GEC NEWS WIREEpicor announced that Alkhalij Enterprises, a distributor of industrial spare parts and maintenance products, has deployed Epicor ERP across the company’s 13 locations in the Middle East and Africa region. With its workflows, Epicor ERP has enabled Alkhalij Enterprises to automate business processes and implement industry best practices across departments. These improvements have had a significant impact on the organisation, most notably in procurement and shipping.
Improved processes for ordering and receiving materials and managing expiry dates for several products like lubricants and welding equipment, means the company has reduced materials wastage and inventory costs. Implementing Epicor ERP has also enabled Alkhalij Enterprises to eradicate shipment errors and significantly improve on-time delivery and customer satisfaction. Finally, due in large part to Epicor ERP, the company has been able to apply for, and achieve, ISO 9001:2015 certification.
The company is now leveraging the system’s strong suite of reporting capabilities, taking advantage of real-time, accurate data, to improve day-to-day decision making.
Tight inventory control and dispatch are arguably the two biggest critical success factors for any distribution business. To stay relevant, in the face of competition from larger regional and international companies, local small-to-medium size business distributors can no longer afford to rely on archaic, manual processes for these critical functions. Alkhalij Enterprises is an example of a forward-thinking SMB that has recognised the importance of technology as a business enabler. Investing in a modern ERP platform will give the company the confidence to focus on business strategy―rather than business processes—to grow profitably.
Explaining some of the key factors that set Epicor apart from the competition, Kapil Bhatia, Director of Operations and Business Development at Alkhalij Enterprises said, “Epicor ERP met 75% of our business needs right out of the box. This was a game changer, because our previous closed-box environment meant we were reliant on the vendor for even the smallest customisations. So, the fact that Epicor ERP allows us to easily customise the solution for last-mile functionality, was a key factor for us.”
“A further major advantage of the solution is that it is very intuitive and easy to navigate, something that was important given that everyone in the company—from the warehouse to the back office—needed to be comfortable with using the solution. Finally, as with most IT investments, cost is a major factor and Epicor provided the best value for our business.”
Bhatia said, “With Epicor ERP, I can essentially create a stream of data and apply controls to ensure that users only see the data relevant to their function. With just a few clicks, any employee can then use this stream of data to easily create customised reports and dashboards based on their requirements. This allows us to make more informed business decisions faster, and ultimately, serve customers better.”
Key takeaways
Strategy
- Epicor ERP has automated business processes and best practices across departments.
- Inventory control, dispatch are two critical success factors for any distribution business.
- Local small-to-medium size distributors can no longer rely on archaic, manual processes for critical functions.
- Investing in a modern ERP platform gives confidence to focus on business strategy, rather than business processes.
Execution
- The company has been able to achieve ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Cost
- Improved ordering and receiving materials, managing expiry dates means reduced materials wastage and inventory costs.
- These improvements have impacted procurement and shipping.
People
- Epicor ERP has eradicated shipment errors and improved on-time delivery and customer satisfaction.
