Epicor Kinetic is a customizable, scalable, product-centric cloud ERP designed specifically for manufacturers.
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Global Shop Solutions ERP Software
Score 6.6 out of 10
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Global Shop Solutions ERP software provides applications used to deliver quality parts on time, from quote to cash and everything in between including shop management, scheduling, inventory, accounting, quality control, and CRM. Available in the cloud or on premise, the solution aims to give its manufacturing customers real-time inventory accuracy, improved on-time delivery, lower administrative costs, increased sales and improved customer service. Headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas includes…
Epicor ERP is great for manufacturing companies, whether you make the same widget every time or if you a make custom widgets, this ERP system can handle it. If you have multiple plants, or multiple companies, Epicor ERP can handle it. Works in the US and internationally also. I do not think the EPR system would be the best choice if you are a distributor or a retailer.
We need an all-in-one ERP system, and it suits basic needs. If you are looking to utilize reporting or utilize the CRM you will have to learn to format the information you are able to pull to make it manageable and easier to read. This ERP uses a Crystal Reports system that needs to be converted into Excel or another software program to sort and identify anything. There are a lot of advantages and I am sure the issues we are having are because of how our staff is using this system or has set up this system for our needs.
Our version evolved from Vantage, and to be honest, I'm not really impressed yet. I've seen good examples so am aware it's due to implementation errors, rather than Epicor shortcomings.
Unfortunately, our version of the product configurator is very slow.
The need for well educated/trained consultants to get a proper implementation should be addressed well by Epicor, as this also determines user experience to a great extent. There is no true fall-back for improper implementation.
The CRM has really advanced and allows us to track the efforts of our sales staff, as well as identify trends. We are heavily using this system to track our sales team's progress and utilize the events, opportunities and to-do tasks as well as identifying the customer history all in one spot.
Supply and Demand section is used by pretty much everyone. This allows us to identify what is on-hand and the history of the parts' use. It is easy to follow and make changes.
Order Entry allows us to track all orders in an easy fashion. This is very straightforward and simple to use.
Maybe this was really smooth, but it seemed like implementation was a lot of work. As part of a 4 person implementation team, it took us a month or so of going through tutorials, the help files, and meeting with Epicor consultants to learn how we wanted to use Epicor (that month was pretty light, maybe 5-6 hours per week for each of us). Then it took about 3 months setting up Epicor to meet our needs. (The 4 of us each worked 25-30 hours a week during those 3 months on the implementation since we still had production work to do)
Epicor can be overwhelming for new users. Our normal users have a hard time at first getting used to it because there is so much to see, learn and do in it, epecially for people with less technical expertise.
As the person on the implementation team in charge of customizations, my biggest complaint is the lack of documentation on programming in Epicor. While they do have great documentation on how to use many of their built in customization tools, they give you the ability to write code in C# that should allow you to do anything. But, there is very little to no documentation on the API (Application Programming Interface). Most other programs will have a large help file where users can see the thousands of functions available to program within the system with info on what the functions do, how they are accessed and what inputs they need and sample code for each function. With Epicor.. nope, nothing. Maybe if you buy their SDK for another $24,000 they will have a help file included with that. I don't know.
You are unable to match a debit and a credit on a customer or vendor account to remove it from the open ledger.
Reports (and some processes) tend to change with little notification.
Many of the company options are not "common sense." What you think they would mean, actually do something very different. This makes it difficult to get your settings correct without ample research and testing.
I give this rating because the software has good functionality and usability. The system does not crash and can also be maintained under overall conditions in any business function. We utilize this to communicate effectively in various areas and make informed business decisions. This is highly rated as we make other changes to our organization
It standardizes our processes, it helps keep things moving financially, as stated previously the asset tracking and inventory functions alone are priceless. This has really been a fantastic tool and helpful across the board with both our accounting, IT and even helping leadership with planning, forecasts, and budgetary matters. You can literally tailor this to your needs, and it's reliable, easy to understand and logical even with their back end tables. Their software is a class act
If the answer to your problem is not readily available in an answer book, your response or solution will take months, if you get one at all. Problems need to be sent to support and duplicated by them before they try to fix it. This is extremely frustrating because you have to prove to Epicor that you are having an issue. If by some miracle you get by this barrier, your problem is submitted to development for review. You can't speak to them or communicate in any way directly. This group appears to be completely unconcerned about user issues or customer service. Our experiences have been negative across the board.
Epicor ERP has similar functionality to Made2Manage, but is much more flexible and has significantly more additional modules and support available. Versus PeopleSoft, it becomes an unfair comparison, as Epicor is mid-market and PeopleSoft is large-market. Having said that, Epicor is easier to both implement and use, but has far less flexibility. IQMS is the biggest competitor if in the manufacturing space, particularly injection molding, as IQMS is fast becoming a de-facto "standard".
At first, it is difficult to convince every one of its immense capabilities but once the scalability is tapped into some it becomes easier to show and convince how well suited the system is for many disciplines. With constant upgrades and updates, there really just isn't a limit to what can be accomplished.
The ROI on this software is incredible, I seldom gush but I genuinely cannot see any industry where this wouldn't be applicable and useful.
The forecasting alone is worth the price of admission
We love the simplicity and elegance of handling our IT inventory
About the closest thing to a complaint would be sometimes the updates can be a little fiddly with specific dot.net requirements but they're great about supporting even aging hardware and OS's.
