It was about three years ago, while I was driving to the airport. The Epicor customer account manager on the other end of the call faced a challenge with a customer who wanted to move to the cloud, but required specific hosting solutions that made this difficult. Customers often chose hosting options based on their unique requirements, such as hosting their entire infrastructure in one central location, geographic challenges, or the need for direct access to their data for a variety of purposes. In this unique case, the customer required a solution we didn’t have in-house, and we were at risk of losing the account.

To address the issue, I called Mark Jamieson at 2WTech. His team was able to offer a custom cloud solution that met the customer’s specific needs. Today—and hundreds of customers later—this partnership allows us to offer a private cloud solution with subscription pricing, making it more cost effective for customers while still providing the flexibility they require.

A Competitive Advantage

Innovation and adaptation are critical to success. One way we achieve this is by leveraging the power of partnerships through a deliberate channel strategy. By collaborating with partners, we tap into their expertise, resources, and networks, ultimately delivering better value to our prospects and customers. This approach not only helps us scale our relationships at the pace of our customers’ growth, but also fosters innovation and drives industry advancements. Our partners are much more than re-sellers of our technology. They offer the innovative solutions, vertical expertise, and geographic expansion required to drive mutual success.

Vertical Expertise: Aerospace and Defense

Our partnership with Cre8tive Technology and Design is a prime example of niche, vertical expertise. Aaron Continelli and his team have built a practice around aerospace and defense, dedicating their resources to understand and meet the unique requirements of this industry. By doing so, they create tailored solutions that address the specific needs of aerospace and defense customers, setting them apart from competitors.

One example is with Enjet Aero, a precision machined and fabricated component manufacturer for commercial and military aircraft engine OEMs. With Cre8tive, we were able to help Enjet become more agile, proactive, and reliable while supporting growth and operational excellence in a variety of areas:

  • Supply Chain Management: Delivering improvements with real-time data sharing and coordination between sites.
  • Operational Efficiency: Enabling better scheduling, planning, and purchasing.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions: Providing the ability to scale M&A, with acquired companies becoming operational within days.
  • Data Insights: Developing a transparency that helps Enjet react swiftly to market changes.

Geographic Expansion: Latin America

As a global company, we must be cognizant of creating innovation in the markets we serve as well as those in which we prioritize growth. Latin America is no exception. Our partnership with Technology Coast Partners in LATAM demonstrates the importance of understanding and addressing regional and country-specific complexities in plastics, industrial machinery, and automative manufacturing, among many industries. Technology Coast Partners has developed solutions that cater to the unique needs of customers in South America, such as integrating with local CRM and eCommerce solutions. This approach allows us to maintain a strong presence in the region while providing customers with tailored solutions that meet their specific requirements.

A useful illustration is with Cerrey, a world-leading boiler manufacturer struggling with obsolete technology that led to issues with material traceability. We provided the needed flexibility by adapting displays to fit with existing applications, creating greater data transparency among many other benefits:

  • Growth: By integrating with existing technologies and providing the necessary tools and support, the addition of Epicor created opportunities instead of obstacles.
  • Streamlined Processes: Cerrey now maintains the integrity of information from creation to completion.
  • Competition: Cerrey keeps its edge in crowded markets by moving faster and with greater flexibility.

Read the full success story here en español.

There are several high value factors but I think the one that is the most important is how hard Epicor has worked over the last few years in building the trust of the channel, in sales, marketing, technology, support, customer focus, as an Epicor partner there is a sense of certainty and visibility that gives us confidence to invest and grow our partnership.

Ivan Rebolledo
CRO │ Technology Coast Partners

Overcoming Challenges and Building Trust

In recent years, we’ve embarked on a journey to strengthen our partner ecosystem. We're committed to empowering our partners to deliver exceptional value to our customers. By fostering a collaborative environment, we're enabling our partners to:

  • Expand their reach: Access new markets and customer segments.
  • Enhance their offerings: Deliver comprehensive solutions that address a wide range of customer needs.
  • Accelerate growth: Drive revenue and profitability through innovative partnerships.

But if I’m being transparent, we’ve faced some hurdles in our journey, and it’s been a brick-by-brick effort to create the thriving channel program we have today. By steadily growing the prominence of our channel in sales, innovation, and subject matter expertise, we’ve demonstrated our commitment to collaboration and showcasing the success of these partnerships. This has allowed us to build trust and attract new partners who are willing to invest in both their business and ours.

With that, we’re excited to expand our channel partnerships into the Distribution vertical. We see tremendous opportunity for organizations to join us and be part of industry-changing momentum to deliver 10x value to our customers. Reach out to learn more about becoming a partner here or schedule some time to talk with us directly.

Brenda Nobleza
Vice President, Channel Solutions

Brenda Nobleza is the Vice President of Channel Solutions at Epicor. She is known for fostering a work environment that is open, collaborative, and growth-focused. Her influence extends throughout the organization, including mentoring women early in their careers.

Read More by Brenda Nobleza