In today’s manufacturing landscape, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like Epicor are vital. But while Epicor provides powerful tools, manufacturers often struggle to unlock its full potential. That is where experienced Epicor consultants come in.
This post highlights the top 10 problems that Epicor consultants help manufacturers solve. It offers practical, real-world insight into how these challenges can impact performance and how expert consulting makes a measurable difference.
If your team is facing roadblocks with your ERP system, this guide from Epicforce Tech may help you identify solutions and next steps.
1. Inefficient Production Scheduling
Epicor’s advanced planning and scheduling (APS) modules offer strong capabilities, but configuring them to match the realities of your shop floor is not always straightforward.
Common Challenges:
- Overlapping work orders
- Underutilized resources
- Missed delivery dates
How Consultants Help:
Epicor consultants analyze your manufacturing process and adjust finite scheduling, job setup, and material planning parameters to optimize throughput. At Epicforce Tech, we frequently help clients integrate real-time production data to improve decision-making and responsiveness.
2. Complex BOM and Routing Structures
Bills of Materials (BOMs) and routings are the foundation of manufacturing data, but they are also a common source of confusion.
Common Challenges:
- Incomplete or inconsistent BOMs
- Routing inefficiencies affecting labor and machine time
- Difficulty updating multi-level assemblies
How Consultants Help:
Expert Epicor consulting helps standardize and streamline your BOM and routing processes. With guided templates and rules, consultants ensure that engineering and production teams are aligned. Epicforce Tech often assists in creating smart validation workflows using Epicor BPMs to prevent data entry errors that ripple downstream.
3. Poor Visibility into Cost Drivers
Epicor can track material, labor, burden, and subcontract costs, but without accurate setup and reporting, you might not understand what is really affecting your margins.
Common Challenges:
- Inaccurate standard costing
- Manual corrections after the fact
- Lack of variance analysis
How Consultants Help:
Epicor consultants help configure costing modules properly, align them with accounting structures, and set up clear dashboards and reports. At Epicforce Tech, we have seen that even a simple reconfiguration of work centers or burden rates can reveal hidden costs and unlock immediate savings.
4. Struggles with Multi-Site or Multi-Company Management
As manufacturers expand, managing operations across multiple sites or companies in Epicor becomes challenging.
Common Challenges:
- Inconsistent part numbering or setup between sites
- Difficulty transferring inventory or jobs
- Limited intercompany visibility
How Consultants Help:
Epicor consultants help configure intercompany relationships, shared data structures, and site-specific customizations without breaking the global system. Epicforce Tech provides clear guidance on best practices for shared versus local configurations, reducing confusion and improving collaboration.
5. Inventory Inaccuracies and Disruptions
Accurate inventory is critical for manufacturers. If your Epicor system is out of sync with real-world stock, it can impact purchasing, production, and customer satisfaction.
Common Challenges:
- Data entry errors
- Misuse of bins, lot tracking, or serial numbers
- Lack of real-time visibility into inventory
How Consultants Help:
Epicor consultants can help implement cycle counting, automate inventory transactions, and train teams to follow standardized procedures. Epicforce Tech often deploys Epicor DMT templates to correct large volumes of legacy data and create dashboards to monitor live inventory KPIs.
6. Underused or Misconfigured Dashboards and BAQs
Many manufacturers rely on manual reports, spreadsheets, or guesswork, despite Epicor offering built-in reporting and dashboard tools.
Common Challenges:
- Users not trained on BAQ Designer
- Dashboards not aligned with business roles
- Data overload without meaningful insights
How Consultants Help:
Epicor consultants design tailored BAQs and dashboards for production, finance, planning, and management users. At Epicforce Tech, we structure these tools to focus on KPIs that matter, such as scrap rates, labor utilization, on-time delivery, or open PO value. This makes information actionable, not just available.
7. Delayed or Problematic Upgrades
ERP upgrades can be high-stakes. Skipping steps or misjudging compatibility can bring operations to a halt.
Common Challenges:
- Customizations that break post-upgrade
- Lack of testing environments
- Data migration issues
How Consultants Help:
Experienced Epicor consultants manage upgrades with minimal disruption. They test integrations, validate customizations, and train users in new features. At Epicforce Tech, we also perform upgrade readiness assessments to catch red flags before the project starts. This saves weeks of rework and reduces risk.
8. Difficulty Enforcing Business Rules
Epicor allows great flexibility, but without guardrails, that flexibility can lead to costly errors.
Common Challenges:
- Users bypassing workflows
- Data entered inconsistently
- Approval processes not enforced
How Consultants Help:
Epicor consultants implement Business Process Management (BPM) workflows to enforce rules without custom code. Epicforce Tech specializes in building smart BPMs that validate data, enforce policies, and notify stakeholders. This keeps the system scalable and easy to maintain.
9. Low User Adoption and Resistance to Change
Even the best ERP systems fail when users do not engage with them properly.
Common Challenges:
- Users sticking to spreadsheets
- Confusion about system workflows
- Lack of role-based training
How Consultants Help:
Consultants work with real users, not just system admins, to understand how people work. Then they adjust the system and training to fit those realities. Epicforce Tech conducts hands-on training with department-level walkthroughs, helping users become confident and consistent in Epicor.
10. Overcustomization and Technical Debt
Over time, many Epicor systems become fragile and overloaded with scripts, fields, and reports that no one understands or maintains.
Common Challenges:
- Poor documentation of changes
- Customizations breaking with updates
- Long troubleshooting cycles
How Consultants Help:
Skilled Epicor consultants identify what is necessary and what is redundant. They help clean up the system and suggest modern alternatives such as low-code BPMs or UIs. Epicforce Tech often works with manufacturers to refactor and document their systems, ensuring future flexibility without sacrificing current functionality.
Final Thoughts
Epicor is a powerful ERP system for manufacturers, but power means complexity. Most of the problems manufacturers face are not due to the software itself but how it is implemented, configured, and maintained.
Epicor consultants bring clarity, structure, and expertise to every stage of the ERP lifecycle.
At Epicforce Tech, we specialize in helping manufacturers make their Epicor systems faster, smarter, and more aligned with real business goals. Whether you are facing production bottlenecks, messy costing data, or underused dashboards, the right guidance can make all the difference.
Ready to Get More from Epicor?
If your manufacturing team is running into any of the challenges listed above, it might be time to talk to an expert. Reach out to Epicforce Tech to learn how our Epicor consultants can help you streamline operations, reduce risk, and improve system ROI.
