Epicor Kinetic vs. SYSPRO

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.

Incentivized

If your company is an ISO or AS9100 type company that needs to maintain traceability of your products throughout the manufacturing process this is a good fit. Additionally, it performs well with inventory tracking and warehouse management. If you as just a basic job shop that just needs basic functions such as inventory, scheduling, work orders, etc...I would recommend using a product more manageable and less expensive such as ShopTech E2 Systems.

Incentivized

• 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.

Incentivized

• Integrations with peripheral applications e.g. eCommerce websites.
• SYSPRO does this very well through the use of it's web services and e.NET business objects. This makes integrations very easy.
• Non-stocked configurable product production and management.
• Through the use of SYSPRO's product configurator, configurable products are easily set-up and managed by the use of selections, criteria and tying it to parts. This is particularly useful for companies that produce configurable products and want to give their customers the ability to customize.
• Document Management.
• Out of the box, SYSPRO provides document management through crystal reports (Syspro Reporting service Reports and Documents for invoices, order acknowledgements etc.).
• Accounting functions like Nightly Processing, Month end closing, General Ledger set-up etc. are easy to set-up and manage in SYSPRO.

Incentivized

• 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.

Incentivized

• Their Projects and Contracts module is not as good as other ERP systems I have used. Tracking by Project for Sales and Purchases is cumbersome as it uses Jobs as the connecting point for the Projects and not the Project ID itself.
• They do not have a way to have system to allow Non-Stock Part Codes to be kept in a table that you can use in Purchasing that go to a particular GL code which you can use over and over again. It only has stocking items, and all Items in a Warehouse go to that Warehouse GL code.
• Similar to above the GL coding is not on the product but on the Warehouse that product is located in. I prefer it to be by Product not Warehouse.

Incentivized

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

Incentivized

I've heard many reports from our users stating how difficult Syspro is to use and navigate. From an average standpoint, the Syspro Administrator has to invest a lot of time in setting up the user for success. Once the groundwork is applied, SYSPRO's overall usability becomes fair easier to the average user.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

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".

Incentivized

I believe Syspro has more meat to it than the other software I have used in the past. I have worked with software programs that were in-house written and prepackaged programs as well. Our company is unique in many ways but is also pretty standard for manufacturing. We are too large for a program like QuickBooks but too small for a much bigger ERP. Syspro is about the right size program for our company. The program has the ability to turn modules on that we need and customize whatever we choose we want at the time.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

• Getting better information from custom reports
• Getting better information from modules because they require employees to enter more information and have more fields for them to enter information
• Making some repeat processes quicker, so users can get done with tasks quicker

Incentivized

• Our resent upgrade from Syspro 6 to Syspro 7 has had a few bumps in the road and the response time from the support time can be frustrating at times.
• The reporting systems are a powerful tool that we take advantage off often.
• The rest of the product is working as the people that use it.

Incentivized