Ground Effects Selects Epicor Manufacturing Solution
Epicor Software Corporation (NASDAQ: EPIC), a leading provider of integrated enterprise software solutions for midmarket companies, today announced Ground Effects, Ltd., a leading manufacturer of accessories for Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and pick-up trucks, has selected Epicor Vantage, a complete end-to-end manufacturing solution that addresses the front to back office core business needs of midsized make-to-order (MTO) and mixed-mode manufacturers.
Windsor, Ontario-based Ground Effects is a Tier One supplier for General Motors and a OEM supplier to Tecstar, GMSPO, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota and Saturn for vehicle accessories such as step bars and grill guards. The company has been in business for the past 18 years, but has seen a great deal of growth in the last ten years, fueled by the explosive growth of the SUV and light truck market, according to Ed Petryschuk, chief financial officer for Ground Effects. He notes there have been nearly 50 different pick ups and SUVs introduced during that time.
The company has multiple plants, all located in Windsor, and must meet a wide range of requirements as a typical mixed-mode manufacturer, shipping anywhere from thousands of parts direct to the factory to one-to-two parts direct to a dealership.
Ground Effects turned to Vantage to provide a platform to enable the company to handle future growth without adding additional staff, integrate data, improve efficiency by streamlining the processing of transactions, and manage and track job costs so Ground Effects can analyze which product lines are most profitable and why.
Additionally, the company will leverage Vantage's powerful integrated EDI capabilities, which will enable Ground Effects to eliminate paperwork by facilitating electronic exchange of orders and change orders, advance shipping notices and invoices. Ground Effects currently leverages EDI with some of its customers, and expects this trend to increase going forward.
Working with Epicor's professional services group on a phased deployment over the next year, Ground Effects is also taking advantage of the opportunity to optimize their processes and adopt more industry standards. Petryschuk notes that Vantage is an important tool in this effort, as the software has been designed to reflect years of company experience and best-practice manufacturing execution.
"Vantage is a flexible and scalable solution that will enable us to streamline and standardize our business processes and meet our needs as we continue to grow and expand," said Petryschuk of Ground Effects. "Vantage will enable us to leverage our business data for improved decision-making, and will enable us to better accommodate our customers' needs to deliver competitive advantage."
About Vantage
More than 1,500 companies use Vantage, Epicor's complete end-to-end manufacturing solution that addresses the core business needs of midsized make-to-order (MTO) and mixed-mode manufacturers. Vantage is delivered ‘out of the box' with built-in workflows that enable manufacturers to manage the entire order cycle: from Marketing and Sales through Production and Planning, Sourcing and Procurement, Installation and Service, and finally Financial recognition. Vantage enables the whole process to be real-time and paperless. Because the entire Vantage solution streamlines the order cycle, an enterprise can maximize its resources, minimize its costs and improve profitability. To keep information system costs at an absolute minimum, every part of Vantage is optimized for rapid installation, low training costs, simple operation, easy modification, and cost-effective expansion. Key features include multiple operating system support, business activity monitoring, multi-company collaboration and support for global operations aimed at meeting the increasingly global needs of manufacturers.
About Epicor Software Corporation
For 20 years, Epicor has been a recognized leader dedicated to providing integrated enterprise software to midmarket companies around the world. With over 15,000 customers, Epicor delivers end-to-end, industry-specific solutions that enable companies to immediately improve business operations and build competitive advantage in today's Internet economy. Epicor's comprehensive suite of integrated software solutions for Customer Relationship Management, Financials, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Professional Services Automation and Collaborative Commerce provide the scalability and flexibility to support long-term growth. Epicor's solutions are complemented by a full range of services, providing single point of accountability to promote rapid return on investment and low total cost of ownership, now and in the future. Epicor is headquartered in Irvine, California and has offices and affiliates around the world. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.epicor.com.