encompass, Author at Encompass

Apr 2025

Epicor Kinetic 2025.1 Release: Transforming Productivity, Sustainability, and Digital Growth

Revolutionizing Worker Productivity with AI and Prism Experience a paradigm shift in manufacturing productivity with Epicor Kinetic 2025.1,

Epicor Kinetic 2025.1 Release: Transforming Productivity, Sustainability, and Digital Growth

Blog, Epicor, ERP AI in Manufacturing, Encompass Solutions, Epicor Kinetic 2025.1, Epicor Kinetic Update, ERP Cloud Solutions, ERP for Manufacturing, Manufacturing Sustainability encompass

Revolutionizing Worker Productivity with AI and Prism

Experience a paradigm shift in manufacturing productivity with Epicor Kinetic 2025.1, featuring leading AI-driven tools that take worker efficiency to the next level. The new release sets a new standard as the ERP for manufacturing, boosting operational capabilities with cutting-edge technology designed to streamline workflows and maximize productivity. At the top of its list of innovative advancements is Prism, an ECM (Enterprise Content Management) agent fully integrated into the Kinetic platform.

Prism: Enhancing Efficiency through Intelligent Automation

Prism offers a fundamental shift in how document management and task automation are approached using AI in manufacturing. Consequently, this tool gives users everything they need to boost their operational efficiency and streamline workflows. Prism revolutionizes worker productivity on many different fronts:

Document Management Reinvented: Document handling is simplified by smarter categorization, organization, and information storage. Critical documents are always readily accessible, which is a huge time saver.
Accelerated Information Retrieval: Advanced search algorithms are used to rapidly retrieve key information from even the largest repositories. Users can easily find and extract what they’re looking for quickly, helping them make quicker, informed decisions.
Automated Task Execution: One of Prism’s best features is the ability to automate repetitive tasks across a manufacturing workflow, saving workers valuable time to spend on more important matters. It can reliably handle everything from simple data entry to more complex tasks with greater accuracy.
Intuitive User Experience: Designed to improve the user experience, Prism can easily integrate with existing workflows without disrupting your operation. Users of all skill levels can use its intuitive interface and interactive features to use the power of its AI-driven enhancements.

With Prism within Epicor Kinetic 2025.1, manufacturers will see administrative overhead greatly reduced and time-to-market projections for new products accelerated. It’s a transformation tool setting a new standard for productivity in manufacturing that will pave the way for smarter operations.

Supporting Sustainable Manufacturing with New Capabilities

As global expectations for manufacturing sustainability increase, manufacturers scramble to face the growing pressure of guaranteeing their operations are aligned with environmental initiatives. Therefore, Epicor Kinetic 2025.1 meets this challenge by introducing innovative tools that give manufacturers what they need to measure and reduce their environmental footprints.

Tracking and Reducing Environmental Footprints

The new Epicor Kinetic release introduces the Carbon Cost Rollup for Purchase Orders, Jobs, and Quotes as one of its standout features. It’s an advanced tool that allows manufacturers to thoroughly analyze and track their carbon footprints across every facet of their operations.

Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Analysis: Kinetic 2025.1 integrates carbon tracking into core operations, giving manufacturers the ability to measure the environmental impact of their activities. It gives a comprehensive view of carbon contributions through the manufacturing lifecycle, including emissions associated with purchase orders, production jobs, and project quotes.
Data-Driven Sustainability Insights: Using detailed analytics and reporting, manufacturers now receive actionable insights into their environmental footprint. The Carbon Cost Rollup feature gathers data from different operational sources, giving them the information they need to make informed decisions on how to reduce carbon emissions and optimize resource use.
Alignment with Global Sustainability Standards: Kinetic 2025.1 also helps manufacturers meet compliance regulations and stakeholder demands. With the ability to monitor and manage environmental impacts, businesses can be responsible corporate citizens and meet their long-term sustainability goals.
Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings: Managing resource usage and reducing waste through sustainability initiatives can save a lot of money and streamline operations. Kinetic 2025.1 gives manufacturers the tools they need to identify areas for improvement, implement new sustainable practices, and boost overall business performance.

In addition, Kinetic ERP gives manufacturers a competitive edge in a sustainability-focused market landscape. The development of carbon tracking and environmental management tools is Epicor’s pledge to driving meaningful change in the manufacturing sector.

Delivering Customer-Driven Improvements and Accelerating Digital Transformation

As a result, Epicor Kinetic also supercharges the way manufacturers address the needs of their customers through a digital transformation within their operations. This newest release uses extensive feedback harvested through Epicor Ideas, generating 1,346 enhancements to enhance both system productivity and user experience.

Key Enhancements in Kinetic 2025.1

New Warehouse Inactive Option: The new Warehouse Inactive Option helps streamline inventory management. Manufacturers can optimize warehouse space and other resources by effectively managing inactive or slower-moving inventory items. A reduction in inventory carrying costs and smarter space usage helps manufacturers better use their resources and save money.
Reason Code Maintenance Improvements: Improvements in Reason Code Maintenance gives manufacturers smarter reporting capabilities. Kinetic 2025.1 simplifies data analysis and reporting by standardizing and automating the process of assigning reason codes to operational events and transactions. Manufacturers will be able to identify and pinpoint issues, trends, and opportunities for improvement faster than ever before, improving their ability to make data-driven decisions.
Enhanced MRP Urgent Planning: Kinetic 2025.1 took dynamic market demands into consideration and improved Material Requirements Planning (MRP) Urgent Planning capabilities. Manufacturers can now quickly respond to demand or supply disruptions, guaranteeing production schedule continuity. This improvement in production planning and inventory management allows manufacturers to respond faster, shorten lead times, and exceed customer expectations.

Expanding Integrations for Enhanced Digital Transformation

In addition to these cutting-edge enhancements, Epicor Kinetic 2025.1 continues to add integration capabilities across popular key solutions. These integrations are vital in enabling manufacturing enterprises to speed up their digital transformation journey and improve their overall operations.

Integrations Across Solutions

Kinetic integrates seamlessly with a range of ERP cloud solutions, including:

Grow: Makes business growth strategies easier through enhanced insights and scalability.
ECM (Enterprise Content Management): Streamlines document management and information retrieval.
Quick Ship: Greatly improves order fulfillment and logistics management to boost customer satisfaction.
Automation Studio: Streamlines repetitive tasks to make automations better.
CPQ (Configure Price Quote): Complex quoting processes make accelerating sales cycles and improving accuracy easier.
Epicor IP&O Quickstart: Provides a rapid deployment solution for Inventory Planning and Optimization (IP&O).
Field Service Management (FSM): Improves service delivery and customer experience using field service operations.

Therefore, these integrations give businesses data-driven insights, automate critical workflows, and enhance collaboration across departments. Kinetic 2025.1 allows manufacturing organizations to adapt swiftly to market demands and drive sustainable growth by using a unified approach to digital transformation.

Unlock the Full Power of Kinetic 2025.1

The future of manufacturing is smarter, greener, and more connected today than it has been before. This Epicor Kinetic update gives you what you need to be a leader in this transformative era. Are you ready to harness these new capabilities and propel your business forward?

Contact us today at Encompass Solutions and let us show you how Kinetic 2025.1 can revolutionize your operations, help you reduce your environmental footprint, and help you reach your goal of digital excellence faster. Stay ahead of your competition and embrace the power of Kinetic ERP to shape the future of manufacturing.

Apr 2025

Tariffs, Trade Policy, and What Manufacturers Can Do Right Now

Trade policy has long been a driving force in shaping the global manufacturing landscape. It sets the rules

Tariffs, Trade Policy, and What Manufacturers Can Do Right Now

Blog Encompass Solutions, Epicor Business Process System Review, Epicor ERP, Manufacturing, manufacturing trade policy 2025, Supply Chain Challenges, Tariffs, Trade Policy encompass

Trade policy has long been a driving force in shaping the global manufacturing landscape. It sets the rules of engagement for how, where, and at what price companies can source materials and sell their products. But in 2025, it feels more like a high-stakes game of whack-a-mole. One week you’re putting the finishing touches on supplier contracts for the next quarter and the next, you’re reconsidering your entire sourcing strategy because of today’s new executive orders.

We’ve been hearing it directly from our clients. All sectors are feeling the strain of manufacturing trade policy 2025 uncertainty. Whether you’re sourcing components overseas or exporting finished goods, the ripple effects of tariffs and shifting regulations can’t be ignored.

The good news is that there are practical, proactive steps you can take right now to protect your business and build a more resilient supply chain.

Trade Policy Uncertainty: What’s Happening?

New and proposed tariffs keep popping up in the news, and manufacturers are paying attention. As the U.S. rethinks its trade relationships with major partners, the rules of the game are constantly changing—sometimes overnight. These changes are not just political talking points. They’re causing damage, from the cost of raw materials to decisions about where companies build, source, and ship their products. For so many manufacturers, it’s forcing some difficult decisions and a whole lot of strategy rework.

The exact impact varies by industry, but when it comes to tariffs and manufacturing, the frustration is the same across the board. It’s getting harder and harder to make long-term plans. Most capital investments are put on pause. And it is far too risky to put multi-year supplier agreements in place without knowing what the next round of tariffs will look like.

And we understand. If you lived through the tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Chinese imports back from 2018 to 2020, this all sounds painfully familiar. Many manufacturers are simply dusting off the mitigation strategies they put together back then, tailoring them for the stronger complexities of our global landscape today.

What Manufacturers Are Doing in Response

Let’s talk strategy. Here’s what we’re seeing across the board:

1. Scenario Planning Is Back in a Big Way

Companies are using data analytics and AI to model different tariff scenarios. Think of it as “what-if” planning on steroids. What if tariffs on Chinese components increase by 25%? What if Mexico becomes the next target? How does that affect your margins, delivery times, and customer satisfaction?

By running these scenarios in advance, companies are giving themselves room to pivot quickly—and with a lot less panic.

2. Having Backup Suppliers Ready to Go

One strategy more companies are embracing is finding backup suppliers and having them on standby. The contracts are in place, relationships are maintained, and if things go wrong, you can switch over seamlessly. Yes, there’s a small investment but when the waters get rough, it can be the lifeboat you need to get through it.

3. Reshoring and Regional Diversification

There’s been a lot of talk about reshoring strategies for manufacturers, and bringing businesses back to the U.S. from overseas for many years now. It’s a serious option. We’re seeing manufacturers reevaluate cost structures, and in several cases, the benefits of reduced tariff exposure and quicker turnaround time are a better deal than the higher cost of labor that comes with domestic production.

Even if bringing everything back to the States isn’t realistic, spreading production and sourcing across different regions can help companies avoid getting too dependent on one market or being caught off guard by sudden policy changes.

4. Investing in Digital Supply Chain Tools

Online supply chain tools that provide real-time visibility and control across your supply chain are a must-have to navigate business today. Systems like Epicor ERP for supply chain resilience are helping companies respond to disruptions quickly, produce “what-if” scenarios in real time, and gain clearer insights into supplier performance and risk exposure.

Want a closer look at how ERP supports your supply chain risk mitigation? Check out our post: ERP in Supply Chain Management: Path to Operational Excellence.

From Strategy to Execution: How ERP Helps Mitigate Tariff Risk

Let’s zoom in on ERP for a minute. Platforms like Epicor are not just for managing orders and inventory. They’re becoming the nerve center of the operation, where all the data flows in, decisions get made, and the right moves get sent out across the business.

With the right ERP system, manufacturers can:

Model tariff impact scenarios using historical and real-time data
Track costs and margins dynamically as tariffs shift
Optimize sourcing decisions with supplier scorecards and geo-risk data
Automate procurement processes and minimize delays
Connect departments with one source of truth for faster decisions

At Encompass Solutions, we work closely with clients to tailor these systems to their specific needs, especially for made-to-order manufacturing challenges or engineer-to-order manufacturing environments. These businesses need flexibility built in from day one, and that’s what ERP delivers when configured the right way.

Curious about where your current system stands? Try our free Epicor Business Process System Review.

Real Talk: What Are You Doing to Prepare?

We’ve spoken with dozens of manufacturers in the past few months, and one thing is abundantly clear—everyone’s doing something, but not everyone is doing enough.

If you’re still stuck in a “wait and see” strategy, we completely understand. But let’s be realistic. Hoping the trade winds settle down isn’t a strategy, it’s a gamble. And if the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that supply chain disruption is the new normal.

So here’s our advice: start small, start now.

Identify your most vulnerable suppliers
Map out your global sourcing footprint
Run a quick what-if model for a tariff spike
Talk to your ERP partner about getting a clearer view of your supply chain.

And if you need a hand, we’re here to help. Whether it’s modeling risk or building a more flexible supply chain with Epicor ERP, we’ve helped companies just like yours make smart, sustainable moves.

Final Thoughts: Navigating Today’s Supply Chain Challenges

Tariffs and trade policy will always be part of the equation for manufacturers, but today’s level of uncertainty requires a more proactive, tech-forward approach. Agility, visibility, and the right digital tools are what separate the companies that weather the storm from those that get caught in it.

At Encompass Solutions, we’re not just ERP experts, we’re supply chain resilience partners. Let’s talk about how you can future-proof your operations. If you need a hand figuring out your supply chain risks or want to see how Epicor ERP and other tools can help you stay flexible, let’s chat. Our team at Encompass Solutions is here to help.

Mar 2023

Encompass Solutions Recognizes Ashley Limbers for Spirit Award

Blog, Encompass Solutions Award, Encompass Solutions, greensboro nc, spirit of encompass encompass

Launched in December 2022 as a way of honoring employees who go above and beyond in their roles with the company, our first Spirit of Encompass Award has been won by our Marketing Lead, Ashley Limbers!

The Spirit of Encompass Award was established by our managing partners as a way for coworkers to nominate one of their own: the person who best embodied our corporate ideals that previous year by taking the initiative with integrity, innovation, and helpfulness in our shared cause of delivering exceptional customer care. The votes themselves, by being privately peer-nominated, provide insights into efforts that aren’t always evident from accounting and timesheet totals.

Ashley has worked at Encompass Solutions for seven months and is currently the Marketing Lead, overseeing all activities and communication channels used to promote the brand and products of the company. Simply put, Ashley’s peers think she is a Rockstar, with comments like “Ashley took on a role that had been vacant and hit her stride with limited resources for training. Not only did she quickly fill the gap, but she also significantly improved internal and external communication, organized social events, helped plan the retreat, and championed charity events. Ashley has made a huge difference in a relatively short time, and I am excited to see what she will do in the future!”

“She delivers on what she promises, and if she can’t meet her deadlines, she will tell you why to ask for support and presents the ‘next best options’. Ashley is extremely busy with her the tasks and responsibilities of her marketing role, yet is always willing to help with company events, charitable initiatives, corporate communications, and even decorating the office for seasonal celebrations. When it comes to organizing her work and planning for the future, Ashley is on top of it.”

“Ashley has fantastic people skills and a work ethic at play. She is always there behind the scenes supporting customers, sales, and the larger team. That is the heart of Encompass as an organization. We are not, and probably should be, superstars in our engagements. We exist in service roles to our customers and peers to support them as needed with color, humanity, humility, and flair.” That’s sort of Ashley’s universe.”

In receiving the award, Ashley said, “I am honored and humbled to be recognized, and I could not have achieved this award without our amazing team. I am grateful for all we have accomplished this year, and I am proud to work for an organization that focuses on innovation and its clients and staff”.

Well done, and many congratulations to Ashley!

Jul 2022

3 Ways Technology Can Help Manufacturers with the Labor Shortage

As workers increasingly take stock of their careers and their lives, the manufacturing industry is experiencing challenges attracting and

3 Ways Technology Can Help Manufacturers with the Labor Shortage

Epicor Epicor, ERP, labor shortage, Manufacturing encompass

As workers increasingly take stock of their careers and their lives, the manufacturing industry is experiencing challenges attracting and retaining skilled labor. From March-April 2020, there was an 11% lag in employment for manufacturing. Some industry segments rebounded well by the end of 2020, but two years on there are still nearly 500,000 open manufacturing jobs.

Technology solutions, like manufacturing execution systems (MES), can help manufacturers address the labor shortage intelligently with faster, easier ways to onboard new workers, collect and share data, and monitor processes and performance to make critical adjustments that improve operations and productivity. Technology is also attractive to a new generation of workers who are already digitally fluent and expect to use digital tools on the job. Given a choice between multiple job offers, 91% of Gen Z candidates say the technology offered by an employer would be a factor in their decision.

Here’s a closer look at three areas where MES can help your business operate more smoothly with the resources you have and the new workers you bring on board.

1. Speed up Employee Onboarding

Turnover is common in manufacturing as seasonal work and other demands keep workers coming and going. But to meet production demands, manufacturers need staff levels to remain as stable as possible, which means every new worker has to get up to speed fast.

MES can operate as a virtual onboarding tool for new workers, providing training documentation and videos, work instructions and drawings, process steps, and on-demand assistance through an easy-to-use touch-screen interface. As workers advance through onboarding and training, MES can also manage their skills and capabilities to let businesses know when workers are ready to run a machine or can be scheduled on specific work cells.

MES makes hiring and training easier by helping workers ramp up quickly so manufacturers can operate as expected, no matter the circumstances.

2. Efficiently Collect and Share Data

Manufacturing workers deal with data all the time, but much of it is handled through manual methods like tracking down part numbers, images, and drawings, making calculations, or writing information down on paper by hand. These manual methods create undue complexity for new workers and increase the risk of errors and delays—all of which impact productivity.

MES streamlines data collection, sharing, and reporting by automating changeovers, part counts, and parts fulfillment that can reduce human error and time wasted hunting for information. Automated, accurate, real-time data collection also gives manufacturers much-needed visibility into inventory, part availability, and machine performance to better understand what’s happening on the shop floor.

MES not only unburdens workers from manual, error-prone data processes that hurt job satisfaction, it also helps manufacturers make better business decisions to improve operations and reduce overhead and labor.

3. Improve Processes and Performance

Collecting data on processes helps manufacturers understand the production environment so they can monitor the issues and variables that impact the rest of the production line or even the end customer. The problem is that relying on physical inspections and quality checks for process monitoring is time-consuming and inefficient.

MES automates process monitoring through statistical process and quality control methodologies and part quantification. The software can be programmed to stop a machine or turn on an alarm when necessary. Data is collected from each operator to understand their efficiency and experience levels, identify where more training may be necessary, and reward top-performing workers. Automated process monitoring and performance analytics also allow manufacturers to understand the number of workers and shifts that are needed to meet production demand.

MES allows machine operators to focus their time on production and performing a job well, instead of cumbersome quality checks, while giving you valuable insight into your labor and hiring needs.

MES is Today’s Answer to Manufacturing Labor Challenges

The volatility of the manufacturing labor market may not let up anytime soon, but it doesn’t have to derail your business. MES technology provides a path forward, giving you the digital tools and information you need to swiftly and successfully bring on new workers and make more efficient and productive use of your current workforce. Better data around processes and performance improves day-to-day operations on the shop floor and uncovers specific labor needs. MES can even help you reduce your labor footprint by turning over the most repetitive and inefficient tasks to automated technology solutions.

The transition to Industry 4.0 and smart factory technology is already underway. MES can help you get there with less disruption and more confidence.

-Epicor

Dec 2020

Epicor ERP BarTender And Auto-Label Print Control

About Encompass Solutions Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and

Epicor ERP BarTender And Auto-Label Print Control

Videos Auto-label Print Control, BarTender, Custom Labels, Demo, Epicor ERP, Label Design, Overview, Video 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 the Industry.