Introduction
Business Process Management (BPM) in Epicor® ERP isn’t just a feature—it’s a game-changer for manufacturers aiming to automate routine tasks, eliminate manual errors, and ensure compliance at every stage of their operations. When implemented strategically, Epicor BPMs reduce friction between departments, standardize workflows, and give decision-makers the data and consistency they need to scale operations confidently.
At Epicforce Tech, we’ve helped numerous manufacturers unlock the real potential of Epicor BPMs. In this post, we’ll walk you through the top 10 Epicor BPM workflows every manufacturer should automate—each one practical, proven, and built to solve common operational pain points.
1. Purchase Order Approval Workflow
Why it matters: Without automation, PO approvals can lead to delays, missed opportunities, or unauthorized purchases.
What to automate:
- Trigger BPM when a PO exceeds a threshold (e.g., $10,000)
- Route approval based on department or budget owner
- Send email notifications to approvers
- Escalate if not approved within a certain timeframe
Benefit: Streamlines procurement, improves spend control, and enforces financial policies.
2. Sales Order Credit Check Validation
Why it matters: Processing sales orders for customers with outstanding dues can lead to revenue risk and cash flow problems.
What to automate:
- Auto-check customer credit status before order moves forward
- Block order entry or prompt a warning if credit limit is exceeded
- Notify finance for manual override when needed
Benefit: Reduces financial exposure while maintaining customer experience.
3. Inventory Reorder Trigger
Why it matters: Running out of critical raw materials halts production lines and causes delivery delays.
What to automate:
- Monitor real-time inventory levels
- Automatically trigger reorder suggestions or alerts
- Integrate with approved supplier lists and lead times
Benefit: Supports lean inventory management and reduces production downtime.
4. Production Job Release Validation
Why it matters: Releasing production jobs with missing BOMs, unavailable materials, or scheduling conflicts results in chaos on the shop floor.
What to automate:
- Check all job requirements (materials, routing, tools) before release
- Block or warn users if any preconditions are missing
- Send alerts to planning team for quick resolution
Benefit: Prevents bottlenecks and ensures readiness before production.
5. Customer Onboarding Compliance Check
Why it matters: Incomplete or inconsistent customer data can cause invoicing, delivery, or regulatory compliance issues.
What to automate:
- Validate mandatory customer fields before saving
- Check for duplicates or incomplete addresses
- Trigger alerts if documentation is missing
Benefit: Ensures clean data, regulatory compliance, and better customer service.
6. Non-Conformance and Corrective Action Routing
Why it matters: Quality issues must be acted on fast to maintain standards and avoid repeated defects.
What to automate:
- Automatically log non-conformance from inspection results
- Route issue to quality or engineering department
- Trigger corrective action workflows with due dates and escalation
Benefit: Increases accountability and ensures resolution of quality issues.
7. Late Shipment Alerts
Why it matters: Unfulfilled delivery promises damage customer trust and future revenue.
What to automate:
- Monitor scheduled ship dates vs. actual
- Alert customer service if shipments are late
- Optionally notify customer with new ETA
Benefit: Keeps communication proactive and avoids last-minute surprises.
8. Time and Labor Validation in MES
Why it matters: Errors in time entry directly impact payroll, cost reporting, and job costing accuracy.
What to automate:
- Validate MES labor entries against scheduled shifts or clock-in status
- Prevent entry of negative or excessive hours
- Notify supervisors on anomalies
Benefit: Improves labor tracking and cost reporting accuracy.
9. Vendor Scorecard Update Automation
Why it matters: Relying on outdated or subjective vendor performance assessments leads to poor purchasing decisions.
What to automate:
- Automatically update scorecard fields based on receipt quality, lead time, price variance
- Flag underperforming vendors for review
- Notify sourcing team on performance dips
Benefit: Enables data-driven vendor management and sourcing strategy.
10. Audit Trail Enforcement for Sensitive Fields
Why it matters: Key data like costing, UOM, or GL codes must be tracked to meet compliance standards and avoid fraud.
What to automate:
- Set up BPM to log changes to critical fields
- Record user, timestamp, and old vs. new values
- Make logs accessible for internal or external audit review
Benefit: Strengthens governance and helps meet regulatory obligations.
Why Manufacturers Choose Epicforce Tech for Epicor BPM Implementation
Epicor BPMs are powerful, but only when designed with real-world manufacturing needs in mind. Poorly designed BPMs can slow down your system, confuse users, or fail to enforce what matters most. At Epicforce Tech, we go beyond technical implementation—we align BPM workflows with your KPIs, compliance goals, and operational pain points.
Our team helps you:
- Design lean, high-impact BPMs that don’t slow performance
- Prioritize automation that delivers ROI quickly
- Document processes for audit-readiness and training
- Train your users so they can adapt confidently
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to clean up existing BPM logic, Epicforce Tech ensures your BPMs work for your teams—not against them.
Final Thoughts
Epicor BPMs are not just automation tools—they’re strategic levers that manufacturers can use to improve operational consistency, compliance, and productivity. The 10 workflows outlined above are a great place to start, but true value comes from tailoring them to your specific processes, team structure, and business rules.
If you’re unsure where to begin—or want to fix BPMs that aren’t working as expected—Epicforce Tech is here to help.
Need Help Optimizing Your BPMs?
Let us show you what clean, efficient, and business-aligned Epicor BPMs look like.
Get a free workflow audit from Epicforce Tech’s experts.
Email: info@epicforcetech.com
Call: (888) 280-5585
Read More:
Fixing Broken Workflows: How Epicforce Tech Diagnoses and Repairs Epicor BPMS Logic
Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Building Epicor BPM Workflows
Using Epicor BPMs to Trigger External Integrations Without Full Customization
Epicor BPM Reporting and Analytics: How Epicforce Tech Helps You Extract Value from Your Data
How Epicforce Tech Enhances Operational Efficiency with Epicor BPM Customization
