Our company uses excel files for quoting and estimates everything backward. When processing a job, we have to calculate the production standard and setup hours (see picture below). The excel file (estimate sheet) has the total cost of the setup and then a dollar value for parts/hours. We also have to look up each resource and see what the estimated setup and production rate is for the machine.
For every single operation, we calculate these values by:
Estimated Hours: Setup dollar value / estimated setup rate
Production Rate: estimated production rate / dollar value for parts/hour.
Is there a way to speed up this process? Is there a way to have 2 fields for the estimated setup cost and estimated parts/hour and then have epicor complete the calculations for us based on which resource was selected?
In all seriousness, do you have some programming resources?
This situation sounds like a perfect thing for the Configurator.
It’s an over-simple answer but between the Configurator, the Scheduler, Capabilities, and Resources - the system will calculate all of the things you need.
We don’t have anyone that is a programmer. We have 2 of us that know a little bit about application studio and help out with IT. We don’t have a lot of time to get into very deep. We were asked to look into this and see if there was a simple solution.
I’m still not sure I’m following your original question but it sort of sounds like you want to hammer Epicor into doing things the old/hard way, when you should utilize Epicor to do all the work for you.
If you set up your manufactured parts, revisions and MOM/BOMs, and utilizes the Resources and Resource Groups to contain you hourly rates $$, then you should be able to create a Quote where you specify the manufacturing details, and the system will calculate all of your estimated costs. then when you produce and log time/materials to the job, you have your actual. AND you’ll have all the data you need to make comparisons.
Why would you not use Epicor to do the work and record ALL of the time and material transactions for whatever analysis you need?
To add on to what @MikeGross said, you should learn the base functionality of how Epicor works and then see how you could fit your current process into the system. The biggest mistake that most companies make is taking their current processes and forcing them into Epicor. If you would just learn how Epicor works first and then look at how to make Epicor work for your business, you will be better off.
I agree with both of you. Our company is “old school” and doesn’t want to create quotes in Epicor. I was trying to find a way around it, but it looks like I need to convince them to use the quoting module in Epicor.
Try the “5 Why” problem solving technique on your use of excel instead of Epicor. The quicker you get to the root cause, the quicker the problem will get resolved.
