ALERE
What Is ALERE?
Designed as a general-purpose ERP package, ALERE seeks to solve day-to-day usability issues to allow organizations to run more efficiently. Infinitely flexible, with high levels of process automation and a user-friendly interface, ALERE provides a means to monitor an organization's workflows in real-time to provide the best possible data for decision-making while minimizing redundant data entry. ALERE's manufacturing and inventory toolsets are second to none in the industry.
Who Uses ALERE?
Discrete make-to-order, make-to-stock, and mixed-mode manufacturing companies. Organizations that require high levels of oversight for inventory levels, traceability, and cost for conformance.
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Reviews of ALERE
Jay
An Accounting/ERP package that should be considered in your next search.
Comments: Alere has a robust accounting package. From that, Alere can be expanded to support distributors, job shops, make to order, engineer to order, make to stock facilities. A company can grow and expand its usage while staying on the same platform.
Pros:
Alere is a mature and well-established product which continues to adapt to new technology to support the needs of today's customers.A benefit of its development process is a continual emphasis on refactoring the basic architecture. So, the user interface is rich and powerful, and all modules utilize that same interface. Cross-training benefits from this intuitive interface.TIW provides a conversion program to convert from multiple other software packages, such as Quickbooks, SBT Pro, and others. This is a rather full conversion process which allows a VAR to complete a conversion over a long weekend. On Thursday, staff works on the old platform. On Monday, staff works on Alere.Alere is one product/one platform. The base is a robust accounting package. From that, additional modules can be added to provide additional functionality, only as needed, for kitting, distribution, bills of material, full manufacturing. So, as a company's needs change and grow, Alere will grow with it without needing to change platforms.Alere offers integration with Shopify and TaxJar which ease tax management and easily opens the door to e-Commerce.
Cons:
The interface does represent a traditional data entry format, and doesn't provide a more contemporary interface more typical of web interfaces which represent user process. However, the architecture is largely open, data is accessible, and such interfaces could easily be customized.
Melissa
New User
Comments: Everyone is able to find out information through the system, instead of constantly asking if an order has been placed. There are less errors with duplicate orders because of the warnings. On my end, setting up the system wasn't as bad as I was imagining it, and the learning curve was short for new users. We are still learning new tricks, but people have picked up the system rather quickly.
Pros:
This software has so many capabilities that we didn't have available in our last software. The ease of finding information is great. We all love being able to have multiple windows up at once.
Cons:
Sometimes the different tabs of the modules can take time to load, and we had some problems with errors and the system freezing up. The most problematic area is mass emailing, currently there is a large work-around to be able to send out mass emails from G-Suite. Also, we would like to be able to input customer information when using the mobility app.
TIW Technology Response
3 years ago
Hi Melissa, Thank you for the feedback. There shouldn't be a large amount of lag time between opening a tab and the feature set of the module loading. If you're experiencing that kind of issue, please let Technical Services know. We'll be happy to take a look at your data to see if it's something we can help rectify within ALERE. I'll be happy to float the idea of integrating with G-Suite past development when we compile the feature-set wish list for the next version. It may also be possible to add that integration as a customization for your organization if desired immediately. If there are other items, or functionality, you would like to see in ALERE as part of the base product, please feel free to email [email protected] with the feature request and we'll investigate it. Thank you again, Tim
Karen
Boyesen, Inc.
Comments: We are very happy with Alere. As well as the fact that it is very user friendly.
Pros:
Alere is very user friendly. Alere can also be configured easily for our needs.
Cons:
Not enough space for customer information without customization
Carla
JX Nippon Mining & Metals review
Comments: The system is very robust and causes no problems. I like working with the staff at TIW too. They are always helpful and offer suggestions when creating custom modifications.
Pros:
The way all the modules interact with each other and are linked are most beneficial. The manufacturing module lets you set up machines with an overhead rate so the cost of the machine is layered onto the cost of the manufactured items. A direct labor rate is used for the labor portion of the costs as well. TIW created custom modifications that make Alere even easier to use for the manufacturing personnel.
Cons:
Sometimes the reports are too lengthy and have too many columns.
Ron
Alere Offers Robust Functionality Reflecting Decades Of Ongoing Development & Improvement
Comments: Alere's publisher, TIW Corp, has provided superb customer service, both to our company as well as directly to our clients. This is definitely a company who understands the importance of timely responses to issues and have always gone out of their way to provide thorough resolutions. Their annual software maintenance is one of the best investments our clients can make and we never hesitate to heartily recommend that our clients stay current in order to take advantage of the new features Alere consistently provides each year.
Pros:
Conative Information Technolgy specializes in providing software that accommodates and streamlines existing business workflow and assisting our clients to accomplish their stated goals and objectives. We often write custom programs that integrate with existing ERP systems. We've worked closely with Alere since the early 90's and have always been impressed with their technical depth and clearly evident commitment to providing software that preserves these custom changes even as their product evolves over time. Their custom development framework is the best we have seen in over 30 years in the business. Our clients have found Alere easy to use and navigate. Due to the design of Alere's library of intelligent objects , integration with other company systems has been accomplished with ease.
Cons:
Since we reside in Canada, we have had to integrate Canadian-specific payroll programs with Alere, but this has never proven to be much of an issue as there are several ways to integrate and analyze the data.
