Drallim reports 4,400 hour efficiency improvement on Epicor ERP

Managing director Dave Mooney states that, within the first few months of operation, it has become clear that administrative efficiencies alone are saving Drallim 4,400-plus hours per year across 30 users. That means process improvements, he says, with reduced lead times across the entire company and efficiencies in all areas of the business, including report preparation, serial number control, goods receiving, supplier payments, general ledger management and systems administration. Cash flow has also been significantly improved, says Mooney, through an electronic account receivable payment interface that has seen payment terms drop from 60 days to an average of just five. "Updating our ERP system was central to solving these problems and becoming more efficient," states Mooney. "The future of the company would only be secured by remaining competitive, so we wanted a solution that would solve the challenges we had now and help us build the business in the future," he adds. Epicor ERP has been deployed as part of a three-year strategic planning cycle to update IT systems and facilitate the transition of four acquisitions into a single organisation. Drallim selected Epicor chiefly because of its financials, the level of functionality out of the box for businesses in its engineering sectors, and its upgrade path from the older Avante ERP system. "Agility is key to our success," comments Mooney. "Epicor allows us to move quickly and quote for projects in a way that will make us profit, and remain competitive in terms of cost, quality, and delivery timescales," he adds. And as a footnote, Mooney also notes that this project came in 23% under budget, while annual IT support costs are already down 21%.