New Epicor Eagle Designed to Help Drive Sales, Customer Satisfaction

Epicor, a provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, recently introduced a new version of its Epicor Eagle for the Automotive Aftermarket. The software features dozens of additional business-building capabilities and other enhancements designed to drive sales growth and increased operational efficiency for distributors and jobbers of automotive and commercial vehicle replacement parts.

New features available through the latest Eagle software cover virtually every functional area within a vehicle parts enterprise, from purchasing and inventory management to accounting and point of sale (POS) operations.

Among the leading new capabilities are Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) “smart card” functionality for Eagle software users who rely on the Epicor Payment Exchange or First Data credit card processing solutions. Smart card technology is quickly becoming the predominant choice of U.S.-based banks. According to MasterCard, more than two-thirds of MasterCard-branded credit cards issued in the U.S. now feature embedded computer chips, an increase of 51 percent since October 1, 2015.

Also featured in the software is a time saving new centralized workflow for Physical Inventory processes, with all tasks now consolidated into the Physical Inventory Posting (PIP) application.

A new Vendor Report Card feature enables users to quickly move relevant data into the Epicor Compass analytics application for a complete vendor performance analysis. This new capability is designed to help Eagle for the Automotive Aftermarket software users negotiate the best possible terms and promote better service.

Additional features and related enhancements include integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP accounting software, increased launch speed of Eagle N Series applications, several new Dynamic Promotions options, the ability to issue Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments to vendors, and a cloud-based, live Eagle Online Help feature that offers the correct help files based on the user’s system configuration.

To learn more, visit the Epicor Newsroom.

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Coming in August 2016:

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and Brown Smith Wallace Advisory Services, our 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

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Millar Inc. Manufacturing Sees Improved Productivity With ECi's M1

As a leading provider of neurological and cardiac catheters to the clinical and research segments of the healthcare market, Millar, Inc. not only has to meet a heavy burden of government regulations but also faces the hard reality that anything less than perfection in production could become a source of major problems for someone further down the line. However, since the company switched to ECi's M1 ERP system, they’ve been more than able to meet those challenges and a few more besides!

The healthcare market is growing and Millar itself has been very much on a growth curve. In 2010, headcount at the company stood at about 105; today, it’s exceeded 140. Prior to converting to M1, on-time delivery rates at the company hovered around the low 90s. Today, they’re touching 99%.

In addition, most of Millar’s manufacturing is built to stock rather than custom product and the superior visibility M1 provides has allowed the company to keep inventory levels lean while keeping on-time delivery rates high. With M1, the company has a level of confidence about its inventory that it just didn’t have before converting. The result: the company is no longer ordering product it doesn’t need and overall supply chain management is significantly better.

Also much improved as a result of the switch is the company’s ability to keep the government happy. The company lot-tracks raw materials and components and serial-tracks finished goods for its entire product line. Since switching to M1, production managers can now pull up at any point in the production process a lot number or serial number and see the complete history of that item.

The company's reporting capabilities have also become easier and less time consuming. M1’s stock status and inventory re-order reports provide additional information to operators and satisfy additional regulatory requirements.

Converting to M1 has brought significant benefits to the company over the past three year and they're looking forward to more of the same going forward.

To read more about ECi's M1 ERP system for manufacturers, visit the ECi Customer Center.

New Software Research Guides Available Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

For 2016 Distribution Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/vendor/2016_BSW_Distribution_Interactive_Website_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2016DSG

 

For 2016 Manufacturing Software Guide: http://www.software4distributors.com/vendor/2016_BSW_Manufacturing_Interactive_Website_Guide.pdf?utm_source=DownloadInteractive&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2016MFG

 

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.

Rancon Automobiles Selects IFS Applications For Mission Critical Processes

IFS, a global enterprise applications company, recently announced that Rancon Automobiles Limited and Rancon Autos Limited, subsidiaries of the Rangs Group, have chosen to deploy IFS Applications™ to support mission-critical processes such as finance, distribution, service and maintenance, and human resources.

Rangs Group is one of the largest Bangladeshi industrial conglomerates with interests in automobile, electronics, real estate and shipping sectors. Rancon Automobiles Limited is a leading importer of various types of commercial vehicles in Bangladesh and is currently the sole distributor of several Asian commercial automotive brands. Rancon Autos Limited is the sole distributor of MAHINDRA brand commercial vehicles in Bangladesh.

When fully implemented at Rancon Automobiles and Rancon Autos, IFS Applications will be used by more than 400 staff across the Rangs Group, empowering group management with enhanced transparency and business control. “Our ambition is to run a single platform across all our subsidiaries so that we have greater visibility of operations, profitability, and efficiencies across the group,” Rangs Group Bangladesh Chairman Romo Rauf Choudhury said. “We want to drive the group forward and take advantage of the economies of scale when dealing with suppliers and principals, and a central platform will help us achieve this. We have had a great relationship with IFS, which is why we have decided to expand our existing IFS platform to support additional companies in the group.”

To read more about IFS Applications™ and the Rangs Group implementation, visit the IFS Newsroom. 

New Software Research Guides Available Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

Read our 2016 Mid-Year Supplements. 

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.

  

The CDA Group Selects Demand Solutions' DSX Platform

Demand Management Inc., a global resource for supply chain management solutions, recently announced that it will be providing supply chain planning solutions to The CDA Group, a major provider of kitchen appliances in the United Kingdom.

Demand Management will provide Demand Solutions DSX Forecast Management and Requirements Planning solutions to The CDA Group to achieve its goal of standardizing its supply chain planning processes on one platform.

“Our existing systems were clunky and we had to use three or four different pieces of software to get the job done. Demand Solutions modules aligned themselves exceptionally well with our processes right out of the box.” explains Steve Boswell, supply chain manager, The CDA Group.

Using the company’s previous supply chain planning applications, The CDA Group’s planning team needed one week to sort through forecast data and get it loaded into the system. With Demand Solutions DSX Forecast Management, they can now update the numbers daily. Rather than continuing to rely on various in-house software solutions and spreadsheets, The CDA Group will now run its business on the integrated, highly stable Demand Solutions DSX platform. This will not only give the company greater protection against system crashes and data loss, but also enable planners to run what-if scenarios that provide a clearer picture of the future.

To read more, visit the Demand Solutions Newsroom.

New Software Research Guides Available Finding that you cannot keep up with all the changes in the latest software? Want to know how the software's features and functions can assist you? Please contact snelson@bswllc.com for more information about these latest editions.

Read our 2016 Mid-Year Supplements. 

Developed through a partnership with Industrial Distribution, Industrial Supply, Contractor Supply Magazine and the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group, these 12 page Supplement Guides provide valuable, independently researched information. Each Guide details software company information, identifies vertical markets, highlights functions and technology features, new developments to the software package, shows graphs of the user range, basic entry price point, sales channel (how and where the software is sold), along with company contact information. The Supplement Guides provide everything you need to know when beginning your software selection and evaluation process.

Visit our website to learn more about the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group and to use our Software Features Comparison Wizard.