As the new year begins for National Tube Supply, they look forward to the first full year using their brand new Epicor 10 system. It’s been a long haul for them, and us, taking nearly three years to implement.
Epicor delivered a massive update to their system between the beginning of the project and E10 release. Based on the improvements of the system and NTS’ needs, the decision was made by their management team to bypass Epicor 9, going directly to Epicor ERP 10 and the most modern version of the Epicor ERP solution at the time.
National Tube Supply Epicor 10 Upgrade Goes Live
The ribbon was cut on their new system on November 27, 2016, and NTS was able to start shipping and invoicing on the second day. There were only minor cleanups to take care of and a few hiccups related to the requested customization to their system. NTS has the highest level of customization of any Encompass Solutions partner. After creation, tuning, fine-tuning, and even writing their own staff user manuals, NTS hit the ground running.
The driving factor to upgrade NTS’ preexisting Verticent system to Epicor was an effort to remain competitive. National Tube Supply has four different warehouses in North America (in both the US and Canada), and further refining their inventory planning and tracking was their number one priority.
“Several of our standard modules are working very well for NTS, but the true power of an Epicor system lies in the custom features we build into the ERP. Encompass introduced barcoding to the job picking process, vastly reducing the man-hours needed to assemble an order and generate the paperwork needed to track and ship it. Geographic data based on the customer’s location and the availability of product across the network of warehouses allowed us instantly create orders with not only multiple destinations but multiple sources of product. The process finishes with a single-click shipment, which also enables invoicing immediately.”
In 2017, NTS expects that inventory turns will increase as planning moves forward hand-in-hand with automated control of processing, reducing the costs associated with inaccuracy, and expanding their market share through greatly increased efficiency.
Of course, Encompass will be there every step of the way, not only ready to help when IT problems crop up but also to further refine their operations via BPR. Now that the system is up and running, we’re already planning NTS’ Phase II of improvements.
Three years of commitment and one world-class ERP system: Just another day at Encompass!
About Encompass Solutions
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.
