Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Epicor ERP customer gets great mileage from change

Many industry observers focus on failed ERP implementations. Of course while understanding the possible pitfalls has some value in warning other companies to avoid them, I prefer to highlight the successes and the potential business benefits of doing it right. Epicor Software is one of the ERP solution providers I follow closely and was pleased to see this article by Matt Danforth (Modern Machine Shop) on Bley LLC, an Epicor ERP customer, a small international contract manufacturer that serves a “diverse array of markets, including heavy transportation, mining, oil and gas, alternative energy, aerospace and defense.”
It is apparent from the article that Bley has effectively used ERP to “streamline operations and boost efficiency, productivity and operational visibility”, but it is also clear that the ERP solution alone can’t produce those results. With no disrespect intended, I am sure there are other Epicor ERP implementations that have not been equally successful. In fact Bley was one of these until manager Krishna Rajagopal took over. Up until then, manual processes were still largely in place in spite of the ERP solution being available.
So what happened when Mr. Rajagopal took over? From the article it is clear that customizing the solution for a better fit and integrating it with other software applications (HMI/SCADA, Quality Management, CAD, etc.) were two of the major differences. Epicor ERP’s service-oriented architecture, modular structure and the ability to tailor the solution without major surgery were all factors.
But it seems that Mr. Rajagopal also took advantage of being the “new guy” to make things happen as well. Any company can either get a lot of mileage out of change or it can get mired in the change. Seems like Bley, LLC is taking full advantage of change and its ERP solution, and they aren’t done yet. I hope I continue to hear more great things about their progress. In the meantime, take a moment to read the full story.

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