Epicor ERP version 10 launched to help Asean businesses

Based on 5 principles, choice, collaboration, responsiveness, simplicity and mobility, Epicor ERP 10, which is a latest enterprise resource planning software from Epicor, could be a smart solution for companies seeking competitiveness in the fast growing ASEAN market.

Craig Charlton, Senior Vice President, Epicor Asia Pacific Operations, said: “We believe that young, data-driven professionals in the manufacturing industry are going to want an ERP solution wherever they decide to work.  It will be an expectation that this technology is available – and companies without an ERP solution will find it a challenge to recruit the best young talent.”

One way to help recruit young talented workers is through technology on the plant floor.  Young workers today want their employers to have accessible technology at work – just like they use in their daily lives at home, Charlton pointed out.

 

As a result, companies seeking talent may have to consider deployment of adaptive technology to attract and retain the new age workforce – people who have grown up in the digital age, according to an expert on enterprise technology, Dr. William Lee, co-founder and chief trainer at The SMART Methodology Pte Ltd, a Singaporean consulting firm focused on helping companies grow in the ASEAN region.  

 

Dr. Lee has worked with Epicor to educate ASEAN manufacturers about how ERP software can improve the bottom line for manufacturing companies.  With this objective in mind, Epicor has organized a webcast event on the topic of The Top Technology Trends Transforming Manufactures’ Business Operations on June 14, 8:30 am - Bangkok Time.  Registration is available online here.

“Manufacturers in ASEAN need ERP software to sustain competitiveness and young professionals want and need good enterprise technology at work,” said Dr. Lee.  “They will be frustrated without it, but with good ERP software, they will become strong assets.”

Dr. Lee is collaborating with Epicor, a leader in helping ASEAN manufacturers improve their businesses with ERP software.  Dr. Lee says that products such as Epicor’s ERP 10 are attractive to young workers because these professionals want to stay connected and informed in a manner much like they are connected through social platforms when they are at home or on their mobile devices used in their personal lives.  

Given the demographics in ASEAN, it appears Dr. Lee’s insights are fitting for the region.

The workforce in ASEAN is young, particularly in the “ASEAN 6” - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  In these countries, the workforce population has an average age range between 23 to 35 years. 

“High salaries and costly incentive packages may not be enough anymore. Younger generations are entering the workforce and soon will become the majority of the labor market. Companies need to inspect the software they use to make sure that their technology will create a more participative and autonomous work environment which is what the young generation is looking for.  Companies using outdated software may be passed over by these potential workers,” said Dr. Lee.

The lines between consumer and enterprise IT is blurring as more of this new age workforce brings their own devices to work and expects the enterprise technology to work in a similar manner as consumer technology. Enterprise resource planning or ERP software is an effective tool to help deliver efficient operations, maintaining continuation and promoting collaborations among the local teams, said Dr. Lee.

“ERP software is well-suited to young people, the millennial generation,” said Dr. Lee.  “It’s about being collaborative and sharing information and insights.”

Dr. Lee added that apart from gaining the best workers, flexibility and speed to market are also keys in capturing market share. Companies need adaptive agile technology to help them work more quickly and conveniently. 

In Thailand, Epicor ERP helps local and overseas manufacturers to expand business into regional markets. When expanding business into the neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos or Vietnam, these companies need tools to manage the extended value chain operations. Epicor ERP 10 helps them  drive collaborations across the extended value chain with information sharing among the local teams. 

The responsiveness of Epicor ERP 10 also enables companies to manage data by unlocking the potential of this trend and provide new insights derived through analytics. Consequently, companies will understand their customers better, be able to predict business outcomes and trends precisely and deliver higher speed of real time decision making. 

Epicor ERP 10 was also created to serve the future business growth. It requires minimum support from the IT department. Users can choose between using software on-premise or on cloud, or switch from one platform to another very easily as the software supports working across different platforms, including mobile devices. 

Epicor Software Corporation expanded into Asian region in 1992 and established its first office in Malaysia. The company has been operating business in Thailand since 2008 and helped many Thai and international companies go live with their ERP software. Dr Lee predicts that as Thai manufacturing companies seek a competitive edge, more will enlist digital technology.

“Once manufacturing companies try ERP, and see the benefits, they become dedicated users,” said Lee.  “This new generation of workers will become the most dedicated ERP users yet.  This is a good sign for the competitiveness of ASEAN’s manufacturing sector.”