Unique Fire Chooses Epicor ERP To Achieve Competitive Advantage Through Enhanced Operational Efficiency

Growth plans hindered by inadequate systems

In the last decade, Unique Fire has steadily expanded its operations, building
additional state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and introducing new product lines. Today it is recognized as one of Malaysia’s leading companies involved in the trading and servicing of fire protection equipment, and a well-known manufacturer of extinguishers and fire hose reels.

To facilitate its expansion, management wanted to put in place an enterprise
resource planning (ERP) system that integrated key functions across the business and streamlined its processes. Along with simplifying the processing of information across the company, the ERP platform would deliver a 360-degree view of key performance indicators (KPIs) so managers could identify opportunities for improvements.

“Various departments were operating in silos, and we lacked the end-to-end visibility required to achieve our full potential. Decision-making was often subject to delays and our forecasting was inaccurate,” said Ryan Liew, director of product engineering and services at Unique. As a result, managers struggled to improve the efficiency of processes such as sales order processing or inventory.

“We were frustrated, for example, by the lack of traceability on returns. This meant we needed to keep a high level of inventory on hand to be confident we could fulfill orders,” continued Liew.

Having established the need for an ERP solution, the company considered a number of potential suppliers—including some well-known industry giants.

Improvement in operational efficiency

During the initial three-month implementation phase, Unique Fire deployed Epicor ERP (now known as Kinetic) sales, purchase, production, finance, and shipment modules.

“Thanks to Epicor ERP [Kinetic], we now receive accurate information on a daily basis and are able to comprehensively track all our activities,” explained Liew.

“The overall results have been exceptional. Revenues have gradually increased, and our stock control has improved so much that today we only need to maintain optimum inventory. Our accounts receivable process is also much more efficient, with more accurate and faster debt collection.”

Company-wide utilization promises continued growth

The new Epicor ERP system has also had a positive impact on staff productivity. 

“We have 20 concurrent users of the Epicor system across all departments who now utilize it for their daily operations,” said Liew. “Epicor ERP [Kinetic] is so flexible, user friendly, and straightforward to use that our staff are not only more productive, but also more satisfied with their daily work experience.”

In fact, many staff use tablet computers to access Epicor ERP while away from their desks to serve customers more efficiently and track all customer interactions. They are also able to manage their own work schedules more effectively, and with less direct supervision.

“Training from Epicor partner Finsoft allows new teams get up and running with the system fast. We are in no doubt that Epicor is the best ERP solution for a manufacturing organization such as ours,” continued Liew.

While Unique Fire operates in a sector that does not have a large number of major players, and very few are digitized, implementing Epicor ERP has given the company a distinct advantage—one that is accelerating its success and helping to build a smarter firm. As Mr. Liew said, “We are confident that Epicor ERP [Kinetic] will help Unique Fire continue on our smooth growth path and confirm our industry leadership.”