Sales Order Process - Refinement help

Kinetic ERP
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1

This is a general request for potential assistance or guidance. We have been using Epicor since 2021 and have refined a lot of processes but we know we are still relatively new to it. I would like to reach out and ask if there are individuals or companies that use the program in a similar way we do, but for longer and feel they have a much more refined and potentially automated process.

We are a manufacturer of excavator attachments and sell and build new rigs, but also sell service and replacement parts for all machines we have built in our company history. All of this happens inside the same production facility, there is no separation of production and service work.

We do have field technicians and service sales who operate outside the building and this tends to be a frustration when trying to go through the complexities of our sales order process.

In addition we do have 3 sites that we sell out of. We are a relatively small company of less than 100 employees so most people have several roles.

While we feel we are doing it correctly, we are ignorant to what improvements could be made. Any guidance or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

1 Like
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You haven’t stated what your process is that you are trying to refine? What is complex about your sales process that you are trying to streamline.
Have you done a process mapping to outline all the steps and decision points to look for bottlenecks?

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My apologies, let me see if I can explain this in a somewhat logical manner.

For parts right out of inventory and from MAIN site, the process works pretty smooth, its when we have to make something or work on an existing part or its at another site that it gets “complex”.

Quote module - Create quote (choose correct site based off where the parts will be shipped from). For manufactured parts add in all manufacturing operations and materials.

Create sales order, open Order Entry module - update release to line to appropriate method (manufactured, purchased, drop shipped, etc).

Order demand is needed ASAP and we cannot wait for MRP run, so communicate to planning, purchasing and production on expectations for execution.

For orders at sites other than MAIN, create transfer order, have it shipped, receive transfer order.

Work is done.

Prior to shipping the job, we bill based off actual expenses and hours, so job is reviewed for these costs and then manually we go and update the sales order. Job is then packed and invoice can be created and sent.

That is BY FAR not the entire process, but that’s a 10,000 ft view. My intention of this request was to potentially be able to understand how another company uses processes a similar order and if it looks the same. Possibly understand how their utilization of the system and personnel works to gain insight for our business.

To provide some additional insight, the main people who were part of what I would call Phase 1 of our implantation and future phases are no longer with the company and its been a small group of people that have tried to make improvements or changes and with limited success.

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The complexities revolve around the number of steps to accomplish these tasks and the somewhat redundant nature of some of them.

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How often are you scheduling MRP to run?

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We have it run every night.