Connecting ERP to the real world

Every software vendor has an AI story right now – most of them built on the same idea: let AI generate an app from a prompt and see what happens. The problem is well-documented. Research from Veracode found that 45% of AI-generated development tasks produced code with critical security flaws. In enterprise ERP environments, where security, compliance, audit traceability, and reliable ERP connectivity are non-negotiable, that is not a viable foundation. Novacura Flow is also an AI application builder — but built on a different premise. AI is placed within a well-controlled enterprise framework: governed ERP connectors, role-based access, workflow transparency, version control, and consistent deployment. Novacura calls this AI on Rails. The AI accelerates development and drives user interactions; the framework ensures it behaves correctly in production. The practical result is visible in three categories of AI capability in Flow, demonstrated recently in a live session by Novacura’s Petter Larsson and Greg Warner — including working demos against IFS.  Watch: How to build AI-powered apps on top of your ERP. A 20-minute walkthrough by Novacura Product Manager Petter Larsson and Solutions Engineer Greg Warner, covering three categories of AI in Flow with live examples. When AI actually makes sense in an ERP workflow The core challenge with AI adoption in industrial enterprises is not access to models – it is access to the right data, at the right moment, in the right context. Novacura Flow solves this because it already sits between frontline workers and the ERP. It collects operational data at the exact location where transactions happen, at a level of granularity most ERP interfaces cannot match. From that position, Flow can feed AI services with clean, structured, real-time data – and return the results directly into the workflow. This is the difference between an AI chatbot that summarizes information and an AI layer that acts on it. The practical applications fall into three categories: Making sense of large ERP datasets ERP systems accumulate data over years — and that data degrades. Parts masters drift. Duplicates accumulate. Naming conventions diverge across sites or business units. Manual cleanup is slow and expensive. AI handles it well. Novacura Flow addresses this natively, bringing data intelligence directly into the workflow layer. Users can normalize, harmonize, and deduplicate master data, as well as query and analyze data on the fly — across any connected ERP, database, or system. These capabilities are designed to slot into Flow as native workflow steps — not REST calls to an external API — keeping data processing inside the governed framework, and putting real data quality and insight directly in the hands of end users. The example: parts data quality and deduplication The Data Assistant first normalizes parts descriptions — consistent format, standardized naming — and then Data Analysis identifies probable duplicates across the catalogue. The result surfaces as a list of suggested actions for an operator to review and confirm. AI does the pattern recognition. A person makes the final call. The workflow logic, the ERP write-back, and the audit trail are all handled […]

The modern manufacturing and logistics landscape requires absolute harmony between core enterprise resource planning and rapid, physical floor execution. For enterprises running Infor M3 or transitioning to Infor CloudSuite, evaluating how well software supports actual day-to-day work remains a continuous priority. To address these critical realities, the 2026 M3 User Association (M3UA) UK Conference took place over two days at the Hilton St. George’s Park in Burton Upon Trent, UK. As an event designed to foster heavy participation through workshops, roundtables, and technical presentations, it serves as a premier venue for exchange between M3 users, suppliers, and Infor experts. Novacura is proud to support this community as a Golden Sponsor, welcoming attendees to Booth 4 to discuss practical process improvement rather than theoretical technology hype. The High Cost of the “Last Mile” of Data In asset-intensive sectors like manufacturing and distribution, a recurring operational vulnerability exists: the gap between desired business processes and the exact functionality currently supported within the central ERP. While core systems handle broad financial data and massive material requirements planning excellently, they frequently lose traction at the edge of operations. This disconnect represents the “last mile” of data, and it is often the most expensive square foot of a facility. When warehouse management, shop-floor production reporting, or field maintenance operations are left outside the direct reach of the ERP, organizations face immediate inefficiencies. Workers are forced to rely on manual spreadsheets, paper-based tracking, or analog workarounds. This absence of direct connectivity introduces data-logging delays, spikes inventory error rates, and severely degrades overall supply chain visibility. Organizations cannot afford blind spots on the factory floor; to optimize lead times, the operational execution layer must align perfectly with the central digital record. Extending the Core Without Custom Modification The solution to this execution gap is not to abandon or heavily customize the central system. Custom modifications introduce high long-term costs and jeopardize future upgrade paths to Infor CloudSuite. Instead, Novacura provides a technical bridge through Novacura Flow. By acting as a flexible, process-optimizing workflow layer, Novacura Flow extends Infor M3 beyond its traditional core. It links complex enterprise data structures directly to real operational execution via intuitive mobile and web applications. Instead of forcing technicians and operators to adapt to rigid ERP transaction codes, Novacura Flow shapes the system to the user’s natural physical workflow. This targeted extension eliminates analog bottlenecks, enforces automated data validation at the point of origin, and turns standard ERP constraints into distinct operational advantages. Mobile Workflows, Process Efficiency, and Embedded AI Services A central highlight of our participation at the M3UA UK Conference was a dedicated strategy session designed to show exactly how this architecture operates in practice. Date & Time: May 12 at 15:00 Presentation Title: “Novacura: Extending Infor M3 with Modern Mobile Apps, Workflows, and AI Services” This session moved past theoretical technology concepts to present a practical, technical deep dive into extending your current M3 ecosystem. We demonstrated how practical AI services can be embedded directly into standard mobile processes to reduce human error. Specifically, we showcased an AI-assisted […]

Safeguarding Your Migration Investment Novacura supports customers across the full ERP lifecycle – ERP orientation isn’t a marketing tagline, it’s our core mission. So when many of our customers began navigating the upgrade to IFS Cloud, we saw the same friction point emerge: the ERP upgrade itself isn’t the hardest part. It’s what happens to the Flow solutions built around it. IFS Applications and IFS Cloud don’t just differ in version — they differ in kind. One relies on classic Oracle PL/SQL APIs; the other is a modern cloud platform built on OData and REST. Bridging that gap demands specialized knowledge most teams simply don’t have on hand. That’s why we built the IFS Migration Tool for Flow. It automates the conversion of Flow applications built for IFS Applications, carrying your business logic forward into IFS Cloud with speed, transparency, and measurable cost savings – typically cutting migration effort by more than 50%. The tool processes workflows from both Flow Classic and Flow Connect, focusing specifically on the machine steps responsible for IFS interaction and converting them automatically. The heavy lifting is done. Final assembly remains with your development team. This is not an ERP data migration tool. It protects the Novacura Flow investment your organization has built over the years – and ensures it carries forward into IFS Cloud, not into a rewrite backlog. Our Solution: Ifs Migration Tool For Flow The Migration Tool can process workflows from both Flow Classic and Flow Connect, but the output is always generated for Flow Connect. The tool focuses only on machine steps responsible for IFS Apps interaction and converts them (SQL or PL/SQL blocks) into corresponding Flow Script blocks for IFS Cloud (1:1). In the generated Flow Script, the tool fully utilizes Flow Script Modules generated to wrap IFS API endpoints (Flow Script does not call OData endpoints directly, but only through the available FS Modules).  While the tool provides significant relief by automating the conversion of logic, it is currently machine-step-oriented. It retrieves and converts the steps, but does not inject the code back into the final workflow automatically; this final assembly remains in the hands of the developer. Furthermore, while the tool can process legacy Flow Classic workflows, the output is always generated for Flow Connect, aligning your environment with the latest technical standards.  Note: This tool focuses exclusively on converting workflows between the two IFS product lines. It does not perform the ERP data migration itself, nor does it support a generic “Classic to Connect” migration outside of the IFS version context.  Who is this for? This specialized tool is engineered for Novacura Flow users who have developed a robust ecosystem of applications for IFS Applications and now face the strategic necessity of aligning those assets with the IFS Cloud environment. It is built specifically for organizations that recognize the profound technical leap required to move from legacy Oracle PL/SQL APIs to the modern OData projection catalog, ensuring that existing business logic is not abandoned, but rather seamlessly transitioned into the new cloud-native architecture.  Precision At Scale (The 10-level Complexity Scale) We do not view migration as a “black box” process. To provide total transparency, the tool classifies every workflow step into 10 complexity levels:  Levels 1–3 […]

The conversation surrounding enterprise software has fundamentally shifted. For the past several years, corporate agendas have been dominated by theoretical discussions about the potential of artificial intelligence. However, at IFS Connect United Kingdom & Ireland 2026, held on April 29th at the iconic Silverstone Racecourse, the focus took a pragmatic turn. Industry leaders, asset-intensive enterprises, and system experts gathered to transition from broad AI hype to the rigorous execution of Industrial AI—artificial intelligence embedded directly into core, in-process business operations to deliver measurable outcomes. For Novacura, represented onsite by Aksel Jarlbäck and Josh Alexander, the event confirmed a critical market reality: before an enterprise can successfully adopt advanced AI capabilities at scale, it must first establish complete process clarity on the shop floor and in the field. The Blind Spots Threatening Industrial AI Readiness IFS Connect 2026 clearly distinguished generic, conversational AI from true Industrial AI designed for complex asset management and field service operations. IFS has positioned its ecosystem as a real-world enabler of industry transformation, showcasing digital assistants, evolving pricing models, and embedded capabilities within IFS Cloud. Yet, as organizations look to implement these technologies, they face an immediate, systemic obstacle: unresolved operational foundations. Many manufacturing and asset-heavy businesses are still plagued by legacy inefficiencies. Field Service Management (FSM) operations struggle with disconnected technicians, maintenance teams face data-logging bottlenecks, and warehousing teams operate with limited real-time shop floor visibility. Attempting to overlay sophisticated Industrial AI onto fractured, poorly integrated processes is an expensive miscalculation. If your frontline technicians lack a simple, structured method to input clean data from the field, any predictive maintenance model or AI-driven scheduling engine will fail due to poor data quality. To unlock the value of modern ERP upgrades and AI investments, companies must first close the execution gap between their central database and their physical operations. Stabilizing the Core with Novacura Flow This critical integration layer is precisely where Novacura focused its conversations at Silverstone. Acting as a process-optimizing workflow layer, Novacura Flow serves as the vital technical bridge connecting core IFS installations with real-world, frontline execution. At our exhibition booth, our team demonstrated how Novacura Flow insulates the core ERP from unnecessary complexity. Rather than relying on rigid, high-risk code modifications to adapt IFS to unique warehouse or maintenance routines—a practice that complicates or derails future cloud upgrades—organizations can deploy a flexible, low-code workflow layer. By utilizing this architecture, businesses can deliver simple, role-based mobile workflows directly to technicians and operators. Whether executing a complex asset inspection on a remote site or tracking inventory movements across a chaotic shop floor, the frontline worker interacts with an interface tailored exactly to their task. Novacura Flow handles the complex data validation in the background, ensuring that the information routed back into IFS is clean, structured, and instantly actionable. To visually reinforce this philosophy, our booth featured a LEGO giveaway. The concept resonated strongly with attendees: just as complex, high-performance vehicles at Silverstone are built from simple, standardized components, resilient enterprise architecture relies on simple, repeatable building blocks to manage data flow. Direct from Silverstone: […]

The industrial world is no longer debating if change is coming; we are now measuring the pace of that change in real-time. On April 23–24, 2026, the Nordic IFS Community gathered in our home city of Gothenburg for IFS Connect Nordics. The atmosphere at the venue reflected a clear industry mandate: Industrial AI Accelerated. As a Silver Sponsor of this year’s event, Novacura was proud to welcome peers, partners, and customers to our own backyard. The 2026 edition felt particularly significant, not just because of the focus on AI as an engine for value, but because of the deep collaboration with the Scandinavian and Finnish User Groups. This partnership shifted the second day of the event toward what really matters to the people on the ground: practical insights, technical depth, and hands-on learning. When Speed Hits the Coding Bottleneck The theme of “Industrial AI” promises unprecedented opportunities in asset performance and decision-making. However, for many organizations, there is a “Villain” in the story: ERP Complexity. Most industrial companies struggle to get their ERP to match how their people actually work. As IFS noted during the keynote, moving fast is no longer enough; you must be able to scale. Yet, every new requirement often turns into another risky customization or a fragile middleware project. This creates a “coding bottleneck” that prevents AI from ever reaching the shop floor or the warehouse. Unveiling the Flow ERP Fusion AI Engine At the Novacura booth, we demonstrated that the bridge between “Industrial AI” and “Operational Reality” doesn’t have to be built with manual code. We were thrilled to unveil the Flow ERP Fusion AI Engine. This domain-optimized engine is designed specifically for the IFS Cloud API. It allows technical teams to describe complex workflows in plain language, which the engine then instantly converts into functional FlowScripts and OData integrations. By acting as a consultative layer, this engine removes the traditional manual heavy lifting from the development cycle. It allows you to: Keep the IFS Core “Clean”: Replace modifications with low-code apps to make Cloud upgrades smoother. Move at Market Speed: Orchestrate flows instead of coding point-to-point integrations. Empower the “Blue-Collar” Workforce: Build role-based mobile apps for the warehouse and production floor that technicians actually like using. A Local Presence with Global Insight It was a privilege to have our Nordic leadership, including Östen Westman (Sales Director Business Solutions Nordics) and Fredrik Rosendahl (Sales Director), on-site to discuss these strategies. Whether the conversations centered on navigating an IFS Cloud upgrade or optimizing an existing AMS strategy, the consensus was clear: the future of ERP is not just maintenance – it is evolution. For those who stopped by to discuss the future of low-code (and to pick up our signature LEGO gift), we thank you for the insightful dialogue. If you missed us in Gothenburg but are ready to explore how a process-optimizing low-code layer can accelerate your own Industrial AI journey, the door is always open. Let’s bridge the gap between your ERP and your operational reality.

The Infor M3 ecosystem is evolving rapidly, demanding a delicate balance between robust core ERP stability and rapid frontline adaptability. On April 15–16, 2026, the local and international M3 community converged at the LEGOLAND Hotel & Conference in Billund for the M3 User Group Denmark Conference 2026. As one of the premier M3 events in Denmark, it brought together approximately 150 users, system experts, and industry leaders for two intensive days focused on knowledge sharing, peer networking, and the future of digital transformation. For Novacura, the conference provided the perfect forum to address the most pressing question facing asset-intensive businesses today: How do you eliminate the operational disconnect between your central ERP and your daily floor operations? The ERP Execution Gap in Modern Logistics and Manufacturing Many manufacturing, distribution, and logistics enterprises run their core processes on Infor M3. It is a powerful engine for managing complex enterprise data. However, a significant business inefficiency often arises right at the edge of the system—where the digital data must interact with physical execution. Whether a company is navigating a highly strategic migration to M3 CloudSuite or pushing to extract maximum performance from an established on-premise installation, the “ERP execution gap” remains a persistent threat. Standard ERP user interfaces and rigid out-of-the-box workflows can overwhelm floor operators, leading to manual workarounds, delayed production reporting, and degraded supply chain visibility. When data input lags behind physical movement, operational KPIs suffer. To stay competitive, organizations cannot afford a disconnected workforce; they need an agile layer that translates ERP complexity into streamlined, error-free execution. Novacura Flow as the Factory’s “Nervous System” At our distinct blue booth in Billund, Novacura demonstrated exactly how to bridge this gap. Rather than relying on conceptual slides, we brought a physical solution to life: the Novacura Full LEGO Factory. This fully operational, small-scale model served as a concrete demonstration of how Novacura Flow orchestrates every aspect of a production facility. Visitors watched in real time as the low-code platform managed tasks ranging from inbound logistics to shop-floor production reporting, feeding critical updates instantly back into the ERP environment. By acting as the functional “nervous system” of Infor M3, Novacura Flow ensures that physical actions on the warehouse or factory floor trigger immediate, automated digital updates. It replaces rigid data entry with intuitive, mobile-first workflows designed around the user’s specific daily tasks. And, fittingly for an event hosted in the birthplace of the iconic building block, visitors who stopped by to see the factory model left with a small LEGO gift to take home. Meet the Experts: Designing Your Digital Roadmap The core value of the M3UG Denmark Conference lies in strategic dialogue. Our onsite team spent two days engaging with operations and IT managers to help them evaluate their technology roadmaps: Helle Mering, Regional Manager for Continental Europe Mattias Nydestam, Senior M3 Consultant The consultations focused heavily on how to achieve digital transformation without introducing risk. For companies planning a transition to M3 CloudSuite, our experts discussed how Novacura Flow protects custom logic, allowing businesses to migrate the core ERP cleanly while keeping […]