Epicor Kinetic helps Finnish manufacturer focus on growing their business
Established in 1984, Fluid-Bag Oy is a manufacturer of flexible containers. The international company manufactures sustainable solutions for the needs of the changing world. The patented flexible container systems include both filling and discharging equipment. With head offices in Pietarsaari, Finland, Fluid-Bag markets and sells its products in Europe and Asia.
Like many medium-sized companies, Fluid-Bag was used to managing their accounts and production books using different applications and separate databases. Billing systems and sales delivery records were kept separate from each other. Information was transferred manually from one system to another. When the business was quite small, this system worked relatively well.
Utilizing their global delivery network for international growth, Fluid-Bag realized that they needed something more efficient and modern to replace the old way of working. All information needed to be gathered in one place.
"It was essential to us not to waste time or energy looking for information from several systems but instead, to focus on our core business. These days we manage the entire process effortlessly, beginning with the initial order through to material handling and delivery," says Jan Backman, chief executive officer for Fluid-Bag.
Fluid-Bag considered three different enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, but decided on Epicor because of the modern qualities of the system, as well as the enthusiastic approach of the Epicor sales team.
Currently, all personnel utilizes the ERP system in one way or another. There are approximately fifty end users, although some activities are limited to a single task, for example, in the warehouse where goods are checked in and out. The company purchased all standard Epicor modules, as well as the Information worker module, which assists with sharing information (and connects with Microsoft ® Outlook ® ). This enables the users to easily utilize their e-mails and information stored in Outlook.
Backman says that information now flows as it should and there is no fear that data is not recorded or lost. He comments, "I would say that the biggest single benefit of choosing Epicor ERP (now known as Kinetic) for us is the fact that we can now easily manage the entire chain from sales to billing and deliveries. Production and material planning, as well as warehouse management, have all improved vastly, compared to the old system. We can see what the situation is in the warehouse in real time from our computers, which naturally is very beneficial to the business."
Fluid-Bag's business operations are now entirely managed with the Epicor ERP system. This gives the company an even greater opportunity to gain new customers and serve the current ones better. When growing internationally, the modern system will ensure that there are no mistakes made along the way.
We would not have been able to execute our future growth plans utilising the old system. Epicor has supplied us with a modern and functional tool, which enables us to confidently grow our business. We can now concentrate on doing what we do best.
"We would not have been able to execute our future growth plans utilizing the old system. Epicor has supplied us with a modern and functional tool, which enables us to confidently grow our business. We can now concentrate on doing what we do best," concludes Backman.
