Waterco has implemented a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, designed to integrate and enhance processes across the group’s global operations and also support growth in multiple regions.
Waterco chose the ERP system by Epicor Software Corporation, a global leader in business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organisations.
Bryan Goh, Waterco’s group marketing director explained that they required an ERP system, which could provide visibility over inventory and stock levels across multiple sites. Epicor’s ERP solution was selected as they believed that the Epicor program would allow them to become more agile, responsive and streamlined.
Waterco will use Epicor to run sales, accounts receivable, accounts payable, light manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, finance and customer relationship management.
Bryan expects the Epicor solution to improve the overall efficiency of the company, allowing Waterco to better manage their inventory to ensure sufficient stock to meet customers’ requirements, avoid overstocking with the wrong mix of goods as well as be better equipped to provide customers with more information on back orders and the status of their current orders.
The Epicor package also includes sales force automation and a customer relationship management module, which will provide all the required information to Waterco’s external and internal sales team to better serve its customers. Waterco will also be able to begin building reports and dashboards to extract meaningful information that will facilitate business decisions.
Waterco was assisted during the ERP implementation process by IT consultancy, Biscit (Business Information Systems Consulting - IT). The first phase of the project is complete with the solution having been rolled out in Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Epicor’s ERP will subsequently be rolled out in China, the US, Canada and the UK.
According to Shane Goh, Waterco’s manager for special projects IT, the implementation was broken down into several stages, of which the main stages were installation of hardware, analysis and design of the system, data migration, system implementation, user training, pilot system and execution for go live.
Craig Charlton, senior vice president and general manager for Epicor in Asia Pacific says that Epicor’s strength across multiple verticals and knowledge of manufacturing and distribution were key factors in Waterco’s selection of Epicor next-generation ERP.
