MRP, EDI, Demand Mgmt, and Service Connect - Epicor 9

Yahoo Archive
1
We are running on 8, not 9, but MRP and scheduling for us has been a
huge help in leaning our business, reducing WIP and inventories,
increasing inventory turns etc, its not simple, but it can be effective
done right.



We don't have EDI module or demand management, and personally I would
hang myself from a short rope before I used Vantages idea of EDI,
or..any true EDI system in general, its archaic technology and there's
absolutely no standard to it whatsoever.



We do currently use service connect to get orders into our system,
provide customers with confirmation/acknowledgement, and do open order
comparisons on demand, it was simple, and has been effective, and very
lean. Vantage EDI still requires too much manual intervention to be
considered (in my experience) to be a 'lean' process on your end (your
customer may be happy though..).



Oh yeah, and its two less modules and maintenance you'll need to pony up
for...





Rob Bucek

Manufacturing Engineer

PH: (715) 284-5376 ext 3111

Mobile: (715)896-0590

FAX: (715)284-4084

<http://www.dsmfg.com/>

(Click the logo to view our site) <http://www.dsmfg.com/>





From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of B_Stinger
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 10:00 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] MRP, EDI, Demand Mgmt, and Service Connect - Epicor 9





I'd like to hear comments on the following modules related to Epicor 9.

We had a consultant on-site last week who recommend some pretty big
changes in the way we've been doing business.

His recommendations included building to stock and using MRP, EDI,
Demand Mgmt, and Service Connect to automate some Order Entry and Job
Creation. In theory, if it works as advertised, I can see some pretty
good benefits of implementing those changes. I know it won't be as easy
to implement as he made it sound and I wanted to find out if there are
any big known issues with these modules.

I've heard a lot of problems over the years with MRP, especially when 8
came out. For those using it in 9, are you happy with it?

Is anyone using Service Connect to load customer forecasts that you get
from an Excel file or Text file? Any issues?

Is anyone using the Demand Mgmt Module to deal with either those
forecasts or EDI forecasts? How well does that work for you?

I've also heard some horror stories with EDI implementations. Has anyone
successfully implemented an integrated EDI system with Epicor 9 and the
TIE Commerce EDI system?

Thanks a lot for any wisdom you can share on these topics.

Brian Stenglein





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
2
I'd like to hear comments on the following modules related to Epicor 9.

We had a consultant on-site last week who recommend some pretty big changes in the way we've been doing business.

His recommendations included building to stock and using MRP, EDI, Demand Mgmt, and Service Connect to automate some Order Entry and Job Creation. In theory, if it works as advertised, I can see some pretty good benefits of implementing those changes. I know it won't be as easy to implement as he made it sound and I wanted to find out if there are any big known issues with these modules.

I've heard a lot of problems over the years with MRP, especially when 8 came out. For those using it in 9, are you happy with it?

Is anyone using Service Connect to load customer forecasts that you get from an Excel file or Text file? Any issues?

Is anyone using the Demand Mgmt Module to deal with either those forecasts or EDI forecasts? How well does that work for you?

I've also heard some horror stories with EDI implementations. Has anyone successfully implemented an integrated EDI system with Epicor 9 and the TIE Commerce EDI system?

Thanks a lot for any wisdom you can share on these topics.

Brian Stenglein
3
I am not using 9, we're still on 8, but maybe I can offer some advice in regards MRP.
For MRP to be useful, it needs all the variables to be correct. If the multitude of variables that the calculations use are set correctly, then the suggestions it offers are time-saving.
If these variables are not, well, you get suggestions that range from "making no sense" to just plain damaging to business.
Also, if you have a "Lean" approach, your first impression might be that MRP is archaic and a thing of the past. I personally think Vantage's implementation of MRP is the perfect partner to Lean principles. Again, you'll need some other method of deriving the values to enter for all your variables, but once the numbers are right, and once you understand the calculations going on, MRP can be a very useful tool.

The help documentation for MRP is a big fat document and will tell you everything about the variables.
Search help for "mrp technical reference"





________________________________
From: B_Stinger <bstenglein@...>
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, June 23, 2010 10:00:03 AM
Subject: [Vantage] MRP, EDI, Demand Mgmt, and Service Connect - Epicor 9


I'd like to hear comments on the following modules related to Epicor 9.

We had a consultant on-site last week who recommend some pretty big changes in the way we've been doing business.

His recommendations included building to stock and using MRP, EDI, Demand Mgmt, and Service Connect to automate some Order Entry and Job Creation. In theory, if it works as advertised, I can see some pretty good benefits of implementing those changes. I know it won't be as easy to implement as he made it sound and I wanted to find out if there are any big known issues with these modules.

I've heard a lot of problems over the years with MRP, especially when 8 came out. For those using it in 9, are you happy with it?

Is anyone using Service Connect to load customer forecasts that you get from an Excel file or Text file? Any issues?

Is anyone using the Demand Mgmt Module to deal with either those forecasts or EDI forecasts? How well does that work for you?

I've also heard some horror stories with EDI implementations. Has anyone successfully implemented an integrated EDI system with Epicor 9 and the TIE Commerce EDI system?

Thanks a lot for any wisdom you can share on these topics.

Brian Stenglein







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]