basis which is typically paid annually.

Licensing is dependent on the number of users, their level of responsibilities within the system, advanced modules and third-party extensions you require.

Infor M3 Competitors

• SAP S/4 HANA
• Oracle ERP Cloud
• Epicor Kinetic
• Microsoft Dynamics 365

Infor M3 ERP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much does Infor M3 cost?

Infor M3 pricing varies based on the number of users, the CloudSuite edition selected, and the complexity of your implementation. For mid-market organizations, total first-year costs including licensing and implementation typically range from $200,000 to $2,000,000+.

Which industries is Infor M3 best for?

Infor M3 is best suited for process manufacturing (food & beverage, chemicals), fashion and apparel, distribution and industrial manufacturing. It is particularly strong for organizations with complex supply chains operating across multiple countries.

Is Infor M3 the same as Infor CloudSuite?

Infor M3 is the core ERP engine that powers several Infor CloudSuite industry editions, including CloudSuite Food & Beverage, CloudSuite Fashion, CloudSuite Chemicals and CloudSuite Distribution. Each CloudSuite edition packages M3 with industry-specific preconfiguration and best practices.

How does Infor M3 handle food safety and regulatory compliance?

Infor M3 provides comprehensive food safety and regulatory compliance capabilities including full lot and batch traceability from raw material receipt through finished goods delivery, shelf life management with FIFO/FEFO enforcement, allergen tracking and labelling, quality inspection at receiving and production stages, and recall management with forward and backward traceability. The platform supports compliance with FDA FSMA, EU food safety regulations, GFSI-benchmarked standards (BRC, SQF, FSSC 22000) and country-specific requirements.

How does Infor M3 compare to SAP S/4HANA for process manufacturing?

Both are strong enterprise ERP platforms for process manufacturing. Infor M3 offers deeper out-of-the-box functionality for food & beverage, chemicals and fashion through its preconfigured CloudSuite industry editions — reducing implementation time and cost. SAP S/4HANA offers broader ERP functionality and a larger global partner network but typically requires more customisation for process manufacturing-specific needs. Infor M3 is generally more cost-effective for mid-market process manufacturers, while SAP is better suited for very large enterprises.

What is the difference between Infor M3 and Infor CloudSuite Industrial?

Infor M3 is designed for process manufacturing industries — food & beverage, chemicals, fashion and distribution. Infor CloudSuite Industrial (formerly SyteLine) is designed for discrete manufacturing — metal fabrication, industrial equipment, electronics and automotive. Both run on AWS and use the Infor OS platform, but they have different core architectures and industry-specific functionality. Choose M3 for batch/process manufacturing and CloudSuite Industrial for make-to-order/discrete production.