Epicor Kinetic Reviews

Pros

Using the features on the end user side in ITS is very easy. The BPM designer and BAQ designer are especially standout tools. Being able to handle my own customizations and work with reporting data directly has been really helpful.

Cons

Application Studio still seems a bit confusing at times. It would be much better with a more user friendly layout and being able to view different features on the fly would make the experience even better.

Pros

One thing that works well is that multiple departments can operate within the same system which helps a lot with managing manufacturing methods and keeping track of production steps. It makes monitoring production and manufacturing processes more easy.

Cons

A few years back the implementation was handled poorly and we're still dealing with many of the issues that came from that. Our bills of materials are very large which makes the system feel heavy and we also run into a lot of trouble when declaring non-conformance in production. Because of that we're now considering different software for quality management since this one doesn't really meet our needs.

Pros

It covers almost everything I need and does a good job helping me organize and plan my shop floor. The planning workbench, in particular, has been a very valuable feature for me.

Cons

The biggest downside is that the system can take too long to respond at times.

Pros

The flexibility really stands out and the cloud based interface has made access and day to day use very convenient. I also like the modern look and feel which gives the software a professional and up to date experience.

Cons

One thing I'd like to see is more built-in functionality or stronger improvements to existing processes rather than needing to buy extra modules for those capabilities.

Pros

One benefit is not having to install a client on every PC across the company.

Cons

Switching to a cloud-only, web based setup has brought in a long list of problems such as lots of bugs, browser-related issues, Edge agent trouble and having to rebuild dashboards, among other things. A few tasks are simpler now but a lot of other things have become more difficult. On top of that the speed hasn't really improved at all.

Pros

For me the biggest benefits is its all in one approach to manufacturing which lets us handle most of our business operations in a single system. The Document Management System, ECM, has been especially useful because it has automated several important processes and gives us a practical workflow tool. Another plus is the timely purchasing and build suggestions which help keep orders moving efficiently from entry to the factory floor.

Cons

We're still running into a few problems getting the pick-pack processes to align properly with our factory flow.

Pros

The functionality has been amazing and the system has been reliable overall. Its direction toward cognitive ERP also looks very promising for the future.

Cons

Support has been very poor especially when it comes to field help. The learning resources are improving but they still leave a lot to be desired. A number of the bolt-on software products have been troublesome and difficult to fix and it has been hard to find the right support to get those issues resolved. The original setup was a mess because the implementation was rushed and handled by a very weak SI, Epicenter which is why we are now going through a re-implementation.

Pros

Right away the biggest benefit has been getting full ERP functionality especially for planning, scheduling and purchasing. The global planning feature for our site has been particularly useful. It's also user friendly which has meant less training time and better productivity for our team. The initial setup was fairly simple too and overall the experience has been very positive.

Cons

Nothing so far.

Pros

Whenever I need support or guidance, there are plenty of resources available to help me out.

Cons

It's frustrating that every so-called solution seems to require buying yet another module.

Pros

Having real time data shared across every department with it has really helped us respond faster and take better care of our customers. The user interface is also user friendly and simple to work with.

Cons

Stronger reporting capabilities would definitely be a plus although the new tools being released seem like they'll help address that. The initial setup was also difficult because the change was such a major one.

Pros

Using it day to day is not a hassle which is a big plus. I also like that the team keeps improving the technology so the software stays current instead of falling behind.

Cons

Getting everything configured at the beginning was challenging. I'd also like to see them promote new features and updates a bit more.

Pros

The time phase feature has been really useful because it helps me spot parts that might run short, check whether a purchase order has already been placed and review job suggestions all in one place. I also appreciate being able to create jobs without much hassle.

Cons

One thing that slows me down is the lack of a report showing linked jobs tied to sales order lines so I have to spend extra time drilling into jobs or sales orders just to track down the information I need. On top of that transferring data and handling validation was extremely difficult and took a lot of time.

Pros

Well the flexibility of the system has been a real plus and the BPMs are especially valuable.

Cons

I feel like it would also help if the table relationships were easier to understand and if reversing transactions were more easy.

Pros

One of the biggest benefits is how versatile it is and how much it can be customized to fit different business needs. I really like the flexibility it offers when it comes to handling a wide range of business challenges. Having a single system that covers all of our business needs is also incredibly valuable.

Cons

One thing that has been frustrating is the slower shift of administrative capabilities to the cloud. At this point cloud management still doesn't offer the full functionality that the old administration console had.

Pros

The interface is user friendly and highly customizable which has been a big plus. Being able to adjust screens makes navigation faster and more convenient and I especially like setting up my home screen with the apps I use most often. The flexibility in customization and the improved navigation were major reasons we moved from the classic version to Kinetic.

Cons

Getting it configured to actually support our needs has been a challenge. We still don't have much automation in place so a lot of our workflow is manual and fixing issues can be really frustrating and time-consuming. It often feels like the system wasn't set up in a way that positioned us well from the start. On top of that updates tend to cause problems with our customizations so we regularly have to go back and repair or reapply them just to keep the team working.

Pros

Its customization options and developer tools are the part I love most about it. They give you full control to shape the software around your company's growth and the way your business actually runs. On top of that getting everything set up initially was very simple. Honestly easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Cons

The only downside is the constant push toward the cloud.

Pros

Compared with the classic version, this one seems much more user friendly and there's a lot more information readily available when I need it.

Cons

Well the transition was definitely challenging and it still requires quite a lot of clicking.

Pros

It's a very capable system and you can tailor it quite a bit to match exactly what your business needs.

Cons

Navigation doesn't feel very user friendly and certain features are tucked away in strange places. Also I wish it were simpler to view all the data in one place.

Pros

One of the biggest benefits has been how much faster it moves jobs and parts through the system while cutting down on manual work. I also really value that we can add more functionality and customize it as the company grows which has been a big advantage as our needs have changed. At the beginning, we didn't require every feature but as we expanded, we were able to bring in things like forecasting, MRP, PO suggestions and inventory management and those additions have made the system fit our business much better.

Cons

This is a tough one to answer because the issues seems less like the software itself and more like how we're using it. Right now the system still isn't being used the way I believe it should be. Our process engineers are still creating BOMs and BOOs and our engineers are not working in the system either. Drawings are kept outside of it and we still haven't fully implemented MRP. Areas like inventory management, MRP, RFQ and MOM could all improve or at least be put in place more effectively. From what I have heard from coworkers, getting full team buy-in was the hardest part of the setup and that continues to be a challenge for us.

Pros

It's been really helpful for spotting inventory discrepancies, reviewing order history in detail and comparing suppliers side by side. The action logs are especially valuable since they show who made changes, when they happened and the reason behind them. I also like being able to build a single order across multiple projects and multiple ship-to locations which adds a lot of flexibility when managing orders.

Cons

One thing I'd still like to see is the ability to drop ship from one vendor to another, instead of only shipping directly to the customer. I'd also prefer to keep the link between parts added on the fly and the PO even when I need to modify the line.