Our team has encountered several companies looking to move from Avante, a legacy ERP from Epicor that was popular with technology manufacturers in years past. Most are either planning to start looking within the next year or are already looking to upgrade. Admittedly, an ERP upgrade is major undertaking and companies tend put off upgrading until the last minute due to the cost and impact on internal resources. Older instances of ERP, such as Avante and Vantage, are quickly approaching (or already at the end) of their shelf lives and support dates, and can’t keep up with newer systems that are supported and can be customized to fit more modern business needs.
There are several factors driving organizations to overhaul their older ERP systems and seek a new system that supports high tech manufacturing nuances, including the risk of losing business data by running an unsupported system, lack of Windows compliance, and the increasingly cost-prohibitive nature of maintaining a legacy systems.
Some of the most tangible issues of running an older ERP include:
- Inability to make even minor changes without specialized systems builder
- Obsolete databases requiring heavy manual exports to spreadsheets and various workarounds to manipulate or transfer data
- The need for numerous additional systems to fill the gaps left by a legacy ERP
- See more costs of running a legacy ERP in The Business Case for Upgrades, featuring research from the Aberdeen Group.
Innovations, changing regulations, and global competition are encouraging manufacturing companies of all sizes to focus on efficient, cost-effective technology solutions to keep the business ahead of the curve. Legacy ERPs can hold a company back – eating away at process efficiency and making it impossible for a company to quickly adapt to changing markets or supplier updates.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel! While the prospect of implementing a new ERP is no small feat, it’s a great opportunity to re-evaluate business needs and take advantage of the many updated capabilities in a newer, supported ERP system. Additionally, newer systems can integrate with essential solutions specifically designed to cater to the needs of high tech manufacturers, addressing challenges around new product introductions, forecast management, and more. With the need to stay profitable in an ever-growing competitive market, these integrations enable a business to stay at the forefront of the competition through systems efficiency and flexibility with in-house and external manufacturing/supply chains.
If your Avante system is still working but on its last legs or perhaps it already caused a glitch in your system, an ERP upgrade is the logical next step to ensure your data stays safe and your business stays competitive. While the prospect of looking for a replacement can be overwhelming, we’ve put together a Step-by-Step Guide to Selecting an ERP Solution, loaded with information to help you determine what capabilities your company needs, questions to ask vendors, and tips to help you get started.
By Chris Moore, Partner for Armanino’s Dynamics AX Practice
About Armanino, LLP
Armanino is a Gold Certified Microsoft Dynamics AX, GP and CRM Partner with five California locations (San Ramon, San Jose, San Diego, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco) as well as offices in Portland, OR, Bellevue, WA, and Naperville, IL.
Our team understands the unique business processes, common pain points and compliance issues many high-tech manufacturing and life science companies’ face and can assist you with integration to front or back office systems, deployment, data migration, and training.
We encourage you to call us with questions and let us know about your company and business goals. Visit us online at: http://www.armaninollp.com
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