Grupo PEOSA, Plega Envases de Occidente, is a manufacturer of cardboard sheets and packaging of the best quality produced with leading-edge technology and a modern system. The company’s main products are folded, preprinted, and micro-corrugated packaging, cardboard sheets, and Single-face. This case study shows how the company has gained visibility in the manufacturing process and improved customer service with Epicor ERP.
Success Highlights
Challenges
Needed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that provided visibility of their production process and that included floor control and automatic production programming in its functionality
To drive the production programming area
Improve accounting operations
To have a more efficient decision-making process through updated business data
Solution
Epicor® ERP
Benefits
One-click access to reliable, real-time information on the company’s production, administration, and billing processes
Visibility of every part of the manufacturing process
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.
A strong history of growth through expansion and acquisition has transformed Ian Macleod from a small family trader to a large-scale manufacturer, distributor, seller, and marketer of whisky. To support this, the company needed a new integrated IT system that could offer the control and visibility required to manage the operations as one business model, and provide a platform for further company growth.
Success Highlights
Challenges
Need for a new integrated IT system offering control and visibility
Create a platform for further growth Solution
Epicor Tropos ERP
Benefits
Integrate its complex production, supply, and sales operations through a single enterprise-wide solution
Collaborate with multiple suppliers and distributors
Eliminate stock irregularities at its warehouses through real-time reporting
Have reduced stocked goods by 35%
Improve production and product visibility across the enterprise
Increase margin and cost control through CODA financial ledgers
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.
Rainier Industries launched its e-commerce site in late 2017 to modernize customer orders. The manufacturer of custom-built shade, shelter, and art displays—like “The Canyon” overhead art at Salt Lake City International Airport pictured here—got a lot more than it expected online.
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.
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.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. That’s why The Tool Crib, Inc. decided to leverage the Epicor Integrated Forms Design and provide a personalized touch.
Success Highlights
Challenges
Help a Knoxville, Tennessee-based tools wholesaler offer personalized customer service.
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.
An Encompass customer in the Industrial Heating industry recently fell victim to an opportunistic ransomware attack that had encrypted all internal system files, as well as their Epicor application files. As a result, work was unable to continue, bringing operations to a standstill. Encompass’ Managed Services (MS) were enlisted to help get things back up and running. The company requested this case study on their ransomware recovery project be posted anonymously.
Ransomware Recovery Project Background
The company’s network fell victim to a severe ransomware attack. Unfortunately, it affected all internal systems, including backups. The attack took down the company’s systems completely in a matter of hours, forcing the company to rebuild from scratch. Fortunately, the company was able to save its Epicor Database.
The Plan
Initially, there was no internal plan in place at this company to address the initial attack or the fallout from such an event. The results from the attack were a focused effort to get systems up and running as fast as possible as well as restore a state of operational functionality.
Objectives for the engagement with Encompass Solutions’ Managed Services team were to recover system use, rebuild what was lost, and establish backups.
A plan to instate standard operating procedures that would minimize the potential for reoccurrence and maximize the efficiency of response and ransomware recovery followed.
The Execution
The company’s staff were able to provide Encompass with the necessary documentation, in the form of a blueprint of the existing Epicor environment, to rebuild the system in a more structurally sound way than the original.
Encompass’s Managed Services team worked with corporate IT staff to ensure backups and other security precautions were in place moving forward.
Overall, Encompass has just been a great asset to our organization. We have been through both a major Epicor upgrade and recovery process with them, and I am extremely impressed with everything they have done. They definitely make my job easier.
– C.R., IT Manager
The Results
Encompass’ ‘s managed services team was able to work with the parent company to reestablish a stable network and functional Epicor system in less than one week.
Next Steps
Documented SOPs were put in place to routinely establish backups and test recoverability regularly.
This company was pleased with Encompass’ level of service and expedient reaction to the situation. The two organizations will continue to work together on future Epicor projects and system maintenance.
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.
Business continuity can be disrupted in several ways, such as natural disasters, scaled-back staffing, security breaches, and infrastructure failure. Most businesses have a hard time adapting to new ways of working when every day is interrupted. Manufacturing companies tend to have unique business cases and their own unique set of circumstances to address when external forces alter the here and now. However, preparedness and technology can support business continuity and ensure operations continue to run smoothly. Here is how some of Encompass Solutions’ customers are currently managing operations in a disruptive environment.
M Holland Company – Business Continuity Amid Disruption
At M. Holland Company, our IT support staff is used to providing remote work support to our international team of sales employees, but with the recent change in safety and health hazards, our entire operations office location has gone fully remote. This proved to be a challenge when employees who are usually in the office are now working from their homes. We have found that a lot of the pain from these users is the fear of the “unknown”. New types of issues arise when they are working from home; these are different than the normal ones we see every day in the office. We’ve been able to provide top notch issue resolution and training for our newly remote workers by utilizing instant messaging, video, and voice solutions through Microsoft Teams. Taking the extra time to call our users, normalizing the use of video chat, and screensharing has helped our team be more accustomed to the work from home setting. IT support can still deliver the same level of support, with “digital” face to face contact. This extra support in these challenging times has improved morale for our operations users, which helps them continue to support our sales teams efficiently while working in their new remote environments.
Lauren Palmer-Smith – Team Lead, Innovation and Technology at M. Holland Company
National Tube Supply – How Encompass Is Bridging The Gaps
I want to let you know that the partnership we have with Encompass is invaluable. The support you continuously give our organization and the expediency with how you react to our ever-needing changes is sincerely appreciated.
I found out yesterday that we are the only steel tube distributor in Illinois that is “set up” the way we are. We had the vision and expertise on our side that allowed us to react quickly to this current environment. Our competitors still have all their employees going to work and are not able to have them work remotely. Since our business is deemed “essential”, we remain open and we have the piece of mind knowing our employees are safe at home and still able to be 100% productive.
We had a project slated for Production at the end of Q2 and as a result of COVID-19, many customers requested this be expedited. Jarrad Kitching and John Ramsay (and our own Eileen Hankosky) once again, came though for us and hit it out of the park. We went live on Tuesday. Three months ahead of schedule.
Michele Markowski – Board Member at National Tube Supply
Manufacturing is an essential industry, for some, now more than ever. We remain a dependable partner for our customers to turn to when their process and technology needs demand expert assistance. Our commitment to supporting our partnerships has been in place since the beginning of each relationship and will continue to grow through these trials and what may come.
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 has helped modernize operations and automate 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.
Encompass Solutions recently celebrated another successful go-live with a longtime partner and client. This company has several divisions, though this project took focus on Medical Device Manufacturing With Epicor ERP. The project focused on on-site locations in the United States and Costa Rica. The company’s primary Epicor team consists of three resources, supporting approximately 700 employees. The medical device manufacturing company utilizes several Epicor ERP components including all major modules, Advanced Material Management (AMM), Quick Ship, and Manufacturing Execution System (MES).
The Project
The project scope was to upgrade an existing Epicor 9.05.702a to Epicor 10.2.400. The upgrade project would also need to account for hundreds of custom BPMs, Dashboards, Reports, SQL Tools, and linked systems that had built up over the years. Additionally, a transition to an FDA validated environment with proper change control was necessary. All of this happened on a typical non-holiday weekend, with some manufacturing departments on-site and actively working.
The Encompass Solutions Team was responsible for:
Project planning and estimating
Project management
Technical assistance uplifting customizations, reports and dashboards,
Hardware configuration and sizing recommendations
All aspects of the data conversion
Conversion planning and preparation
System test planning
The Plan
An Encompass Solutions project manager was handed the sequencing and timing authority to map the timeline, deliverables, and overall upgrade project plan. At a high level, there were timelines created for Test Conversions, Technical Uplift Tasks, UAT, and Validation.
The project would follow Encompass Solutions’ standard upgrade methodology. This began by estimating the uplift effort, as that would drive the remainder the schedule.
The Execution
Once the project plan was established, Encompass and the client stood up the new 10.2.400 environment and performed the first pass conversion.
The next phase of the project, and most lengthy, focused on uplifting and unit testing over 800 objects (UI customizations, reports, BPMs, dashboard, and more)
Once the uplift was complete, a second pass conversion was performed. This served as the first conversion where we started to look at the length of the conversion, cleaning up errors and started to put together the conversion validation steps. This conversion served as the basis for system test.
System test planning started three months prior to the test. The actual test was conducted over a three-week period by the client and Encompass Solutions.
Upon completion of system test, we executed a third pass conversion. This served to further test our conversion process and procedures. This also provided a clean database for the client to perform their validation process as required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. After FDA validation was complete, we executed a fourth pass conversion to finalize all conversion weekend steps, processes validations, timing, and reconciliation.
As part of planning, a series of test and practice installs took place prior to Go Live. During the weekend of Go Live, the project was within15 minutes of the anticipated Go-Live time. Encompass was onsite for the event, and post-Go Live, as needed.
“Perhaps the most surprising detail was that [Encompass] have taken ownership of most errors and bugs and seen them through resolution, which takes a lot of work off our team.”
– IT Business Analysis Manager
The Results
Go live was a smooth process. The client was able to successfully make jobs, ship parts, and collect payments. Aside from a few hiccups, 90% of the users are having a better experience with the updated Epicor ERP system. Of the 10% that didn’t have as great of an experience, these were mostly due to changes in behavior from Epicor 9 to Epicor 10, almost all of which were discovered during UAT. This means that during Go-Live there were very few surprises.
Next Steps
The company’s next steps including taking the Epicor 10 foundation and expanding it to two more locations in 2020 and a third in 2021. The client has already invited the same Encompass Solutions project team to assist in those future projects.
Encompass has also been engaged to support projects that will provide order integration with the client’s European operations, implement a vendor management inventory solution, as well as bring additional sites onto Epicor ERP.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing the emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.
The decision to choose one ERP system over another is a difficult one for manufacturers to make. The evaluation process is extensive and requires juggling a business’ unique requirements, a product’s specialized offerings, the partner relationship, and so much more. Here’s how one of our customers weighed the pros and cons of Epicor versus IQMS to make their final selection in favor of the former.
Epicor Versus IQMS
We asked Metaphase Technologies’ President Kevin High three questions regarding how Metaphase reached their ultimate decision to implement Epicor ERP with Encompass Solutions as their manufacturing technology partner. Three questions of Epicor versus IQMS made it clear which of the two was a better fit for their organization.
What were the perceived shortcomings of IQMS?
IQMS is great for manufacturers who are in the business of running high volume products. It is not flexible for companies who, like ourselves, have a high number of skews and produce low volume. Because of the nature of IQMS, we were not able to fully implement and utilize it for the reasons we liked it. Our employees also did not find it so user-friendly. It was rather ugly out-of-the-box and required a lot of customization that was beyond our scope. We simply did not have the funds at the time to throw into customizing it.
What criteria informed your decision to select Epicor as a replacement?
We were attracted to Epicor because of the simplicity of it for our users. There are a lot of drop-down options for our users to select from when they’re on a screen which simplifies a lot of the job on the floor. Things flow nicely from sales order to shipping. A couple of our top reasons for choosing Epicor was the integrated shipping module (Manifest – which integrates UPS, FEDEX, and DHL into Epicor) and also the integration to our Engineering programs (CadLink).
Are you satisfied with the implementation and functionality of Epicor?
Implementation is a long process. We used a third party (Encompass) to help us integrate which definitely helped me, as PM of the implementation. Epicor is so simple for the users since the data is selectable but that also means A LOT of data needs to be loaded and it requires quite a bit of set up before users can use it smoothly. Once that data is in there, the functionality of Epicor is great when everything in the process is perfect for that order.
Depending on the business, Epicor requires a lot of custom reporting. If you have an internal resource who is able to do report writing for you then that would be helpful.
Lastly, I have no IT background but I have been able to learn how to customize screens and create queries in Epicor to pull specific data our company is looking for. Which means almost anybody else should be able to learn too. This is a huge plus!
Overall, I’m happy we went with Epicor but we just need to finish getting all of our ducks in a row before we get the rest of operations fully integrated into the software. I’m happy with the functionality of it since it is extremely customizable.
The One downfall: they don’t have a robust CRM for Sales.
For more than two decades, Metaphase Technologies has been developing products that advance “The Quality of Light” through the engineering and manufacture of uniform diffuse high brightness and ultra brightness LED illuminators. Metaphase’s illuminators are specially designed for applications in machine vision, military, and specialty lighting. Metaphase boasts expertise in engineering flexible lighting solutions for ease of integration into vision systems design. The company’s LED illuminators are currently utilized in thousands of applications throughout the world, including vision-guided robotics, automation systems, line scan inspection units, and many others across the machine vision industry.
As the first to standardize built-in constant current drivers, Metaphase continues to synergize cutting-edge machine vision LED lighting & control technologies in an effort to simplify innovation and increase customer return on investment.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider, Suite Success Partner, and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing the emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.
A business unit of CSA Ocean Sciences, SeaRobotics is an SMB that is transitioning from a custom-engineered and prototyping house into a manufacturer of configurable autonomous maritime vehicles. Theirs has been an engineer and build-to-order process that they would like to standardize into more of a configure-and-build from standardized components driven by new investors. SeaRobotics has been the engineering and manufacturing work for the water rides at Universal Orlando in Florida and continues providing support for the theme park’s water attractions. The company has also developed and deployed the HullBUG which, much like a robotic vacuum for the household, cleans hulls on large ocean-faring vessels.
The Challenge
As primarily an engineering firm, each aspect of SeaRobotics’s business processes was tied to specific projects. There were issues of:
Stock Inventory or inventory control, as nothing is purchased to stock.
Deliveries were regularly late because there had been no way to schedule purchases or jobs.
Reports were generated from multiple sources, including spreadsheets, and were not available on a timely basis.
SeaRobotics could only recognize revenues after jobs. This left management in the dark as far as financial performance due to revenue being highly concentrated at random periods.
The business processes were heavily manual and dependent on one-to-one communications to achieve each step.
The heavy reliance on spreadsheets became cumbersome and fell short in supporting the projects and resources at SeaRobotics. Additionally, the company had outgrown its legacy system, Sage for accounting, purchasing, and project management. As a result, Project Management and the related revenue recognition were the most heavily investigated functionality being evaluated by the president, sales, and operations. Integration of engineering design and BOM from first Solid Works and then PDM was another consideration of SeaRobotics’ evaluation team. While many business systems were evaluated, none had the support required for SeaRobotics’ operations team, save for Epicor ERP.
The Project
After a lengthy selection process, Epicor was selected as the system to be implemented for several reasons. Namely, for SeaRobotics’ size, Epicor addressed the greatest number of challenges in an integrated package and offered proven “best practices” for their unique business processes.
Jim Browning, the COO and implementation Project Manager, relied on Encompass’ managing partner Sonia Haslam for advice on how to overcome issues arising from Epicor’s cookie-cutter implementation steps. Encompass consultants were brought on to adapt the system to more appropriately fit a smaller company in which staff whore multiple hats.
The implementation project was headed by Joe Sunderhaus of Encompass who designed the build to address five key requirements set by SeaRobotics. Their requirements were:
For staff to be self-reliant in training and process development using Epicor User/Implementation manuals
Project Management with WBS history that could be aligned with their old systems, plus monthly revenue recognition
The streamlined interface of Engineering and Epicor BOMs
Standardized business processes that eliminated the previously inefficient personal communication and follow-up necessary to complete any order
Better Job Planning and Scheduling of projects
To address these requirements, Encompass staff set up a workshop-oriented series of remote sessions with steps through single functional areas. Additional, “homework” at the end of each session was assigned to ensure a complete grasp of the concepts presented.
Next, the Encompass team helped SeaRobotics staff to overcome unique business issues with standard Epicor functionality on-demand. To keep costs down, Encompass kept site visits to a minimum. Remote training and education efficiency made this a cost-effective and effective process, though more training is needed for staff to assimilate to the “Epicor way” of doing things, rather than reverting to the way things were always done.
for the engineering and project components of the project, Encompass facilitated Qbuild in delivering CADLink and then stepped back, letting the vendor work directly with SeaRobotics engineering personnel. Now that the system is live, staff can put their new-found knowledge to use. However, there is more work to be done and weekly status meetings will continue, reviewing accomplishments and setting objectives for the following week.
The Results
With a completed and successful Go-Live in July 2019, SeaRobotics received the functionality they were seeking in a brand new Epicor ERP system and on budget. That said, no project is without its road bumps. In the case of SeaRobotics’ ERP implementation, the inability of critical team members to step away from business demands and focus on Epicor caused their initially projected April go-live to slip into July.
Now that the new ERP system is in place, the company has committed to using better procedures in line with the system to run its business. Encompass will support a first month-end on August 5 and 6 as well as outline a Phase 2 to include added functionality to be later submitted for board approval. Our two companies will also discuss whether Epicor can/should be extended to include SeaRobotics’ sister company, integrating the manufacturing processes between the two companies to maximize the manufacturing resources.
Additional Details
Founded –1999
Location – Stuart, FL
Industry – Manufacturing
Employees – 25
Epicor Version – Currently 10.2.400
Deployment – Cloud MT
SeaRobotics was founded in 1999 to pursue the development of robotic systems for deployment in the marine environment. The company has assembled a staff of highly qualified engineers, technicians, and personnel with extensive offshore and field experience. SeaRobotics specializes in developing products and technology for the maritime industry, producing autonomous, semi-autonomous, and remote-control systems. The company focuses on commercial, government, and defense markets around the world.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider, and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
