What is Epicor Software Corp.?
Epicor Software Corp. is a global business software vendor that sells ERP and other software to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises. Epicor supports a wide range of industries and vertical markets with industry-specific software. It has a strong presence in manufacturing and distribution and although Epicor sells across the spectrum of company sizes, it is largely known as a midmarket ERP vendor.
Epicor provides an on-premises version of its ERP software, and a variety of cloud options, including hybrid, multi-tenant and single-tenant deployments. In 2021, Epicor rebranded its ERP offering to Epicor Kinetic, a cloud-based platform that brings additional scalability and flexibility to users. This shift is part of a broader strategy to focus on cloud-first products and software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings.
The code base remains the same regardless of the type of implementation, which enables a straightforward migration between deployment models. This shared code base also ensures system consistency across different architectures.
Epicor ERP (now Kinetic) is particularly well-suited for midmarket discrete manufacturing, notably in the industrial machinery, electronics and high tech, fabricated metals and rubber and plastics industries. The company also tailors software for retail and hospitality and services organizations.
Kinetic offers strong industry-specific modules, particularly for manufacturing processes like Make-to-Order (MTO), Engineer-to-Order (ETO) and Configure-to-Order (CTO), providing companies with tools to streamline complex production workflows.
Epicor Kinetic features
Epicor ERP core is rich in accounting and finance features, with a wide range of financial reports, financial statements, general ledgers and other core finance functions. Moreover, it is meant to handle varied fiscal periods and account structures, such as those required for a variety of companies or divisions. Epicor ERP also offers end-to-end supply chain management, with an extensive array of manufacturing features, from scheduling to monitoring.
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and business intelligence (BI) into Epicor Kinetic further enhances these features, allowing companies to automate operations, predict maintenance needs, and optimize their supply chain using real-time data.
Designed around service-oriented architecture, Epicor ERP is modular and scalable, so that customers can choose only the functions they need. Epicor Kinetic includes modules for customer relationship management (CRM), human capital management (HCM), retail software, and governance, risk and compliance management (GRC).
With flexible deployment options, Kinetic is available as a cloud-native SaaS, on-premises, or in a hybrid environment, making it a versatile solution for companies with complex requirements.
Epicor ERP UI and dashboard features
Epicor focuses on bringing modern capabilities such as business analytics to its ERP software, placing a major focus on offering ease-of-use to an array of business users through its customizable user interface (UI). For example, individual user profiles can be customized with colors and relevant tiles, so that users see only what they need to.
Another example of Epicor's UI focus is three types of dashboard functionality: Executive dashboards offer CEOs and other leaders the ability to see real-time business health on a single screen with relevant charts and spreadsheet views. The exceptions dashboard offers managers the ability to catch issues before they become major problems, for example, cost overruns. The executable dashboard offers the ability to update information for multiple records at a time. For example, a supplier relationship dashboard shows exceptions and also offers the ability to update multiple purchase orders at once, as well as due dates and other information, which populates across the system.
Epicor has put concerted effort into developing mobile capabilities for both on-premises and cloud and on virtually any smartphone or tablet. Dashboards that can be accessed both on-premises and through mobile applications ensure users can manage workflows from anywhere, which became increasingly vital with the rise of remote work environments.
Besides giving users anywhere access to ERP data, Epicor offers specialized apps, such as timesheet and expense tracking.
History of Epicor
Epicor is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has its roots in two companies, Triad Systems Corporation and Platinum Software Corporation. Founded in 1972, Triad Systems Corporation's first offering was a computerized indexing system for the automotive industry. Triad was renamed Activant Solutions Inc. in 2003. Platinum Software Corporation, which was founded in 1984, offered financial accounting software designed for local area networks.
In 1992, it went public on NASDAQ and introduced Platinum SQL, a financial accounting program designed for client-server computing. Platinum grew through acquisitions and mergers, and in 1999, the company's name was changed to Epicor Software Corporation.
In 2011, Apax Partners purchased both Activant and Epicor, at which time the companies merged. Recent acquisitions include Dot Net IT and docSTAR. In June 2016, Epicor acquired business solutions provider Dot Net IT to strengthen sales, services and support globally, as well as fortify its cloud offerings.
Since 2017, Epicor has continued its strategic acquisitions, with notable additions, such as KBMax in 2021, which expanded Epicor's capabilities in Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software, helping manufacturers automate their quote-to-cash processes.
Check out ERP use cases to consider before buying an ERP system and the key differences between cloud ERP vs. on-premises ERP. Check out ways to ensure a successful cloud ERP implementation and ERP trends for today and beyond.
