Re-implementing new software, or even upgrading a system to the latest version may seem like a risky endeavor to most IT executives – why put a company that is “working fine” under the stress of an upgrade?

Let’s look at the return on investment on moving from a typical legacy system, to a modern system like Epicor ERP 10.

A Forrester Total Economic Impact TM Study showed significant productivity savings in invoicing and sales tax administration, and general accounting productivity increases related to creating, processing, and reporting numerous accounting entries using the Epicor ERP 10 Financials (TEI Case Study).  Epicor’s Supply chain suite provided a 15% reduction in average inventory levels, a reduction in headcount, and avoided future hiring associated with supply chain activities.

an image of man considering the cost of doing nothing when it comes to ERP software implementation.

It’s time to upgrade your ERP software and the cost of doing nothing comes at a higher price.

Many people are happy with the software they already have because it just works.  But these people do not know what they are missing out on when they opt out of modern upgrades for their software. For example – in older versions of Epicor, finding data could require navigating through multiple screens, whereas Epicor ERP 10 enjoys the sophisticated Enterprise Search built in, which is like Google for your enterprise.

Laser equipment supplier Access Laser Company recently moved from cloud deployed Epicor ERP 10 to the new version and “The move has been a smooth transition and we are already leveraging the new functionality. We especially like the enhanced Enterprise Search function, which enables us to locate sales orders and other data quickly and easily,” said Andrew Chamberlain, an information technology specialist at Access Laser Company. 

The Cost Of Doing Nothing Comes At A High Price

Concerned about the expense of provisioning hardware for an upgrade?  Leveraging modern Microsoft technologies, deployment for Epicor ERP version 10 will require substantially less (50%) hardware cost compared to earlier Epicor versions, and, of course, the hardware is not needed with SaaS/cloud Epicor ERP.

Once your business is on the latest version of Epicor ERP, whether by implementing it, or upgrading to it, Epicor has made it easier and faster than ever before for customers to take advantage of new release functionality, as evidenced by the hundreds of customers that are already up and running on the newest version of Epicor ERP in the cloud and on premises.

Boers & Co. Fine Metalworking Group, a developer fine mechanical parts, high precision assembly, and sheet metal products, went live on Epicor ERP 10.1 via a process that ICT Manager Jos Greeve characterized as “easy” and “straightforward.”   

“I’d definitely advise customers to upgrade to the latest version of Epicor ERP,” Greeve said. Boers is leveraging new functionality including the powerful new integrated mobile dashboards, which Greeve says are working very well across all mobile devices with good speed and responsiveness, and which are giving Boers the ability to understand vital real-time answers to questions around the status of Jobs, Shipments, Orders, and Shop Floor operations.

Once on the latest release, customers can take advantage of frequent service packs to the software, and, in addition, the ongoing new functionality being added with each new release.  With Epicor’s latest 10.1 release, up to date users have access to more than 300 enhanced features that build on Epicor’s core strengths across key manufacturing and supply chain functionality such as: inventory and material management, purchasing, shipping and receiving, quality assurance, project management and job scheduling, sales and CRM, quoting and order management, to name a few. Chief among these enhancements are expanded global and compliance capabilities. Broadened global capabilities include expanded country-specific functionality to enable companies to operate seamlessly in their geographies of choice. 

“Epicor ERP is architected to flex to easily accommodate and support growth — whether that’s an expanded user base, more product lines, or a broader market or geographic range,” said Malcolm Fox, vice president, product marketing, Epicor. “By providing the right technology, world‐class services and support, and an unwavering focus on driving improved business outcomes, Epicor is helping its customers’ realize their full growth potential.” 

The Cost of Doing Nothing

So what is the cost of doing nothing?  Missing out on swift service packs that can remove day to day headaches. Passing on cutting-edge technology that reduces your hardware footprint (and expenditure) and increases performance.  Losing out on the new functionality your competitors are receiving that will allow your business to compete in today’s ever more challenging environment.

Now is the time for you to stop doing nothing. Encompass is the EPICOR solution your business needs to upgrade or install the tools necessary to stay competitive, cut costs, and increase efficiency. Give us a call today and let’s get started on your next big something!

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.


Kaufman Container is a leading packaging sourcing center in the United States. For the past 100 years, the company has provided packaging components, custom and stock molds, package development, quality assurance, and technical support to a wide range of customers and markets. Kaufman’s capabilities are endless, offering a variety of products including glass, plastic, aluminum, and metal containers, tubes, closures dispensing systems, celon bands, and more. The Kaufman Container Case Study serves to illustrate how operations and process improvements resulted in a 30 percent reduction of overhead costs, thanks to internal teams and the Encompass Solutions implementation staff.

an image of the kaufman container case study illustrating how operations and process improvements resulted in a 30 percent reduction of overhead costs.

 

Prior to their Epicor implementation, Kaufman was running several non-integrated systems, and users were having to do each other’s jobs—for example, if inventory was needed for a job and one of the systems stated there was inventory on hand, there was no trust in any system of reference, and the material was manually verified to be there.

Larry Keilin, IT director, spearheaded the implementation of Epicor. “The transition from our old system to our new system was less painful than I expected—for many employees, the day you switch from an old system to a new system is the day they love the old system,” Keilin commented. “A large number of our employees got on the Epicor bandwagon and became excited about all the work they can now do that they couldn’t do before. We are truly seeing the benefits, for example for the purchasing department, the Buyers Workbench is such a useful tool that it really stands out, and our customer service department really loves the way they can take an old order, copy it, and create a new one—it’s a huge time saver for them.“

Kaufman initially implemented Epicor ERP to work as closely as possible to existing business processes, as followed with their legacy ERP. While there was a successful transition to Epicor, partnering organization Encompass Solutions identified that Epicor was not being used to its full advantage, and that there were some additional modules that would need the implementation to get maximum functionality from Epicor ERP.

Kaufman contracted Encompass Solutions to perform an end-to-end business process review (BPR) to determine the best business processes to follow and unleash the maximum benefit from the newly implemented Epicor ERP product. This one-week exercise flushed out many areas for improvement, and a recommendations document and go-forward plan were implemented. Kaufman’s key goals from this BPR were to achieve better tracking of sales and gross margin data to salespersons and customers, improve inventory management, and integrate production management.

Every business area was assessed, and recommendations for change were made, particularly in the areas of engineering, production, inventory, purchasing, costing, and accounting.

Some key recommendations were to continue the implementation with some additional modules that were not included in the initial cutover—including CRM and the Epicor Configurator—as well as better implementing production and inventory management. Encompass provided a go-forward path to have everything implemented.

Other key recommendations were changes to costing to allow Kaufman to be more specific in assigning costs for production times, to leverage time-phased material requirements to drive purchasing decisions, and to expand the number of warehouses and bins used to reduce the amount of time staff spend locating inventory. A plan to move Kaufman to the scheduling engine was also produced—typically refinements over a six-month period provide an accurate, trusted model.

“Encompass has done a great job at assessing the situation, with BPR guidance to systematically attack and resolve pain points following the implementation,” concluded Keilin.

Kaufman Container Case Study

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.


Our recent Accutrex Upgrade project was a smashing success that enabled our customer to jump four versions of Epicor ERP to the most modern solution for discrete manufacturing operations held to ITAR standards, Epicor ERP 10.1. Read on to learn about the Accutrex upgrade process and get in touch with Encompass to discuss your own Epicor ERP upgrade project.

an image of the accutrex upgrade vantage 8 epicor erp 10.1 encompass solutions

Accutrex, an award-winning supplier who offers superior quality products coupled with uncompromising attention to detail to the Aerospace, Military and Defense industries, recently upgraded from Vantage 8 to Epicor 10.1, with the help and expertise of Encompass Solutions.

Accutrex has established themselves as a leading source nationally and internationally for custom shims, gaskets, special OD/ID washers, metal stamping, sheet metal fabrications, kits and assemblies to the Aerospace and Military and Defense industries. As an ISO 9001:2008 and ITAR registered company, they are equipped to handle all facets of manufacturing from prototype to production in all types of industries.

Accutrex Upgrade To Epicor ERP 10.1

Encompass, in partnership with Bezlio, worked to preserve all the historical data available in Vantage 8, and uplift all custom solutions to Epicor 10.1 so that Accutrex could continue leveraging the investment made in their system to support their unique industry needs, and also retain critical data that allows them to look back and make forward-looking decisions based on that historical data.  In addition, Accutrex can now take advantage of all the new functionality available in Epicor ERP 10.1, and can leverage being on the most current version of the system to take on exciting new features as they are made available.

“An upgrade like this requires a lot of attention to detail, and making sure that the existing functionality was uplifted correctly to preserve key business functions, while still taking advantage of all of the new features of Epicor ERP 10.1 such that everything comes together to work flawlessly” said Rob Cummings, Project Manager and Solution Architect with Encompass Solutions.

Encompass is a certified Epicor Partner, providing ERP Consulting and industry-leading development of mission-critical enterprise solutions for over 15 years. The company’s focus is to be an advocate to customers facing the challenges of today’s market fierce competition and is often chosen as experts in this field to help American enterprises achieve a technological advantage.  Encompass customer base has expanded to sectors beyond standard manufacturing and distribution to include pharmaceuticals, Life Sciences and more.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.