Epicor Kinetic is well-suited to a manufacturing environment where the client produces multi-layered products that require a high degree of granularity. It provides opportunities to automate information-gathering processes related to the production side of the business (provided the processes are already well-constructed, that is). Unfortunately, due to its complexity, it relies on the user's pre-existing knowledge to be fully utilized, and the various layers involved in the setup of every function make it ill-suited for smaller clients with limited IT personnel to devote to maintenance or new upgrades.
Epicor's user interface is easily customizable so that users can focus their main access screen to support just those functions that are relevant to their work day; helping to avoid menu clutter and confusion.
Epicor advanced scheduling provides true drag and drop customizable dashboard with real-time updates to allow users to easily track jobs on the shop floor in an easy to understand Gantt-style (MS Project style) graphical interface.
Epicor's customizable dashboards are also updateable, adding the ability for real-time collaboration and updates. From nearly every key field in Epicor, even on dashboards, the ability to drill down to source data is one "right click" away.
Epicor reporting uses standard Microsoft SQL SSRS instead of 3rd party add-ins such as Crystal Reports. This improves speed significantly during report generation, and ensures a common platform for upgrades without concerns about rewriting reports to incompatible versions.
Epicor has a "Google-like" search feature (Enterprise Search) that is top notch. It literally allows you to search on any key word in your data set and brings back relevant results in various groupings to make it simple to quickly get to the data you need. This is the favorite feature of new users.
It is hard for me to think of something I don't like. However, the physical inventory process could be done better. It doesn't work for us as we use what are called phantom assemblies, and I have not found any ERP system that handles that out of the box correctly.
I think there was some loss of functionality with the switch to the kinetic screens that decreased the usability. I would provide a 9 prior to the switch to full kinetic screens. While I like the Kinetic layout I don't think it was ready to move to production as there still seems to be a lot of bugs and kinks to work out. It isn't that the new layout is hard to use inconvenient on its own. I actually like the grid views and after getting used to application studio I like our ability to customize with less code. But I've run into a lot of bugs in he new screens that have required us to install the local client and open up the classic screens for specific associates who need some basic functionality that simply isn't working in the Kinetic screens. And that's specifically on our of box features. I expect to hit snags on customized screens but not out of box
If the answer to your problem is not readily available in an answer book, your response or solution will take months, if you get one at all. Problems need to be sent to support and duplicated by them before they try to fix it. This is extremely frustrating because you have to prove to Epicor that you are having an issue. If by some miracle you get by this barrier, your problem is submitted to development for review. You can't speak to them or communicate in any way directly. This group appears to be completely unconcerned about user issues or customer service. Our experiences have been negative across the board.
With my former employer, we used ISAH-7, including couplings to Autocad (with BOM-integration) and Account View for financial reporting. At this company, I was also doing on-site support and report updates and year-closing, which would normally cost me just 4-5 working days. With another trading company, I was involved in the merger from King to AccountView and with a third, I was supporting developments of web-based forms in Exact. All these companies were only somewhat smaller than the present employer, but the software seemed to be working much better to company needs than with present setup.
At first, it is difficult to convince every one of its immense capabilities but once the scalability is tapped into some it becomes easier to show and convince how well suited the system is for many disciplines. With constant upgrades and updates, there really just isn't a limit to what can be accomplished.
