Epicor Kinetic vs. Sage 500 ERP

Epicor ERP is great for manufacturing companies, whether you make the same widget every time or if you a make custom widgets, this ERP system can handle it. If you have multiple plants, or multiple companies, Epicor ERP can handle it. Works in the US and internationally also. I do not think the EPR system would be the best choice if you are a distributor or a retailer.

Incentivized

Sage is wonderful for payroll and employee management. Although it has the capabilities to be a one-stop-shop program, it seriously lacks the interface necessary for wide use. I've had to consult Sage professionals on numerous occasions to explain and walk me through the program as there are so many redundancies. This program has wonderful potential, but they need to update the software and user interface before I can recommend it to any colleague.

Incentivized

• Our version evolved from Vantage, and to be honest, I'm not really impressed yet. I've seen good examples so am aware it's due to implementation errors, rather than Epicor shortcomings.
• Unfortunately, our version of the product configurator is very slow.
• The need for well educated/trained consultants to get a proper implementation should be addressed well by Epicor, as this also determines user experience to a great extent. There is no true fall-back for improper implementation.

Incentivized

• Payables and receivables handled beautifully
• Projects has the reporting capabilities we need
• Cash management is easy to do

Incentivized

• Maybe this was really smooth, but it seemed like implementation was a lot of work. As part of a 4 person implementation team, it took us a month or so of going through tutorials, the help files, and meeting with Epicor consultants to learn how we wanted to use Epicor (that month was pretty light, maybe 5-6 hours per week for each of us). Then it took about 3 months setting up Epicor to meet our needs. (The 4 of us each worked 25-30 hours a week during those 3 months on the implementation since we still had production work to do)
• Epicor can be overwhelming for new users. Our normal users have a hard time at first getting used to it because there is so much to see, learn and do in it, epecially for people with less technical expertise.
• As the person on the implementation team in charge of customizations, my biggest complaint is the lack of documentation on programming in Epicor. While they do have great documentation on how to use many of their built in customization tools, they give you the ability to write code in C# that should allow you to do anything. But, there is very little to no documentation on the API (Application Programming Interface). Most other programs will have a large help file where users can see the thousands of functions available to program within the system with info on what the functions do, how they are accessed and what inputs they need and sample code for each function. With Epicor.. nope, nothing. Maybe if you buy their SDK for another $24,000 they will have a help file included with that. I don't know.

Incentivized

• The application is very functional, but the interface is a little "stale" compared to more modern applications.
• The underlying client software is written in an old version of Microsoft Visual Basic. I suppose SOME DAY, Microsoft will be discontinuing, although Microsoft has its own ERP software written in that same code.

Incentivized

We will renew our investment in Sage 500, mostly because the competition is very expensive and are bloated with options that are not needed.

Incentivized

I give this rating because the software has good functionality and usability. The system does not crash and can also be maintained under overall conditions in any business function. We utilize this to communicate effectively in various areas and make informed business decisions. This is highly rated as we make other changes to our organization

Incentivized

I have been using Intacct for almost 10 years in 2 different companies and I just simply love it. I tried SAP (GUI) and Netsuite and they dont come close to what Ive seen.

Incentivized

If the answer to your problem is not readily available in an answer book, your response or solution will take months, if you get one at all. Problems need to be sent to support and duplicated by them before they try to fix it. This is extremely frustrating because you have to prove to Epicor that you are having an issue. If by some miracle you get by this barrier, your problem is submitted to development for review. You can't speak to them or communicate in any way directly. This group appears to be completely unconcerned about user issues or customer service. Our experiences have been negative across the board.

Incentivized

The online training courses are not up to date. We experienced technical issues with two of the classes.

Incentivized

Keep your database and application in different servers.
Install Microsoft Office on your application server so you can use some of the data analysis tools in Sage.

Incentivized

Epicor ERP has similar functionality to Made2Manage, but is much more flexible and has significantly more additional modules and support available. Versus PeopleSoft, it becomes an unfair comparison, as Epicor is mid-market and PeopleSoft is large-market. Having said that, Epicor is easier to both implement and use, but has far less flexibility. IQMS is the biggest competitor if in the manufacturing space, particularly injection molding, as IQMS is fast becoming a de-facto "standard".

Incentivized

500 seems much smoother at handling some of the basic accounting tasks, for example both issuing and later reconciling checks in Dynamics AX seems a little tedious.

Incentivized

At first, it is difficult to convince every one of its immense capabilities but once the scalability is tapped into some it becomes easier to show and convince how well suited the system is for many disciplines. With constant upgrades and updates, there really just isn't a limit to what can be accomplished.

Incentivized

• Getting better information from custom reports
• Getting better information from modules because they require employees to enter more information and have more fields for them to enter information
• Making some repeat processes quicker, so users can get done with tasks quicker

Incentivized

• Efficiency - enhanced automation
• Cost reduction - simple workspace is enough

Incentivized