PCBA Manufacturer Aimtron Chooses Epicor Kinetic to Support Business Expansion and Compliance
Founded in 2009, Aimtron is a highly sophisticated printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) manufacturer that delivers thermal management technology to verticals such as medical, military, automotive, consumer, commercial, gaming, and alternative energy. Its capabilities range from small, rapid-turn prototypes to high-volume domestic and offshore manufacturing.
Aimtron management was frustrated that every business department worked in a silo. Legacy systems were incapable of communicating with each other, which kept the company from achieving a single, consolidated view of the business. Operating across two different legal entities-one in the U.S. and the other in India-also made the job tougher. As a result, the company realized it could not undertake effective and efficient financial planning at a group level.
As Aimtron marched towards expansion with new acquisitions, their old enterprise resource planning (ERP) system was not capable of integrating the different software solutions that came with the newly acquired companies.
In addition, the entire supply chain lacked seamless processes and planning capabilities. For example, the company would source new business opportunities in the U.S. and subcontract production to the Indian facility. However, they did not have a clear picture of the progress and production activities in India, which raised issues in inventory planning, waste, and customer communication. Ultimately, there was no supply chain transparency to help with efficient planning of resources and decision-making.
Another challenge was that the systems and data of the two legal entities were not integrated. This meant that meeting global standards such as Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-14) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance was difficult.
Also, the company's application handling operations and accounts were incapable of producing detailed reports that would help the company stay abreast of day-to-day activities.
To address these challenges, Aimtron decided it was time to upgrade to a modern ERP solution that would enable them to meet their business goals.
Aimtron needed an ERP system that would be a good fit for their manufacturing processes and drive efficiencies and improvement across the supply chain. The solution also needed to enable information sharing across the business, real-time reporting, and online capabilities-enabling visibility across U.S. and Indian operations.
“In an attempt to overcome our growth challenges and lay a basis for growth within the company, we were looking for an ERP system that was as adaptable and changeable as our day-to-day environment,” said Pranav Patel, CIO for Aimtron.
“Epicor-being a U.S.-based company-understands our compliance requirements. Its products have built-in specifications to make it fully compliant with U.S. regulations. It just took care of all the compliance diktats without us having to worry about it,” he added.
Working with Corporate-Serve Solutions Pvt. Ltd-an authorized Channel Partner for Epicor in India-Aimtron began to evaluate the leading ERP solutions in the market. They selected Epicor because it fulfilled the company's criteria and demonstrated confidence in helping shape the business and prepare for future growth. Epicor Kinetic was a natural fit, as Aimtron's parent company was already using the same system, which made integration even easier.
The ERP system currently has 15 concurrent users across departments such as merchandising, procurement, production, quality, dispatch, and finance.
In addition, the manufacturing company has integrated many in-house applications that capture data, so employees can use Epicor forms and generate alerts, workflows, and reports much easier than before. It quickly brings up segregated information such as vendor or location-based data as and when needed.
Since the implementation of Epicor Kinetic, Aimtron has improved efficiency so much that they achieved a 23 percent reduction in production staffing costs. The business has also saved more than seven percent thanks to lowered inventory costs.
Implementing the new global Kinetic system has meant creating a single database across multiple legal entities. With this consolidation, data is now available in real time to staff at the U.S. office. The Epicor implementation in India also helped Aimtron achieve quality cost control and data transparency over U.S. and international manufacturing.
“With Epicor Kinetic in place, we have improved our decision-making processes considerably. Before, we faced problems with material planning, ineffective inventory management, and purchasing. Now, we can plan and track materials more efficiently and conduct timely follow-up with customers about outstanding payments-all of which has had a positive impact on our business,” said Patel.
The new system has also made Aimtron's business more responsive. The U.S. and Indian legal entities operate in two different time zones, and the key authorities that approve each step sit in the U.S. With the implementation of the new Kinetic system, they can now monitor the manufacturing process, track shipments, and access financial information at any time. It has also made it easier for staff to access documents such as contracts and orders. Supplier information-including delivery “The Epicor Kinetic system helps us integrate business acquisitions effectively. It has reduced the time it takes to transition acquired businesses in terms of configuration, implementation, and training. We can get a newly acquired business integrated at group level and ensure it is up and running in 30-45 days” says Pranav Patel, CIO of Aimtron. Aimtron having lead times stored within the system has assisted in improving production planning and inventory management.
The Epicor Kinetic system features training modules that help newly hired employees get up and running easily and quickly. It also allows users to create knowledge databases so that employees can store and share their expertise.
“Epicor Kinetic is an end-to-end solution that solves our challenges throughout our business cycle. It helps us in all functions such as supply chain planning, manufacturing, design, development, and export. It is a great fit for our business. Moreover, it ensures ease of acquisition and extension of our business, which is very important for Aimtron in order to achieve its current and future business goals,” concluded Patel.
