When a leading North American manufacturer of small kitchen appliances decided to upgrade its legacy AS400 system to the more advanced Epicor platform, the goal was clear: improve efficiency and modernize their EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) capabilities. However, the transition was far from smooth, leading to operational challenges and transaction failures. Following a chaotic go-live, the EDI Partners team was called in to help navigate the complex implementation and bring stability to the organization’’s operations.
Problem
Prior to engaging with EDI Partners, the manufacturing organization initiated its journey to modernize its ERP system, moving from AS400 to Epicor. This in turn, created a need to modernize their EDI system as well. The switch was ambitious, involving:
- 150 active trading partners
- 13 different transaction types
- 795,000 outbound transactions
- 433,000 purchase orders over six months
When the system went live, issues quickly began piling up. Thousands of transactions failed, causing disruptions that required extensive manual intervention. The organization struggled to manage the fallout, particularly with key partners. The EDI outbox remained backlogged for over two years before issues were fully cleared. It was clear that they needed expert intervention to get things back on track.
Solution
The organization turned to EDI Partners for help, who took a structured, hands-on approach to stabilize the situation:
- Initial Analysis and Error Identification: EDI Partners quickly identified critical errors in transaction mapping and configuration, which were major contributors to the backlog.
- Collaboration and Team Approach with Other Vendors: EDI Partners worked closely with the other supporting vendors, which provided dedicated support to untangle the backlog and address urgent errors.
- Focused Project Management: The EDI Partners team coordinated meetings with sales, finance, customer operations and warehouse teams to prioritize tasks and address the most pressing issues.
- Trading Partner Optimization: EDI Partners assisted in streamlining the onboarding process for new trading partners, ensuring projects were kept on track and completed timely.
- Manual Interventions and Crisis Management: In the first days post-launch, EDI Partners manually created ASN files for high-priority trading partners to keep business operations running smoothly.
- Trust and Transparency: EDI Partners’ honest communication and transparent billing practices built a high level of trust with the organization’s management. EDI Partners only billed for actual work completed, reinforcing confidence in their commitment.
Results
EDI Partners’ intervention led to significant improvements:
- Stabilized EDI Operations: The backlog that resulted from challenges with the ERP go-live was finally cleared, allowing the client to return to a structured, organized team approach to EDI support and onboarding.
- Reduced Manual Interventions: Transaction processing errors were resolved, cutting down the need for manual fixes.
- Smooth System Upgrades: With EDI Partners’ support, the client successfully navigated a major ERP upgrade in February 2024 without disruptions.
- Improved Partner Relationships: The advanced EDI capabilities helped strengthen the client’s relationships with key trading partners.
- Increased Trust and Confidence: Transparent communication and effective technical expertise cemented EDI Partners as a trusted partner for the client.
Conclusion
EDI Partners’ hands-on expertise and structured approach turned a challenging transition into a well-managed, efficient EDI system for this client. Through dedicated support, strategic problem-solving and a commitment to transparency, EDI Partners helped them achieve operational stability and regain confidence in its ERP and EDI infrastructure.
If your organization is facing EDI challenges or planning a major systems upgrade, EDI Partners is here to help. The EDI Partners Team’s deep knowledge of both the technical and business aspects of EDI can be a major asset to your organization. Reach out to us today and discover how we can bring stability and efficiency to your operations.
