Issues in multinational ERP implementation

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have been credited with providing competitive advantage in multinational business operations, to include supply chains. Multinational implementations of ERP involve added complexity. This paper uses case studies and other reports of multinational ERP implementation to identify implementation factors of importance. Four technical factors were identified (business process reengineering, federalism and customisation, supply chain features and outsourcing). Additionally, more general issues were compared (culture/language, management style, political factors and labour skills). Multinational ERP implementations radically change organisational information systems. Careful planning of how to implement ERP systems is needed in multinational environments in order to identify the best ERP design and the best redesign of business processes.