Niro Ceramic Chooses Epicor for Asia Operations

Niro Ceramic has chosen Epicor as its enterprise resource planning (ERP) provider. Niro has 1,000 staff spread across five production lines in Malaysia and Indonesia, including an integrated OEM operation in China. With an output of over 3.7 million square meters annually, and operations spanning over 60 countries and growing, the firm needed an integrated and scalable IT solution to support its rapid international expansion plans.

“Our existing systems present integration problems that hinder strategic planning and accurate assessment of needs, and therefore are not able to support changes in our business growth,” said Ian Kok, executive director, Niro. “Epicor‟s ERP solution, on the other hand, is flexible and specific to our industry. They offer a 50 percent shorter implementation timeframe, and can scale to support our growth plans internationally, all with a familiar interface that makes it easy for our staff to use.”

Epicor also offers a single, end-to-end solution that goes beyond traditional ERP, encompassing financial, inventory and manufacturing management capabilities, in addition to in-depth supply chain management, customer relationship management, business intelligence and enterprise performance management functionality. That, together with the wide range of features, was a key contributing factor for why Niro selected Epicor over its competition.

The close alignment with Microsoft technology such as Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft SharePoint was also a key reason for Niro‟s choice. This allows users to access the software through various means, from standard application forms to Microsoft Office applications and mobile devices.

It is also easy to train users, as it runs on a familiar interface. With customers such as KLCC and the KL Hilton Hotel in Malaysia, Pebble Bay in Bangalore, India, as well as BMW in the region, it was critical that the ERP solution supports Niro’s operations across multiple sites as well as manage multi-currency and compliance requirements.

With the Epicor solution, Niro can reap the benefits of a centralised repository of timely, accurate business data, as well as reduce the activity-overlaps; all of which combine to potentially lower overhead costs and maximise profit margins.