The company has a flexible manufacturing operation over a number of sites in Scotland, and was looking for a local implementation partner that had a deep understanding of the particular challenges faced by the manufacturing industry. In addition, Arran Aromatics also required an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that met its specific business needs-including the ability to support multisite, international operations, CRM and sales support, and financial management and billing.
Arran Aromatics knew that in order to succeed and stay ahead of its competitors, it would need to undertake a major software upgrade from its legacy systems to a modern provider.
Arran Aromatics looked at a number of different software providers on the market, and after undertaking a comprehensive review of all the prospective providers, the company decided to choose Epicor partner RAD to assist them in implementing Epicor ERP (now known as Kinetic). RAD's in-depth understanding and expertise of the manufacturing industry attracted Arran Aromatics. They also liked the ability of Epicor ERP to support the manufacturing processes and the specific criteria required for Arran Aromatic's particular growth challenges.
“We needed an ERP system that would not only help the company to grow, but a solution that would grow with us. In addition to this, we wanted a local partner that really understood operations within the manufacturing industry, and the combined expertise of RAD and Epicor in the industry allowed us to make this decision,” says Gillian Fernie, finance director for Arran Aromatics.
Use within the company
Epicor ERP has now been implemented for over a year, and is currently being used by 50-60 employees throughout the company. Although not all of the system's capacity is being used yet, the Arran Aromatics team plans to make further use of the available processes in the software as they become more familiar with the system and how it works. This will help set Arran Aromatics up for future growth, as they are confident that RAD and Epicor ERP can scale as the company expands.
“In comparison to the older systems we had in place, Epicor ERP [Kinetic] is very different and offers more functionalities and features. Employees are taking time to get used to the software and to know how to make the most of it in order for us to achieve our growth goals. RAD was particularly helpful and supportive when it came to training the staff, and has helped make what was a complex process that little bit easier,” continues Fernie.
Epicor ERP has become the backbone of the company since implementation, and although it's still a fairly new tool for them, it is already helping with scheduling and purchasing. The new system has also removed some of the manual processes within the company-particularly the paper requirements. With this in mind, the company has witnessed a significant improvement in productivity, and Fernie comments, “Without RAD's excellent support, we certainly wouldn't be where we are today.”