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Paperchine has chosen to install Encompix ERP to fill its manufacturing software requirements, and implementation has begun.

Located in Rockton, Illinois, Paperchine, Inc. was first formed in 2000 by four former Beloit Corporation executives dedicated to establishing a U.S.-based company which would be “composed of top professionals dedicated to the paper industry,” filling those roles first with themselves. 

Twice named one of the fastest growing American companies by Entrepreneur magazine, Paperchine today boasts over 100 proven professionals in the paper industry providing customers with engineering, technical support, and manufacturing teams.

Encompix is a business unit of Made2Manage Systems and has specialized in manufacturing software requirements of engineer-to-order companies since 1992.

Printing vendor Brother Gulf has announced it is entering the final stages of implementing a new enterprise resource planning system from Swedish business software developer IFS.

Brother Gulf may have an axe or two to grind, because IT managers there did point out specifically that the IFS system will be replacing an Orion ERP system from 3i Infotech and that the felt the latest version of Orion “had too many disadvantages.” With the change, Brother Gulf also decided against SAP software, due to time concerns.

Hilariously enough, Brother Gulf customer support manager Nizar Wehby actually complained about the upgraded Orion and 3i Infotech to IT Weekly. “They [3i Infotech] changed the interface only [with the upgraded version] but the core was the same. The old one was like two or three modules, hardly related or integrated together, and it does not have many things that we required.” In response, 3i representatives took their case to the media, with one spokesman stating to itp.net that “Brother Gulf had not evaluated the latest version and therefore he did not know how the vendor could make a comparison between its version of Orion and the latest upgrade.”

In any event, what’s done is done, and what’s done is Brother’s purchasing of six modules from IFS including finance, distribution, accounting, service management, and customer relationship management at a cost of approximately US $700,000.

Ranjit Gurkar, Brother Gulf general manager, has described the implementation as a “total overhaul.” Thus far, the implementation has taken 18 months, but online services were up and running in January. The next step for Brother is implementation of a CRM system and a web portal that would allow partners to log into the vendor’s system and check their account status and place orders. This advance is expected sometime in 2007.

Hong Kong-based die-casting manufacturer Ka Shui Holdings has selected Epicor Vantage ERP. Ka Shui is currently undergoing a pretty serious expansion right now, adding two manufacturing facilities in China totaling approximately 500,000 square feet and employing 3,500 staff.

Ka Shui hopes to exploit Vantage ERP particularly in areas of reducing production and servicing costs, shortening delivery lead time and making timely data analysis.

Epicor CRS provides retail management software, hardware, and services to a retail clientele spanning more than 50,000 in-store systems in 32 countries and 10 languages. Epicor clients include Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor, Barnes & Noble, bebe, Cache, Chico’s, Coach, Dress Barn, Eileen Fisher, Factory Connection, Finish Line, Foot Locker, GNC, J.Crew, Mikasa, Skechers, Stage Stores, Transworld Entertainment, Tuesday Morning, Inc., Yankee Candle Company and Zumiez. Epicor CRS employs more than 360 in Newburgh, N.Y., Seattle, Wash., and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Founded in 1984, Irvine, Calif.-based Epicor Software serves over 20,000 customers in more than 140 countries in thirty-one languages. Epicor delivers end-to-end, industry-specific solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services.

The buzzwords in CRM and ERP these days are “go lean,” and aerospace supplier Neomet announced just that last week.

Neomet, which manufactures high performance gas path seals for aero gas turbine engines, has begun implementation of the Syspro ERP system from McGuffie Brunton, which will go live in December. Neomet “expects lean improvements” from the system “immediately.”

Neomet Ltd is part of global surface technology specialist Sulzer Metco Turbine Components and reports an increase in demand for its fabricated honeycomb parts. Neomet experienced the typical growing pains of a burgeoning firm and wanted to move to ERP … “but,” reads company PR, “ERP geared to the requirements of SME manufacturers.”

The firm says key goals are: to introduce lean manufacturing with automated shop floor data capture (SFDC); to maintain its stock area; and to improve the company’s quotation and order processes. Neomet intends to introduce the system in two phases, with the SFDC system going live in 2007, potentially extending to integrated customer relationship management later.

Cleverly named Smart Software, Inc., a provider of demand forecasting, planning and inventory optimization solutions, today announced that privately held pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma has purchased Smart Forecasts Enterprise for its Canadian headquarters in Pickering, Ontario. Purdue will integrate Smart Forecasts with its JD Edwards ERP system.

Purdue Pharma has been using a smaller Smart Forecasts system for almost ten years. In addition to the current upgrade, Smart Software has provided consulting and integration services that will enable Purdue to integrate Smart Forecasts the Edwards system via customized solutions. The solutions will mainly be based in areas such as forecasting, inventory stocking recommendation, sales and marketing.

Headquartered in Belmont, Mass., Smart Software, Inc. was founded in 1984 and specializes in enterprise-wide demand forecasting, planning and inventory optimization solutions. Smart Software’s flagship product is Smart Forecasts, among whose users include folks at Monsanto, Mitsubishi, Siemens, Disney, Pfizer, GE and The Coca-Cola Company. Smart Forecasts is a cross-industry solution which can be integrated with Oracle, IBM DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server, and ERP and SCM systems such as Epicor, Adonix, and SAP. Purdue Pharma L.P. and its associated companies are privately-held pharmaceutical companies specializing in pioneering research on persistent pain.

Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., Purdue is engaged in the research, development, production, and distribution of both prescription and over-the-counter medicines and hospital products.

It’s September. Are you ready to hit the slopes in British Columbia yet? If so, Whistler’s ready for you with Agresso ERP. Whistler – or, as tourist information would have it, the Resort Municipality of Whistler – sees a mammoth increase in population come ski season every year.

With a population of around 9,965 in the off-season, when the snow falls, more than twice that many stay in second homes in the B.C. town. An estimated 20,000 further will visit through early spring. The town of Whistler itself employs 435 at peak season, about half of which are part-time or seasonal workers to support the sudden annual population boom.

And with the added future calendar date of 2010 marking Whistler’s turn as the “host mountain resort” for the Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games – reportedly the first time a township has been given the official designation by the International Olympic Committee, the Whistlers no doubt it was time to go a bit more high-tech.

According to IT Business Canada, Heather Paul was most instrumental in bring ERP to Whistler. Paul serves as both systems manager for the municipality and president of the Agresso North American Users Group.

Paul recently stated that Whistler is currently in the process of switching to Agresso ERP’s .Net version. The implementation is expected to be complete by December. Thus far, Whistler has implemented the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory and procurement, project costing and billing, and budget manager modules of the software. The most notable change for the city to this point has been the easing of IT department burdens of mix-and-match programs.

Paul had also taken into account the green nature of the ERP systems in terms of paper waste. Agresso has also enabled IT to do project costing and billing in order to manage capital projects spending. That means billable expenses, such as lawyers’ fees, can be billed back to external entities. Since the 2010 Olympics will require numerous construction projects and public works improvements to be tracked, Agresso software is planned to be extended for this use.

With a focus on organizations in transition, Agresso is deployed in 100 countries with more than 10,000 sites in 2,400 organizations and some 1.1 million users. Agresso is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unit 4 Agresso, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and employs approximately 2,300 worldwide. Unit 4 Agresso is a producer of business software for service companies and organizations and supplier of security software reaching US $450 million in revenues in 2005.

ERP software designer and developer IQMS has released its Intercompany Transaction module for immediate availability. Intercompany Transaction is employed with EnterpriseIQ, the IQMS single-source ERP software solution. ITC boasts comprehensive distribution and eKanban functionality, promising to enable synchronized, web-based control of transactions across multiple facilities and even subsidiaries.

The ITC module features graphic displays and transaction wizards to guide users through setup and standard operations. The new module also promises simplification of distribution processes via use of a pick ticket, packing slip or bill of lading. Founded in 1989, IQMS is a designer and developer of ERP software for repetitive, process and discrete manufacturing industries.

Today, IQMS provides leading real-time manufacturing, accounting, production monitoring, quality control, supply chain, CRM and eBusiness solutions to the automotive, medical, packaging, consumer goods and other manufacturing markets. IQMS has offices in North America, Europe and Asia.

And more good news for Epicor. Planned Storage Systems, a UK-based storage solutions manufacturer, has announced its imminent implementation of Epicor Software Corporation’s Vantage 8.0 manufacturing enterprise resource planning solution. PSS will deploy core Epicor Vantage 8.0 manufacturing and scheduling alongside Epicor iScala financials at its UK and Romanian sites by November 2006.

A further more advanced implementation of additional planning, CRM and SRM modules will commence in early 2007. Planned Storage Systems representatives noted that the new system would be employed in the firm’s near-future plans to expand in Eastern Europe. In March of 2006, PSS began a selection process based initially on eight candidate recommendations by an independent ERP consultant. Over a three-month process of evaluation and comparison, PSS reached a shortlist of three solutions from Epicor, Exact and Sage.

With over 30 years experience as one of the leading UK manufacturers of storage solutions, PSS is accredited to ISO 9001 standards with an extensive list of clients including Asda, B&Q and Exel Logistics. PSS storage solutions include Adjustable Pallet Racking; Pallet and Carton Live Storage; Hanging Garment Racking; Long Span Shelving; Nashville Safety Shelving; and Mezzanine Floors.

Epicor Software Corporation, a provider of enterprise business software solutions for the mid-market and divisions of the Global 1000, has opened a “Retail Center of Excellence” at the company’s European headquarters in Bracknell, United Kingdom.

The center is based on the “synergies” (and who doesn’t love a good synergy?) in the wake of the firm’s December 2005 acquisition of its retail solutions division, Epicor CRS, and will reportedly act as a central point from which Epicor will distribute retail solutions worldwide. Utilizing existing Epicor infrastructure, the company strategy entails expansion of Epicor CRS global services and support beginning with the center.

The retail center of excellence will be headed by newly named European sales director Karan Sofat. Sofat is noted as the co-founder of U.K.-based CRS value-added reseller KPOS Computer Systems and has more than 20 years of international retail experience. Sofat most recently served as sales director with Torex Retail following its acquisition of KPOS. Sofat’s responsibilities include the expansion the retail sales and support team in the U.K. to support parallel international expansion plans, such as the release of localized versions of CRS RetailStore for Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Spain and the U.K.

Epicor CRS provides retail management software, hardware, and services to a retail clientele spanning more than 50,000 in-store systems in 32 countries and 10 languages. Epicor clients include Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor, Barnes & Noble, bebe, Cache, Chico’s, Coach, Dress Barn, Eileen Fisher, Factory Connection, Finish Line, Foot Locker, GNC, J.Crew, Mikasa, Skechers, Stage Stores, Transworld Entertainment, Tuesday Morning, Inc., Yankee Candle Company and Zumiez. Epicor CRS employs more than 360 in Newburgh, N.Y., Seattle, Wash., and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Founded in 1984, Irvine, Calif.-based Epicor Software serves over 20,000 customers in more than 140 countries in thirty-one languages. Epicor delivers end-to-end, industry-specific solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services.