#1 most frequent
United States of America
72.6%53 installations of 73
What is M1?
M1, from ECI Software Solutions headquartered in Ft. Worth, is an all-in-one manufacturing ERP software solution, built for small and medium-sized discrete manufacturers.
Categories & Use Cases
Media
1 / 2
Top Performing Features
Single sign-on capability
The software system supports a centralized authentication mechanism allowing the user to access multiple systems with a single, centrally managed password.
Category average: 8.3
Primary and Secondary Ledgers
Record and report across multiple currencies and accounting standards with primary and secondary ledgers
Category average: 8.1
Billing Management
Access role-based billing work area, perform discrete and recurring billing
Category average: 7.9
Areas for Improvement
Award Lifecycle Management
Manage the life of program funding awards from initial funding to close-out
Category average: 7.2
Transportation Execution Management
Execute and track shipping orders
Category average: 6.9
Transportation Planning and Optimization
Plan shipments across all modes of transportation via lowest costs/highest service
Category average: 6.8
Who Buys & Uses M1
#2 most frequent
Australia
15.1%11 installations of 73
#3 most frequent
Canada
5.5%4 installations of 73
M1 requires extensive training to use the large library of resources
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
I use the M1 Production modules to create shop jobs along with closing those jobs and analyzing costs from them, tracking inventory, receiving purchase orders, and posting shipments. I Also use the Financial modules for accounts receivable, accounts payables, and general ledger entries.
Pros
- tracking inventory commitments
- tying purchase orders to a/p invoicing
- generating accounting reports
- creating job costs when jobs are handled correctly
Cons
- The job management module has flaws that have never been fixed including making it appear as if stock subassemblies can be made on a sales order job. This in fact always ends with costing errors and should not even be allowed.
- The default entry spaces in different modules should have more uniformity. Each module seems to react differently to menu prompts.
- Some processes throughout M1 take too many steps. It seems like there is room for simplification in many areas.
- There is an abundance of reports that just makes the system seem chaotic.
- The various "wizards" are not user-friendly and the instructions are totally lacking.
- The g/l account number composition could be simplified.
Return on Investment
- M1 offers a nice way to gauge efficiencies if timecard management is used to the fullest extent possible. Unfortunately our company quit using the timecard system and no longer tracks job performance.
- Our company is comprised of 15 people and M1 is almost too much software for our needs. We did not opt for proper training from ECI so very few production reports are utilized.
Usability
M1 Review
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Business problems I would think is our inventory. It's never accurate, so that always causes a headache at the end of the year when we're doing year end inventory.
Pros
- It makes shipping easier. The sales orders are easier to process. AR is easy to process from a posted shipment.
Cons
- That would be within the reports itself. At closing the stock status and the GL detail report. Sometimes that's not always accurate. If there's anything messed up on the front end, your reports are going to give you false numbers on the back end. So you have to really stay on top of your inventory and stuff like that to make the reports come out accurately.
Return on Investment
- It's had a major impact on it.
Usability
I So Want it To Be Better - It has Potential
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use M1 for manufacturing and Project Management. The product tracks our projects from customers from request to invoice and our manufacturing from request to shipping. We are using the product for reporting, invoicing, project management and manufacturing.
Pros
- Breaks each level of a job down to finite detail
- Allows for customization of grids
Cons
- Does not allow for customization of statuses on projects
- Is way to overly complex for managing projects
- Does not manage suppliers well
- Does not have a function to search for suppliers and projects in a geographic manner.
- Does not integrate with other programs
Return on Investment
- Cost savings as an inexpensive product
Usability
Alternatives Considered
NetSuite ERP
A solid platform for manufacturing
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use M1 for our accounting, inventory controls and process management
Pros
- Accounting
- Inventory
- reporting
- customization
Cons
- Point of sale transactions
- Batch order entries
Return on Investment
- M1 has helped us identify bottlenecks
- M1 has been a significant impact on defining processes for our org
- M1 has allowed us to serve our customers better by having better inventory management
Usability
M1 review from small discrete manufacturing plant.
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use M1 as an EPR system for manufacturing.
Pros
- sales order backlog
- scanning
- POs
Cons
- bill of materials
- job travelers
Usability
Alternatives Considered
SAP Access Control
