Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems saw rapid growth in the early 1990s. With recent efforts to integrate mobile devices with ERP systems it now covers more functions and roles. Cloud-based ERP systems have become more prominent due to ease of access. Its profound effects in financial accounting, Management accounting, HR, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management have led to widespread adoption by the industries. Pat Garrehy, Founder & CEO, Rootstock with an extensive background as a software architect and engineer and over 30 years of management, sales, and technical experience had seen too many manufacturers and distributors, while moving the computer operations to the cloud, lacked an overall cloud strategy. As a result, they would end up with various cloud-based point solutions, deploying multiple cloud applications on different cloud platforms, and then try to tie them all together with expensive and difficult to manage “middleware”. Worst of all, the databases remain separated, making reporting and analytics more difficult. Concepts like the “360-degree customer view” and the “single version of the truth” become difficult to attain. Furthermore, cloud applications, such as CRM, HR, finance, and operations, have crept into companies residing on different cloud platforms, usually on a department-by-department basis. Many companies have allowed departments or functional leads to deploy a mixture of cloud applications. In effect, they have created their own bolted together monster.
An idea that changed the industry
It was in 2008 when Rootstock started with a revolutionary idea. The Rootstock name came from the fact that when a vine joins a proven rootstock, it gains stability, resilience, and fruitful growth. The founders envisioned a similar mission when they started the cloud ERP company: to enable manufacturers to leverage a functional business system and the knowledge of the vendor’s seasoned people. The Rootstock software enables companies to become stronger, more efficient, and more resilient to market dynamics, and well-positioned for profits and growth.
Based in San Ramon, California, Rootstock has six more offices around the world. With the motto, “To create, deliver and support powerful, nimble, reliable, and connected solutions to help clients elevate the total performance of their operations.” they are bringing unparalleled experience in building, delivering, and supporting comprehensive best of breed solutions for the industries they cater. Rootstock Software is a worldwide provider of cloud ERP on the Salesforce Platform, which when combined with Salesforce CRM, offers manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain companies a single platform to grow and manage their businesses effectively. Rootstock’s cloud-based ERP is a flexible, modern, and digitally connected system that transforms enterprises. Its unique approach equips the companies with a technological advantage that ensures they deliver a more personalized customer experience, efficiently scale operations, and out-service the competition.
“Combining CRM and ERP on one platform goes a long way to solving the majority of the problem. This is a particularly beneficial strategy for the manufacturing sector to optimize forecasting and more seamlessly share sales and production information.”
State of the Art Solutions for Modern Challenges
Increasing population, growing demands, new hubs of manufacturing, emerging players, and changing trends bring unique challenges which require innovative solutions. The Rootstock cloud ERP for manufacturers is designed to meet these modern challenges by addressing varied modes of manufacturing, including Make to Order (MTO), Make to Stock (MTS), Engineer to Order (ETO), Configure to Order (CTO), Project-Based Manufacturing and Hybrid Manufacturing For its part, the Rootstock Cloud ERP for Distributors supports the requirements of Ship from Stock, Configure/Kit to Order, Prebuilt Kits and Special Orders. Although there does exist a multitude of cloud-based technologies which can replace legacy solutions, companies need to be cautious while deploying cloud strategy. Cutting-edge technology such as analytics, IoT, and AI, are more complicated to implement and integrate when doing so across disparate clouds. Here Rootstock cloud ERP offers the solutions by eliminating the gap between ERP and CRM to become a more customer-centric and agile company, users get complete visibility of all their customer interactions and understand their business from end to end. Pat says, “Combining CRM and ERP on one platform goes a long way to solving the majority of the problem. This is a particularly beneficial strategy for the manufacturing sector to optimize forecasting and more seamlessly share sales and production information.”
As CEO, Pat was able to apply his extensive background to the development of Rootstock’s nimble and powerful cloud-based (SaaS) solution, along with setting the company’s strategic direction and providing overall leadership for the entire management team. They gained immensely from being a first-mover providing complete and comprehensive ERP capabilities deployed in a cloud environment. After years of being held hostage by hardware manufactures and internal IT organizations, they were convinced that cloud environment would be the future and will be adopted as mainstream and benefited from making the move to a pure-play cloud solution. Their adoption of the salesforce platform also proved to be an amazing choice as their required a public cloud platform that would support the demands of a robust ERP that can replace legacy on-premise ERP.
Triumphs: Present & Future Projections
Rootstock currently serves about 200 primarily business customers across North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Its solution now supports several languages and clients in 20+ countries. They believe that with continued acceptance of cloud solutions and realization that internal IT infrastructure is not a necessity in modern IT solutions. Their strategies to use this to their advantage are reflected in one of their customer’s responses: “We’ve got a strong footprint globally with med device customers and a couple of pharma and health and life sciences customers as well. We’ve got probably about 15 plus of these customers now. We also have 10+ customers that are in cannabis. And a lot of those come into the pharmaceutical side of cannabis as well, if they’re selling medical-grade cannabis. So, they have the same requirements. Those are two areas that we’ve seen that are providing pretty good growth. We do continue towards improving products along these lines as well. We see a wide-open market for an FDA compliant ERP at a superstructure level, delivering a certified update program or path for our customers.” The company’s other notable clients include Boston Dynamics (Hyundai), Cargill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Matouk textiles, and Burlington Medical.
Rootstock’s driving force is its commitment to excellence and integrity of its products and service to its customers. With the motivation to solve tough issues for their clients their team is comprised of some of the best in the industry who continuously endeavor to satisfy the client’s requirements with creative solutions. Their capabilities were on full display during the covid-19 pandemic as their solutions allowed their customers to continue their businesses through the pandemic by delivering powerful manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain solutions enhanced by capabilities made possible only by the nimble nature of cloud environments. One of the biggest advantages of using Rootstock is its configurable, scalable, and adaptable abilities which provide customers with the flexibility they need to accommodate any workflow, add new capabilities, and quickly address changing requirements dictated by changes in their supply chains. Rootstock continues to expand the depth and breadth of solutions for the industries. Rootstock is also a proud supporter of Climate Vault, a non-profit organization that is tackling the climate crisis and joins a community of sustainability leaders committed to real climate change solutions which is a testament to their commitment towards giving back.
