A Review of Epicor Modules
Epicor Modules for Version 10
Epicor ERP Version 10 is a top deployment choice for many mid market businesses because of the flexibility that the software and it’s modules possess. The Epicor modules that the software includes are becoming more and more important for today’s modern business users; as these plug-in and provide the real functionality that businesses desire. This latest release simplified the core modules making the software easier to use and more reactive.
As a top ERP consulting firm to the mid market, we rarely see companies reliant on a single system to make all of their business decisions—it is nearly impossible in the modern era. Businesses supported by Epicor are more inclined to integrate a number of analytic and opportunity-focused applications with their ERP. This makes selecting the right modules for your implementation all that more important. Below we review some of the popular new Epicor modules available for Epicor version 10. For more information about which modules are best for your business, contact our expert consultants today.
Be the Dominant Link in your Supply Chain
Every step in your supply chain should aim to add value to the end product. Modern businesses work on reducing and eliminating non-valued added activities that eat away at the bottom line. Some industries are taking to this vision much more rapidly due to changing regulatory guidance and global unrest.
For example, discrete petrochemical (oil and gas) supply chains are becoming more obscure to the many who rely on their products. Oil prices have fallen to a five year low due to greater use of clean energy and reduced energy imports. Oil exploration and production enterprises are confronted with controlling costs of their operations. Soon, the industry will need to uncover new ways of revamping supply chains to conform to new clean energy regulation mandates.
Epicor 10 supports petrochemical verticals, and industries with a similar spectrum, by optimizing supply chain forecasting, increasing transportation efficiencies and reducing distribution costs. Version 10’s Supply Chain Management function is also improving businesses relocating infrastructure from less developed countries and inexpensive areas to areas where their product or service demand is highest and distribution is closest, and ultimately cheaper—a new method called “next-shoring.” These businesses need a system that rapidly supports contract restructuring from inside its SRM function and can reset performance KPIs for suppliers and allow product configuration on the fly in the event of supplier non-conformance.
Supply chain modules are most effective when combined with powerful business intelligence; like Tableau BI or Microsoft’s Power BI, to automate fulfilment and procurement based on agile demand readings.
Leaning out Production Costs improves software ROI
Modern industrialists are approaching manufacturing with cleaner efficiency and greater cost control. The U.S. regulatory landscape is changing the producer’s environment, given many resources used in manufacturing in the last century, have since been labeled contaminant by environmental and health agencies. Today, manufactures are in search of production capabilities that allow them to become more sustainable, whilst still have full use of their capacity, run faster, and be more conscious of a quality-centric marketplace.
Version 10’s production module is unequivocally more robust than many other ERPs on the market today since it provides real time access to employees, infrastructure, demand forecasts, and bottlenecks. The unique part about Epicor 10 is mobile users can access this information to harmonize themselves with plant, inventory, and supplier tasks from a simple, colorful display. The production function illustrates where inviable dependencies occur in production and how those processes can be revamped or extracted completely.
The process utilizes all the systems at play to illustrate where problems are happening, why they happened, and what challenges production will see further upstream. The suite continuously leans out extraneous resources, events, and costs for make to order, configure to order, make to stock, and engineer to order producers and clean energy pioneers.
Epicor Planning and Scheduling Suite Links Demand Curves and Plant Utilization
The planning and scheduling suite inside Epicor provides advanced functionalities for multiple constraint scheduling, balanced optimization, and change impact analysis. An easy to use control suite graphically displays minute by minute contingencies and the impact of long running operations for on premise or mobile users. Each operation is set up based on the unique constraints of operations like machines, tools, available materials, or subassemblies.
Epicor’s planning and scheduling suite advises management to consume underutilized resources—like skilled labor or subassemblies—for production. In the end, Epicor APS alleviates duplicate production or reengineering that can inevitably shift resources and capacity from other profitable operations. Managers can also review immediate impact of proposed changes to predict how those changes will affect other orders to be certain of their decision.
Critical Link between Product Data Management and Compliance
Over 20 countries require businesses to perform a level, to a high degree, of product data management for their supply chain. Heavy regulatory guidance is cracking down on product contamination and safety prevention, as well as materials traceability and economic adulteration.
In 2015, federal regulators have threatened businesses an embargo on products or shut down of operations if product data fails to be managed and retained in an electronic format. For example, food businesses are required to produce materials documentation and tracking for each material and item in inventory. In addition, these firms are mandated to retain this information for two years. Companies without Epicor 10 PDM could inevitably be using a legacy system installed prior to 2013 which may or may not support the changes they’ll need to stay in spec.
Epicor 10 ERP PDM suite provides manufacturers with product data contained in engineering documents, plant floor routings, change orders, sales orders, and certifications. These documents are critical for sales and procurement processing since many supply chains and verticals require electronic attachments to ensure products meet regulatory compliance. It is also beneficial to tribute PDM utilities to a decrease of noncompliance reporting and severed profits.
Link Social Collaboration to the Cornerstone of your Profits
It is increasingly becoming more challenging for managers to communicate all the necessary business data with their teams. As a way to assist this growing datasets users are bombarded with, Epicor added Enterprise Social; a collaborative tool that acts like Facebook or LinkedIn for stakeholders in different business functions.
Epicor technology prompts machine learning to follow social engagement of users and remembers which information is most effective for a given user or silo to perform their job. The platform is simple and intuitive and leverages social media nomenclature—hashtags, mentions, reposting, and sharing. Epicor social then surveys trends inside the entire business and alerts followers updates around a chosen operation, person, or supply chain entity.
If production times lag, client facing reps may query an updated production schedule or post a priority shipment need. The benefits are two-fold as customers become bonded to the process rather than waiting on an order, in addition to businesses becoming more supportive of the needs of its accounts. Users can be alerted of any change in status of a workflow (quote to cash), department think tank discussion, or finance operation.
