Epicor Kinetic for Manufacturing, Autumn Release 2022

Latest Release of Epicor Kinetic for Manufacturing Delivers New Industry Features and Connected Services

Released by Epicor: Austin, TXOctober 20, 2022

Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today introduced a variety of features in its Fall 2022 release for Epicor Kinetic for Manufacturing, part of the Epicor Industry ERP Cloud portfolio. The updates will help manufacturers better compete with deep industry-specific functionality, connected services to integrate and optimise workflows, and deliver a smoother user experience journey.

“Now more than ever, manufacturers need people-centric, open, and connected technologies to gain visibility across their business and optimise supply chain processes,” said Vaibhav Vohra, Chief Product Officer at Epicor. “The latest release of Epicor Kinetic empowers our customers with a variety of fit-for-purpose features and integrations that deliver on that, helping them grow their business and compete in today’s global marketplace.”

New capabilities across the latest release of Epicor Kinetic for Manufacturing include:

Deep Industry-Specific Functionality

  • The ability to track inventory by part and revision allows customers to reduce part number maintenance time, ensure component compatibility, and have full visibility into inventory segmentation
  • Improved API connection between Epicor Kinetic and Epicor Advanced MES that includes passing of Downtime and Scrap codes
  • Embedded electronic signature capability that can be used with Business Process Management (BPM) on any business object to support compliance and quality management needs
  • Enhancements to fulfilment improve visibility of Make-to-Orders, streamlining the release of sales orders to picking
  • Improved financial reporting capabilities, aligning the Procurement to pay trackers and GL reporting showing valuable data that will help customers easily reconcile their data across different areas

Connected Services to Optimise Workflows

  • Epicor Commerce Connect customers can rate shop at checkout by pulling the best freight rates from Quick Ship, eliminating the need to maintain shipping rates in both applications
  • Deeper integration between Epicor Kinetic and Epicor CPQ, including new features such as 3D Sketch & Extrude and a MoM Viewer Widget to view MoM calculations in real-time while users are configuring

Smoother User Experience Journey

  • Built to engage employees across the enterprise with a digital messaging and notification engine
  • Enhanced collaboration offers an optimised mobile experience

For more information on the latest release of Epicor Kinetic, get in touch.

Contact

Paul Egan

Paul.egan@asperasolutions.com

 

Epicor Industry Insights Report 2022

Key Findings of the Epicor 2022 Industry Insights Report

What do companies really need from their ERP partnerships?

In 2022 Epicor asked 1,350 technology decision makers (principally in manufacturing & distribution in the USA & UK) about their cloud ERP.

  1. How satisfied were they with their current situation?
  2. What would they look for in a new solution?
  3. How was their ERP journey as customers and how could their experience be improved at every  stage—from first contact through evaluation, onboarding, go-live, and ongoing support.
  4. Finally, how do they feel about their transition to cloud technology? What’s important to them, and how can partners accelerate value at every stage of the journey.

This report details their answers.

Read the full report here.

Read the Andy Coussins, SVP & Head of Epicor International, interview with ERPNews, here.

Epicor – The Powerhouse Behind the Scuderia Alphatauri Powertrain

“Any technical Partnership is crucial for us and especially the partnership with Epicor. 

Because nowadays, Epicor manages the team”.

 

Franz Tost, Team Principal
Scuderia Alphatauri

“The main improvements are the communication, the time saving and at the end the performance, because people aren’t spending time entering the data into they system or to look for the data within the company.

So at the end we gained a very good team performance using Epicor kinetic software”.

Giovani Cattarina, ERP Engineer
Scuderia Alphatauri

“For sure you can see a better performance in the car. More parts in a shorter time, with more reliable data”.

Simone Balilla, Production Planning Manager,
Scuderia Alphatauri

Part 3: BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL ERP BUSINESS CASE – (3 of 3)

In this third and final instalment of “Building a Successful ERP Business Case in 3 Key Steps” we’re finally sharpening our pencils and getting to the nib of the issue.

What info to include in your report to successfully ‘green light’ your ERP project!

Note: In part one of this blog series we spoke about the importance of completing the right kind of homework before putting your ERP business case before a decision committee. The primary take-away from this step was to stop generalising about the results of an ERP project and get really specific about its impact on your company. 

Part two, highlighted the importance of identifying at least one ERP champion on the decision committee that will advocate for your project behind the scenes. The key take-away here is to solve your champions pain points with ERP, and then furnish them with all the details and company specific anecdotes they’ll need to advocate on the projects behalf during the decision making process.

See links below to Step 1 & 2 in case you missed them.

Building An ERP Biz Case: Step 1
Building An ERP Biz Case: Step 2

STEP 3: Craft Your ERP Project Case Correctly

Once you’ve done the right kind of research and established your ‘champion’, it’s time to concentrate on crafting your ERP business case / proposal.

The key thing here is to remember your audience, be succinct, and focus on answering one fundamental question – Why Now?

Time and time again, companies decide to stall an ERP implementation because of the imbalance between what they know, versus what they don’t. They know it’s a risk. They know it’s going to be costly. They also know that it’s going to take months of work. 

What they don’t know is whether the rewards will be worth it!

So, admit that there are concerns. Address the anticipated risks (ROI timing / operational disruption / 3rd party integration/ security / etc.), and counterbalance each risk with details on the return.

Articulate the rewards by bullet pointing specific reasons why the project is needed NOW.

For example:

  • We’re all drowning in spreadsheets. It’s causing errors and wasting valuable time (cite examples/facts/figures). With ERP all key data would automatically be pulled through our systems, eradicating the need for spreadsheets and duplication of efforts.

  • The current system is preventing scale and growth. Last month we had to turn away a project because we couldn’t fulfil it. ERP will allow us to improve decision making, giving us visibility on stock flow and labour costs that we currently don’t have.

  • Poor data flow between departments is causing errors (cite examples) and costing the company money (again, examples!).

  • Current [named] competitors/suppliers have the edge over us because….,

  • Customers are sourcing elsewhere because…insert specific facts/examples.,

Clearly answer the ‘What Does Our Company Gain?’ question. 

Cite specific improvements / value that will be delivered through ERP and (again) remember to include specific facts / figures for your company wherever possible.

Examples:

  • We’ll have more competitive advantage because…

  • We will be able to offer more services such as…

  • Decision making will improve because we will have real time information on stock levels, x, y, & z.

  • By getting things right 1st time, every time, we’ll decrease costs, improve customer satisfaction &… etc.

  • An integrated business system will provide us with new operational capabilities to…. (include specific examples).

Next, include baseline information around the potential solutions you’ve identified, but don’t make the mistake of prioritising solution specifications over the reasons WHY you need the solution in the first place.

Taking up your audience’s valuable time with an overload of data on the differences between Epicor V’s SAP V’s NetSuite V’s whatever, will only serve to confuse and augment perceived risk at this early stage of the process.


Answer
the
Question
-

What
Does
Your
Company
Gain?

So, with all that said, inclusions in your ERP business case should include:

  1. Why [insert company name] Needs ERP Now

    Summary of why the lack of ERP is hindering current process and future growth.

  2. Internal & External Factors Driving the need for ERP

    Specific, data driven commentary on both the internal and external factors /pain points driving the need for ERP.

  3. What [insert company name] will Specifically Gain from ERP

    Scope out the project requirements and develop a data driven list of how ERP will improve your company’s specific operations, increase sales channels, improve supplier & customer relationships, and reduce CAPEX / OPEX in the long term.

    Take care to include improvements that will resonate with each stakeholder and decision maker.

  4. Solution Options

    Briefly outline your top 3 – 5 ERP solution offerings. Cite the pro’s and con’s of each solution when set against your core requirements, and include ballpark upfront, recurring and TCO cost estimations.


    Don’t get bogged down in technical data (include this in the document appendix if required) or cut and paste information from the vendors website or sales collateral. Technical data and sales spiel will only serve to clog your plan with information that’s irrelevant to this stage of the process.

    Think about ranking each solution against the same set of criteria so that you, and your audience, can easily discern differences. Make sure to rank for costs, core, and bonus functionality, references, support, and the providers local or global reach (as this will be important as your company grows).

  1. Next Steps

    List the steps needed to drive the project forward and make sure to include a proposed timeline. (Note: I’ll be posting a blog soon with recommendations on this) 

  1. Why Now (Conclusion)

    Conclude with a detailed list of the improvements and benefits that the ERP implementation will have on the company, making sure to include a short-medium-long term timeline, and improvements within each of your stakeholder functions. 
  1. Appendix
    To include your research sources, solution specifics, etc.

Written by Leeann Matthews, June 2022

Step 1: Start with the Right Kind of Homework
Step 2: Gather Your Champions
Step 3: Craft Your Case Correctly
Contact Aspera For More Information

Part 1: BUILD A SUCCESSFUL ERP BUSINESS CASE IN 3 KEY STEPS

If you are struggling to get budget for an ERP project within your company, read on.

This 3 part blog series cites key advice that has proved successful for your peers, irrespective of whether you work in the manufacturing or distribution sector.

Over the years, I’ve had countless conversations with managers that need ERP in their business but can’t get a project off the ground.

Interestingly, it’s not usually the cost of a project that is stalling progress, most ERP projects get benched because of deficiency in two primary areas – stakeholder buy-in, and time.

Simply put, if those with the power to green light an ERP project don’t understand the company-wide value of it, you will never get budget. And, if you can’t articulate why now is the perfect time to start, decision makers will keep kicking that ‘can’ down the road, letting other priorities override progression on a project that you know would positively transform the company.

If that sounds familiar, and you’re keen to learn ways to overcome these issues and get the green light on your ERP project, read on. This blog series cites the 3 key things you need to do in order to build a successful ERP business case.

Step 1 (below): Start with the Right Kind of Homework

Step 2: Gather Your Champions!

Step 3: Craft Your ERP Business Case Correctly

Lets get started. 

STEP 1: Start with the Right Kind of Homework

Writing a business case that states you want to implement ERP in order to boost productivity / automate tasks / decrease costs / etc., simply doesn’t cut it anymore.

These terms are bandied around so frequently that they’ve become generic ‘noise’.

To put it bluntly; you could state, “we need to implement ERP to boost productivity, drive efficiencies, and increase competitive advantage”, but your decision-making audience only hears “yada, yada, everyone wants budget for the same thing, yada!”.

To overcome this, stop generalising about the results of an ERP project and get really specific about its impact on your company.

Take time to identify and list all the areas of the business that will be affected by an ERP implementation (finance, operations, manufacturing, warehousing, etc.).

Identify the key people in these areas (i.e., the people that the business can’t afford to lose), and then put your investigative hat on in order to gather details from them about:

  1. Their specific pain points & bottlenecks (including facts and figures wherever possible),
  2. What they’ve heard competitors are doing better,
  3. What improvements they know customers/suppliers are looking for, and
  4. What they’d love to automate in order to make their everyday job more enjoyable/easier/more productive.

This information is golden for two reasons. Firstly, its coming directly from key staff that are integral to the business. And secondly, it relates specifically to your company and its current operations, so decision makers can’t ignore its impact or pretend that the information doesn’t relate directly back to the bottom line.

For added impact, consider compiling a short video (simply taken with your phone) showing peoples responses to the question, “What would you most like to automate to make your job easier?”. The visual impact of watching staff / colleagues / friends talking about what would make their life easier is hugely powerful. And humanising the impact of an ERP implementation could go a long way to getting sign off on budget.  

Next, you’ll need to identify at least one champion in senior management (or the Board of Management) that will advocate for your project.

Read STEP 2 of this blog series for tips on how to identify an advocate and get them on-board. 

 

Written By: Leeann Matthews, June 2022
Step 1: Start with the Right Kind of Homework
Step 2: Gather Your Champions
Step 3: Craft Your Case Correctly
Contact Aspera For More Information

Epicor has acquired Data Interchange, a UK-based provider of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Cloud Technologies and Managed Services

Epicor Acquires EDI Provider Data Interchange, Expanding Global Reach in Helping Customers Drive Value in the Supply Chain

Austin, TXJune 07, 2022

Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced it has acquired Data Interchange, a UK-based provider of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) cloud technologies and managed services. The Data Interchange acquisition expands the reach of Epicor in European markets and adds to the company’s portfolio of B2B integration technologies, empowering customers to connect businesses and trading partners, increase efficiency, and drive value in the supply chain. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“The future of EDI is about creating more flexible and transparent supply chains that can seamlessly accommodate a wide range of inputs while ensuring automated and controllable outcomes,” said Epicor CEO Steve Murphy. “The Data Interchange acquisition gives Epicor customers an even more powerful set of cloud-based EDI solutions to streamline supply chain collaboration, simplify processes, and make data-driven decisions to identify trends and opportunities.”

As companies, particularly across European markets, manage increasing requirements for data integration across B2B supply chains, they are challenged in navigating the complexities of trading partner compliance, communications protocols, and local language support.

Data Interchange’s B2B integration solutions – including the company’s DiNet global EDI Network, Odex B2B communications platform, Darwin order processing solution, and XE EDI mapping tool – will help Epicor customers streamline their supply chain strategies, providing a single-source of truth to more closely manage supplier relationships, automate business processes, and plan for changing business needs. That includes support for European market protocols and standards such as OFTP2, EDIFACT, VDA, TRADACOMS and PEPPOL.

“Our goal at Data Interchange has always been to streamline the way EDI is delivered and presented to our customers and partners,” said Data Interchange CEO Andrew Filby. “By joining with Epicor, we’re extending our mission to help companies drive positive business outcomes by simplifying every stage of their EDI journey.”

Backed by more than 30 years of experience, Data Interchange pioneers the technology underpinning the world’s most complex supply chains with fast, accurate data exchange. A deep and experienced team and partner channel with specialists across Europe help customers in automotive, manufacturing, retail and logistics sectors optimise supply chains and trading processes, with an innovative product and services portfolio that helps customers improve their business operations.

See www.epicor.com for further details

Join Aspera as it Demo’s Epicor Kinetic at the ERP HeadtoHead March 8-10th

If an ERP project is on your radar for 2022, then the virtual ERP HeadtoHead event (March 8th-10th, 2022) should be on your radar.


At the event, Aspera Solutions will demonstrate Epicor Kinetic ERP and Epicor Prophet 21 (for distributors), alongside 13 other vendors via 28 live ERP product demo’s. It’s the perfect opportunity to compare solutions and their potential fit to your organisation.

If you are interested in attending, feel free to use the promo code ‘AsperaDiscount2022’ to receive a 20% discount on the cost of attendance (normally £75 per person).

Find out more, and register directly with the event organisers at
https://erpheadtohead.com/uk

Not sure if Epicor should be on your radar as an ERP Solution? The answer is YES, if:

  • You’re a manufacturer, distributor or services company with 100+ employees.
  • You’re looking for a vendor that provides solutions on premise, or in the cloud.
  • You want an experienced solution, that understands the nuances and needs of your specific industry.
  • You want a modern solution with remote working options, integrated social-network-style communication, automations and easier data workflow.
  • You want to work with a skilled, local implementation partner with excellent support and dedication to project success.


Leeann Matthews
Aspera Solutions

Mobile: +353 (0)86  852 8757
Landline: +353 (0)1 461 1708

Tips For Choosing an ERP Vendor – Part 1 – Narrowing Down Your Options

If you’re in the market for an ERP solution in 2022, I expect Google Search has become an ‘old friend’!

What are the pro’s and con’s of various solutions? What solutions best suit your type of business? What are the current innovations in ERP that could transform your business?

Whatever questions you’re asking, your first task is to identify what ERP solutions best suit your business. To help you along the way, we’ve compiled Aspera & Epicor’s top tips for narrowing down your ERP potentials vendor list:

  1. Start with Analyst Research
  2. Learn from Peers / Competitors – especially those in similar industries
  3. Identify your individual companies needs

1) Analyst research

ERP industry analysts like Gartner, Forrester, IDC, etc.  provide a reliable and objective analysis of ERP vendors and products. They’re plugged into the current trends and future projections of the industry, and they can provide valuable insights and unbiased opinions that you won’t get from prospective vendors. They’re also trusted names within the ERP industry, and their data is often featured or cited in publications and other studies.

An example would be Gartner’s 2021 iteration of their annual report—“Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Midsize Enterprises”—in which they placed Epicor Software in the “Visionary” quadrant. This position is based on a full evaluation of Epicor’s global ERP solution—Kinetic. The Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP focuses on ERP systems that are offered in a cloud services application deployment. It covers midsize enterprises across all geographies with an annual revenue between approximately $50 million and $1 billion USD.

While it’s a smart move to take analyst opinions and data into account, relying solely on them may not yield the best choice in cloud ERP for your business. Say, for example, you’re looking for the best cloud ERP system for your discrete manufacturing business. Maybe you have one or two locations, but you don’t have the infrastructure in place to support some of the more robust software solutions used by large national or international companies. An industry study will likely not narrow its focus to something for your specific needs—they’ll likely evaluate all cloud ERP systems instead of just the cross-section of software that’s a good fit for your business. Analyst lists are great for thinning out the herd, but you shouldn’t stop your search there, thats why it’s important to investigate what your competitors / peers are using.

2) Learn from Peers / Competitors

Once you’ve looked at ERP analyst reports, it’s time to see what others in your industry are saying. Getting customer references from your peers is essential, because they can tell you what software they’re using and why they selected it, as well as give honest feedback on their experience. Speaking with users in your industry helps you learn the details of how existing or desired functionality might be handled or improved by the new system. Going back to our previous example, it’s important to reach out to other small-to-midsize discrete manufacturers to find out what they’re using. Find out what they like, what they don’t like, what works, and what doesn’t.

Seeking out analyst reports and peer recommendations will provide valuable perspectives, but when it comes to choosing the best cloud ERP system, your own organisational needs and growth objectives should ultimately guide your decision.

3) Understand Your Organisation’s Unique Criteria

Ultimately, the best cloud ERP system is the one that fits your business. You have to assess your business needs and define certain criteria that only exist for your organisation or line of work.

For example, manufacturers might require an integrated whiteboard-style production scheduling application that allows production planners to do their job within the ERP system, instead of settling for disconnected spreadsheets. 

Retailers might require a solution that offers them real-time visibility into their inventory and provides a mobile point of sale (POS) system.  It’s also paramount to choose retail management software that offers an eCommerce solution.

Distributors need to look for a software system that offers front counter functionality that can automatically enter customer order information—eliminating manual processes and rekeying errors. 

These are just a couple of examples, but the point remains the same—find a cloud ERP system that fits the way you do business. 

Gather representation from every aspect of the business that will be affected by the new solution. Together, note what works well within your organisation and what needs improvement. Make a list of requirements and determine whether or not these requirements are ‘need to have’ or ‘nice to have’ elements and use this to narrow down your vendor list.

Once you’ve identified your preferred vendor list, the next step is to assess their commonalities, advantages and disadvantages.  Aspera recommends pitching the same questions to each vendor so that it is easier to make comparisons & we’ll cover that in part 2 of this blog.

Contact Aspera Solutions for clarification / support.  

 

 

 

Please note that elements of this piece are attributable to Epicor  – How to Choose the Best Cloud ERP Software

Epicor/SecturaSoft to Deliver Estimating and Quoting Tool for Manufacturers

Epicor partners with SecturaSoft
Sept 14th 2021
 

Epicor Software Corp., a provider of industry-specific enterprise software, has announced a strategic independent software vendor (ISV) partnership with SecturaSoft, a developer of web-based applications for the metal fabrication industry.

The partnership will deliver SecturaFAB—an estimating and quoting tool for manufacturers—as a direct integration, providing a one-stop shop for existing and prospective Kinetic clients.

The automated estimating and quoting process allows operations managers to streamline multiple processes to help increase shop throughput and speed to quote with the ability to import PDF, 3D, and 2D CAD files; build quotes in seconds rather than days; decrease training time needed by 80%; and increase win rate by up to 40%, according to the company.

Features include nesting estimation, work order integration, 5-axis machining, and Kinetic material integration.

Contact Aspera Solutions for more information.