Epicor Software Corp. has introduced new business-management software for the automotive aftermarket.

Supply chains are becoming more complex in order to support the increasingly diverse levels sizes and needs of new suppliers and customers. There are so many variables that can go into a single sale, like selling across multiple channels, delivering products directly versus delivering through drop shipments, and selling items with one-time charges as well as recurring fees. This transformation is having a tremendous impact on organizations of all shapes and sizes. As supply chain complexity builds, it's important that companies aren't spending more time entering and managing data rather than focusing on growing their business. They should have a well-integrated, audited and secure system that can be precisely reported on at every level.

Epicor Software Corp. has made generally available version 8.7.9 of Epicor Eclipse, its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for wholesale distribution.

There is no shortage of software-as-a-service (SaaS)–based manufacturing enterprise resource planning software offerings nowadays, for almost any vertical manufacturing market segment. But while cloud and hosted solutions are routine for many types of business software across various industries, manufacturing businesses still express a lot of skepticism, uncertainty and concern about the applicability of cloud software to their business.

Deacom Inc., a vendor of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, has developed a mobile application for users of Deacom ERP.

Since their inception, ERP systems have demonstrated their value in connecting business functions by bringing together data and making it accessible within an organization. However, with the globalization of supply chains and the increased need for collaboration, the ERP systems that once promised to be the "do-all" solution are proving insufficient when it comes to aligning business functions outside of the four walls of an organization. Sales and operations planning (S&OP) is one of those functions.