Spring is in the air, and with it comes Infor’s highly anticipated April Cumulative Update (CU) the first of two major releases this year packed with new features, enhancements, and quality-of-life improvements.
For Infor CloudSuite users, these updates present a valuable opportunity to refine processes, boost efficiency, and take advantage of extended functionality. However, with so many changes rolled out at once, keeping up can feel overwhelming, especially for teams that may not have the time or resources to dive into every detail.
That’s where we come in. We’ve combed through the latest supply chain management (SCM) updates to highlight the most impactful changes and features to keep on your radar, ensuring you can focus on what truly matters. And with only a few weeks until the April 26 rollout, now is the time to get caught up.
Let’s break down what’s new and how these enhancements can strengthen your supply chain operations.
1. Stay Ahead of Expirations with the New Expired Item Dashboard
First up, is the new Expired Items Dashboard. For organizations managing time-sensitive inventory, expired supplies can lead to unnecessary waste, compliance risks, and financial loss. That’s why Infor’s new Expired Items Dashboard is a game-changer for healthcare providers, labs, and any business handling perishable or regulated items.
Available through the Inventory Manager role, this web-based dashboard provides real-time insights into expiring and expired inventory across your organization. This clear, intuitive view helps teams:
- Identify expired items by location to prevent accidental use
- Track historical trends to pinpoint recurring waste issues
- Analyze associated items to optimize purchasing and stocking decisions
- Monitor total expired value and percentage expired to assess financial impact
- Stay proactive with alerts on approaching expirations to reduce waste
With this enhanced visibility, organizations can improve inventory control, reduce financial loss, and ensure critical supplies remain safe and effective for use.
This tool is especially beneficial for businesses dealing with high volumes of short shelf-life products, helping them stay compliant and cost-efficient.
2. Streamlined Rush Orders with the New Delivery Method Field
For organizations that frequently struggle to submit timely orders, the manual process of flagging rush purchases, adding comments to purchase orders (POs), making follow-up calls, and hoping the message gets through, has been a persistent pain point.
The April CU solves this with the new Delivery Method Field. With this solution, it’s now easier than ever to communicate urgency and streamline procurement workflows.
Here’s how it works:
- Clear rush order identification: No more relying on manual comments or follow-up calls. The Delivery Method Field is now embedded directly in requisition line defaults and PO headers, ensuring urgency is clearly marked from the start.
- Fewer steps: By replacing phone calls and manual tracking with the dedicated Delivery Method Field, teams can focus on fulfilling critical needs faster, without worrying about whether their rush orders were received and prioritized. Rush order details will also show on IDM documents for PO, requisition and requisition line. This enhancement simplifies the steps involved in obtaining rush orders and as result accelerates the turnaround time. No more workarounds, just a seamless, reliable process for getting critical supplies when you need them.
- Automatic vendor communication: Delivery method data is now included in PO EDI output (850 transactions), meaning suppliers receive shipping instructions electronically, as a result reducing miscommunication and delays. In addition, 850 mapping will create a TD5 segment at the header level and will be mapped to the twelfth element (TD512). It’s important to note that you will need to coordinate with your supplier to agree on the delivery codes they will accept, of which the following will be available:
3. Strategic Decision-Making with Role-Based Workspaces
This coming April 2025 CU, Infor introduces two new role-based workspaces that provide supply chain leaders and EDI administrators with deeper insights, making it easier to access real-time data, monitor key metrics, and address urgent issues, without digging through menus or running manual reports.
Here’s a closer look at each new role-based workspace.
- EDI administrator workspace: A brand-new, role-based workspace designed to streamline EDI transaction monitoring. This dashboard provides instant visibility into EDI exceptions, allowing administrators to quickly identify, troubleshoot, and resolve errors before they disrupt supply chain operations.
- Supply chain VP workspace: This supply chain workspace brings to a single place, deeper insights into supplier performance, inventory value, vendor spend, stock status, stockouts by location, turn rates, and backorders. Gone are the days of having to menu-surf to find critical data. Now, key supply chain analytics are available at a glance.
Workspace enhancements are part of Infor’s greater goal to personalize the software experience based on functional area, industry, and role.
So, if you haven’t explored the workspaces, now it would be a great time to get started. Plus, Infor continues to refine the customization of these spaces, making it more user-friendly and configurable.
Additional SCM Applications to Keep on your Radar
The three aforementioned SCM features are definitely worth checking out, but there are a handful of other applications to explore this coming update.
For example, there has been a lot of buzz and excitement around Requisition Self-Service (RSS) and Mobile Supply Chain Management (MSCM) over the last few months.
RSS and MSCM are available but with limited capacity. However, certain factors may impact your ability to transition right now. Below, we outline key considerations before moving forward.
MSCM in Landmark
MSCM is being rewritten in Landmark Pattern Language (LPL) to bring it into a unified system architecture that will enhance reporting capabilities, eliminate redundancies, and allow for personalization using Configuration Console.
While this exciting update comes with many advantages, not all functionalities will be available this April.
For example, organizations relying on digital scanning of packing slips or using handheld devices for inventory adjustments and issues may find that these functions are not yet supported.
We strongly encourage you to review the Infor U training on this topic and to reach out to RPI Consultants to assist you with your move to MSCM LPL.
Enhanced Requisition Self-Service LPL Functionality
Although the ability to transition to LPL for RSS was first introduced in the 2024 October CU, continuous improvements have significantly enhanced its functionality since.
As part of the April release, updates to the application will allow the legacy hand-coded RSS to be replaced with the LPL-based version on a user-by-user basis. RSS LPL aligns with Infor FSM’s look and feel, providing a more intuitive and consistent user experience.
Beyond a unified requisition interface, the latest version of RSS also includes increased configurability. As such, organizations can now personalize or configure RSS using Configuration Console, adding custom fields, adjusting workflows, and tailoring requisition forms without complex coding.
With RSS, Infor has created a more adaptable and user-friendly procurement experience, allowing businesses to better align their requisition processes with their operational needs.
Maximize Infor SCM with RPI
The April CU demonstrates Infor’s commitment to refining supply chain management through deeper integration, greater flexibility, and improved usability. While some features still require further development, the overall direction promises a more seamless and efficient SCM experience.
As your business prepares for the release, it’s important to assess your supply chain needs and goals.
At RPI Consultants, we understand that new features are only as valuable as their effective implementation and user adoption. Our team of Infor experts is here to help you assess your system requirements, evaluate future state options, and help you determine a timeline for implementing and adopting these enhancements.
Through tailored training sessions and change management strategies, we can help your team quickly adapt to new functionalities, minimizing disruptions. We’ll also ensure these new features are configured to align with your unique business processes to maximize their impact.
With over 25 years’ experience helping organizations achieve successful Lawson and Infor ERP outcomes, we’ll help you get the most out of your Infor CloudSuite investment.
To find out more about April’s CU update, whether regarding your supply chain or another functional area, contact us below.
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