Launched in December 2022 as a way of honoring employees who go above and beyond in their roles with the company, our first Spirit of Encompass Award has been won by our Marketing Lead, Ashley Limbers!

The Spirit of Encompass Award was established by our managing partners as a way for coworkers to nominate one of their own: the person who best embodied our corporate ideals that previous year by taking the initiative with integrity, innovation, and helpfulness in our shared cause of delivering exceptional customer care. The votes themselves, by being privately peer-nominated, provide insights into efforts that aren’t always evident from accounting and timesheet totals.

Ashley has worked at Encompass Solutions for seven months and is currently the Marketing Lead, overseeing all activities and communication channels used to promote the brand and products of the company. Simply put, Ashley’s peers think she is a Rockstar, with comments like “Ashley took on a role that had been vacant and hit her stride with limited resources for training. Not only did she quickly fill the gap, but she also significantly improved internal and external communication, organized social events, helped plan the retreat, and championed charity events. Ashley has made a huge difference in a relatively short time, and I am excited to see what she will do in the future!”

“She delivers on what she promises, and if she can’t meet her deadlines, she will tell you why to ask for support and presents the ‘next best options’. Ashley is extremely busy with her the tasks and responsibilities of her marketing role, yet is always willing to help with company events, charitable initiatives, corporate communications, and even decorating the office for seasonal celebrations. When it comes to organizing her work and planning for the future, Ashley is on top of it.”

“Ashley has fantastic people skills and a work ethic at play. She is always there behind the scenes supporting customers, sales, and the larger team. That is the heart of Encompass as an organization. We are not, and probably should be, superstars in our engagements. We exist in service roles to our customers and peers to support them as needed with color, humanity, humility, and flair.” That’s sort of Ashley’s universe.”

In receiving the award, Ashley said, “I am honored and humbled to be recognized, and I could not have achieved this award without our amazing team. I am grateful for all we have accomplished this year, and I am proud to work for an organization that focuses on innovation and its clients and staff”.

Well done, and many congratulations to Ashley!


To succeed in Make-to-Order (MTO) and Engineer-to-Order (MTO) manufacturing, you must meet your clients’ diverse needs efficiently and quickly. Today’s customers are increasingly sophisticated, demanding more personalized and configurable products. Consequently, every savvy manufacturer strives to implement innovative processes that beat the obstacles of mass customization. The right technologies can help you address your business and client’s needs and gain a competitive edge. In this pursuit for excellence, an aggressively proficient tool can come in handy. You need a production scheduling solution that can handle special job requirements, visibility, and inventory control. This is where Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software comes in.

This detailed guide will take you through the basics of this revolutionary software, including how it works and how manufacturers can use it to enhance their MTO and ETO robotics components.

The Need for ERP for Robotic Manufacturers

In the current era of the human-centric Industry 5.0, manufacturers are getting the most out of automation to drive efficiency. Companies nowadays make even more significant productivity gains by combining manufacturing automation with advanced technologies like robotics.

Generally, every modern manufacturer strives to achieve sustained business growth and increased revenue. Common strategies include:

  • Producing high-value products.
  • Establishing a loyal clientele.
  • Navigating the disruptions typical of today’s dynamic global markets.

But juggling all these simultaneously isn’t as cut and dried. The solution lies in acquiring basic comprehension of the most accessible and potentially impactful automation aspects. Fortunately, you can seek refuge in a reliable ERP solution.

The Benefits of ERP Solutions

At its core, Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP tools comprise integrated business management processes and tools you can use to oversee your company’s data.

The tool manages your daily operations like procurement, supply chain operations, accounting, compliance and risk management, and project management. Moreover, you can connect it to your machines for better insight into your worker’s and equipment’s performance.

This purpose-built manufacturing tool offers numerous capabilities and features geared towards a competitive advantage. Companies already getting the most out of these tools report the following benefits.

Visibility And Projection Flexibility

These tools offer around-the-clock visibility into your entire manufacturing process and product scope. They save each project’s data, enabling product prediction while allowing you to make appropriate adjustments to your strategy and on-the-fly changes to the company’s supply chain.

Improved Lead Times And Less Waste

This human-centered technology ensures optimal productivity by simplifying processes. The ability to leverage data from previous projects can significantly reduce waste as you’ll be implementing lean strategies.

It Aids In Project Management

ERP’s integrated project management facilitates phase planning and budget creation, storing your data in one location. This includes variance chance orders, task management, invoices, sales orders, purchasing, project-based scheduling, and manufacturing job views.

Advanced Analytics

These tools offer around-the-clock access to real-time production data. They record and review your product’s entire lifecycle, including project purchase records and audit trails. So you can always be sure of backed metrics to aid your decision-making – even if you have to decide on the go.

Aids Scheduling And Planning

ERP solutions inform you of each order’s real-time status, providing superior operational oversights to help you address problems, meet deadlines, tweak workflows, track capabilities, and boost collaboration using the social networking tool. By including manufacturing-focused tools in scheduling and planning, you’ll streamline your process to ensure clients receive the highest quality products on time.

Compliance

By automating your compliance process, you can be sure that you’re always on the right side of the law. The software also provides a comprehensive compliance standards trail for delivery, sourcing, production, and design stages.

Seamless Communication

Besides being a proven streamlining framework for business processes, this tool enables seamless product information communication with complete workflows. This includes client sign-off at all the vital stages, from concept design to provide the final estimate.

Serialization 

Most tools fail to address the crucial aspect of manufacturing: serializing finished products and their components. But an ERP tool will keep you ahead by taking care of serialization, returns, and warranties.

How ERP Software Works

In the most basic sense, Enterprise Resource Planning software simplifies business processes by decentralizing your information database and automating routine tasks. It meets complex needs by supplying the right tools to refine operations, obtain actionable insights, and maintain great partner and client relationships.

ERP streamlines processes to meet demand without increasing costs or sacrificing quality, improving your business performance.

Typically, small and medium-sized entities aren’t self-sufficient. So they rely on external suppliers to support operations. But what happens if your sole source of manufacturing components goes belly up or fails to deliver the vital parts? Your operations will probably come to a halt, and you’ll fail to yield on your orders.

Managing your supplier relationships and maintaining a network of reliable collaborations is crucial. This is your best way to maintain the consistency and quality your client depends on. ERP software provides great supplier relationship tools for this job. It automates vast supply chain processes and empowers manufacturers to make informed decisions and get an edge in the competitive landscape.

The system can serve as your single source of truth or repository for all records, helping you preserve accuracy, fix redundant data entry, and streamline workflows. It supersedes supplier relationship management capabilities to offer a complete suite of supply chain management tools, including the following:

  • Purchase Management
  • Manifesting and Freight Management
  • Advanced Material Management
  • Warehouse Management
  • Supplier Relationship Management
  • Supplier Connect
  • Shipping and Receiving
  • Inventory Management
  • Handhelds

Enhance Your Supplier Relationships and Supply Chain Management

At Encompass Solutions, we understand the role of automation and robotics in manufacturing. Thus, we provide the right solutions to help you excel and scale your processes to meet the demands of today’s growing market.

With years of experience serving manufacturing companies, we understand the industry and all underlying factors that drive Automation tooling and robotics. Moreover, we know how an ERP solution can address your labor and supply chain issues to drive efficiency and enable growth. So you can count on us for valuable insights.

All that said, don’t hesitate to download our Epicor Kinetic Catalogue for Manufacturing. It’s absolutely free!


Encompass is honored for reaching status for more than twelve years

Greensboro, North Carolina, November 1, 2022– Encompass Solutions has achieved the Gold Partner recognition for 2022. Recipients are selected by Epicor Software Corporation based on Employee Certification, Customer Support, and Customer Satisfaction. Gold Partners exhibit deep expertise in manufacturing and ERP systems; their experience distinguishes them in the field.

“I’m excited about our continued partnership with Epicor Software and the Epicor Partner Community. Also, being part of a growing organization like Encompass Solutions is why I get up in the morning!” Jason Claggett, Managed Services Manager of Encompass Solutions.

Encompass Solutions has a longstanding relationship with Epicor and its focus on Epicor ERP business solutions, has allowed them to deliver mission-critical ERP software solutions, custom development services, and process improvements for businesses in the manufacturing and robotics, and automation industries. Professional services in ERP consulting, project management, EDI, and ERP software implementation, upgrades, training, and more.

“It’s an honor for Encompass to be recognized as a valued partner by Epicor for over twelve years. Our continued partnership with Epicor allows us to build better relationships with our customers. It feels great to know Epicor is supporting us in our success.” Rob Cummings, Senior Financial and Operations Consultant.

Epicor Certified Partners

Epicor Partners have been specially trained and certified to provide Epicor software solutions, project planning and management, training, and ongoing support services. Extensive training and experience enable them to offer the highest value over time.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass offers professional services in ERP consulting, project management, EDI, and ERP software implementation. We specialize in enabling manufacturers of every size with full-scale ERP/MES implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems. Our expert consulting and IT staff deliver the tools, training, and confidence manufacturers need to address emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth. Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs, identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions. We ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the industry with business systems to fit the build. Encompass is a certified Gold Partner of Epicor.

To learn more about Encompass Solutions, please visit www.encompass-inc.com.


As the holiday season approaches, many manufacturers find themselves in a natural lull, with limited staff and streamlined operations. This presents a golden opportunity to address essential business improvement projects that may have been postponed throughout the year. Encompass understands the significance of leveraging this downtime for strategic enhancements. We’re here to help you navigate and execute impactful business improvement projects, positioning your company for a prosperous New Year.

Potential Business Improvement Projects

Encompass specializes in a range of dynamic business improvement projects aimed at fortifying your operational prowess and resilience. Here are some tailored examples:

  1. Maximizing Customer Engagement with an Upgraded CRM System:
    • Enhance your customer service capabilities next year by bolstering your CRM system’s functionality.
  2. Fine-Tuning Operations through Business Process Reviews (BPR):
    • Conduct a comprehensive Business Process Review to uncover efficiencies and refine workflows.
  3. Expanding Market Reach with an Online eCommerce Storefront:
    • Establish a compelling online storefront to broaden your market presence and accessibility.
  4. Facilitating Seamless CRM Integration with Info Worker:
    • Streamline communication between your staff and CRM system by seamlessly integrating Info Worker.
  5. Leveraging Data-Driven Insights with Advanced BI Tools:
    • Harness the power of Business Intelligence tools like EDA to dissect and leverage data from previous years.
  6. Empowering Financial Planning with Advanced Forecasting and Budgeting Tools:
    • Explore tools that empower you to forecast and budget effectively, laying a robust foundation for each new year.
  7. Embracing Cutting-Edge Shop-Floor Control Systems (EWMW):
    • Consider implementing state-of-the-art shop-floor, device-based control systems like EWMW for heightened operational efficiency.
  8. Optimizing Inventory Management through Cycle Counting Workshops:
    • Implement advanced inventory cycle counting techniques through tailored workshops, ensuring precision in stock levels and reducing wastage.

Turning Vision into Reality:

Have visionary ideas in mind but unsure about the execution? Our team at Encompass is poised to collaborate with you, transforming your concepts into tangible, results-driven solutions. Together, we’ll make your business improvement projects a resounding success. Contact us today and we’ll put our heads together to make your ideas a reality.

About Encompass Solutions:

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.

 


The financial challenges that businesses face can be difficult to overcome without the right person at the helm. A fractional CFO or similarly-qualified financial consultant may deliver the results and value to help your organization succeed. Maybe a full-time financial leader does not make sense for your business or you need support while searching for the right individual. In any case, a fractional CFO or similarly qualified financial consultant may deliver the results and value required to help your organization succeed in a fiscally-healthy, responsible, and sustainable way.

What a Fractional CFO Does for Your Business

While a highly organized person may be able to step into an operational leadership position or a persistent and detail-oriented person can excel in marketing and sales, financial leadership is a unique skill set.

Optimizing cash flow, maximizing growth and profitability, and ensuring the financial stability of an organization are just some of the essential services a fractional CFO can provide. However, a full-time CFO can be tough to justify in terms of cost or it may be difficult to find the right individual to not only make the best financial decisions for your company but also has deep knowledge of and experience in your particular industry.

Whatever the reason a full-time CFO may not make sense for you at this point, Encompass has consultants to provide the experience and expertise you need at a fraction of the cost of an in-house CFO.

Specialty Financial Consulting Services

As a provider of financial leadership consulting, Encompass consultants can strategic expertise to help you better understand and outline your financial goals, ensure your business stays on course to achieve those goals, and excel in a competitive industry.

Partnering with Encompass ensures your business will have a qualified representative leading your financial department to satisfy the most essential functions of a financial department. These services include but are not limited to:

  • Financial Strategy, Planning, and Management
  • Financial Analysis, Planning, and Forecasting
  • Financial Regulation and Compliance
  • Accounting, General Ledger, Administration, and Operations
  • Financial Management > Financial Relations and Policies
  • Cash Management – Cash Flow Analysis/Financial Position Analysis
  • Automation and Process Improvement
  • Financial Technology and Solution Evaluation
  • Financial Strategy Alignment in preparation for, as part of, or following ERP implementation
  • Report Development beyond the initial Balance Sheet and Income Statement created in XLConnect
  • Booking Journal Entries as needed to record Reconciliation differences or reclassifications
  • Financial Statement preparation and review
  • Discussions regarding General Accepted Accounting Principals (GAAP)
  • Month and Year End processes
  • Clean up old and new accounting issues
  • Account reconciliations and analysis

A modern business requires modern tools to maintain a competitive edge. An ERP solution or other business management system will empower your business to address the needs of financial strategy and stability. Our financial professionals work within these systems daily to ensure our client’s financial goals are aligned with their internal processes, and regulations, satisfy the financial compliance requirements of all jurisdictions in which they conduct business, and are liable for financial reporting and payments to which they are subject.

Partner with an Encompass Fractional CFO or Financial Consultant

If you are ready to have a conversation about the financial leadership needs of your business, we’re standing by to help.

Contact us today to learn how Encompass can help position your financial activities and policies on the path to success.

You can download the financial services summary in a sharable format (PDF) below.

Fractional CFO Services

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Manufacturers are quite familiar with feeling the squeeze of constrained talent pools. This can be said for just about every department of a business. When it comes to ERP staff, qualified individuals can be tough to come by even in healthy job markets. This becomes even more apparent when seeking ERP staff with backgrounds that align with the unique needs of manufacturing businesses. Remote Staff Augmentation, also known as Virtual Staff Augmentation, for manufacturers is one answer to the problem of finding qualified staff to keep your manufacturing business running at peak performance.

Whether you’re working on the road, at home, or onsite, Encompass can supplement ERP staff remotely with remote workforce augmentation.

What is Remote Workforce Augmentation?

Remote Workforce Augmentation is the ability to supplement your internal staffing needs with employees, contracted or otherwise, that operate remotely and generally interact with a business by virtual means.

Why use Remote Workforce Augmentation?

There are many reasons why a company would choose to leverage Remote Workforce Augmentation for their ERP needs. This includes everything from simple system checks and reviews to advanced projects and ongoing support.

Some of the most common pain points for manufacturers that lead to leveraging remote workforce augmentation include:

  • Being overburdened with incoming orders or outgoing purchase orders
  • Achieving business goals
  • Running regular reports
  • Adding ERP coverage without bringing on new employees
  • Bridging gaps between office staff and departments

If you are experiencing any of these pain points or have a few that you think may qualify for remote workforce augmentation and IT support, Encompass has the right person for you.

How Encompass Provides Remote Workforce Augmentation

Companies that cannot afford or do not need full-time ERP staff will want to consider Remote Workforce Augmentation. This arrangement is one where the company will contract their ERP work and support requirements out to a third party, in this case, Encompass Solutions, Inc. (ESI).

ESI will provide several levels of support for a business to evaluate when considering remote workforce augmentation, which includes:

  • Supplementing your ERP staff
  • Bridging gaps during personnel turnover
  • Supporting teams with those on Maternity/Paternity leave
  • Quote/Order Entry
  • Job Creation/Closing
  • Purchase Order Entry
  • AR Invoicing
  • Shipping Notifications
  • Manual EDI processing
  • Transitioning back to your team if needed

Depending on your level of requirements, you may choose a basic or more comprehensive offering. Use your procedures – we’ll do the work!

Get started with Encompass Remote Workforce Augmentation

If you are ready to supplement internal operations with ESI staff or would like a review of your internal processes to find the best solution to your needs, we can help you get started.

It all starts with an informal review of your current process, which includes:

  • Order Entry
  • Purchase Order Entry
  • Customer Statements
  • and more

As part of the process, your business will provide Encompass with your procedures and our team will execute this according to your business processes and requirements.

Following that, ESI will document our progress throughout the day, providing regular reports and communications to your team or “next in line” person to make sure you are always kept up to date.

If you are ready to have the conversation about your IT support and remote workforce augmentation needs, contact Encompass today.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Encompass Solutions is pleased to announce our new technology partnership with EBizCharge, a provider of payment gateway solutions for manufacturers and other businesses.

What EBizCharge Does

EBizCharge is an out-of-the-box payment integration. The solution allows businesses to accept credit and debit card payments, send email payment reminders to customers, automate payment collections, and more. This all happens within the Epicor environment.

EBizCharge qualifies cards at the lowest rates, lowering your monthly processing costs. The solution is easy to install and requires no development activities.

The Benefits of EBizCharge 

The new partnership between Encompass and EBizCharge offers two tiers of benefits. The first comes in the form of benefits specific to Epicor users. The second includes benefits specific to Encompass customers. Here are the benefits you can leverage as both an Epicor user and Encompass customer.

Benefits for Epicor users

  • The latest data encryption and tokenization technology for maximum transaction security and PCI compliance.
  • Access to an online customer payment portal, allowing customers to pay invoices online.
  • Unlimited transactions/batch history for viewing and reporting purposes.
  • Powerful search functionality to run custom reports.
  • Ability to sort through transactions by category.
  • Immediate release of funds when issuing refunds.
  • Ability to assign users and manage access limits with ease.
  • The mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.

Benefits for Encompass customers

  • Lowered processing costs.
  • A quick and seamless transition.
  • No long-term contracts.
  • Simplified statement (one instead of two to three) and one point of contact.
  • Flat rate processing options.
  • Next-day funding options.
  • Proactive chargeback management team.
  • Access to a world-class, in-house customer support team, available 24/7 and free of charge.

if you’re ready to learn more about EBizCharge’s proprietary payment gateway, with its streamlined payment integrations backed by five-star customer support, schedule a demo, here.

About EBizCharge

EBizCharge integrates over 100 major ERP, CRM, and accounting systems including Epicor 9 and 10. EBizCharge is the leading integrated payments platform in the United States allowing merchants to accept payments in their ERP system, power their online store, upload customer invoices to the online payment portal and provide mobile credit card processing, unlimited transaction history, customizable reports, electronic invoicing, email payment links, secure encryption, tokenization, and more.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


This month, Encompass joined the ranks of Avalara Certified Implementation Partners. We have been implementing Avalara’s automated tax compliance software and Epicor ERP for years. It was only recently that we made things official.

A big congratulations to our own Leslie Kendall for completing the certification program and earning us a place of distinction among the Avalara and Epicor partner communities. We want to thank Avalara as well for a partnership that continues to grow and develop alongside our respective organizations. We look forward to many more years of empowering manufacturers with business management solutions.

Avalara Certified Implementation Partners

Encompass Solutions achieved Partner status by completing Avalara Solutions certification training for implementation components.

As a Certified Implementation Partner, Encompass is provided the highest level of support for their Encompass-implemented clients. This includes direct access to senior technical resources.

Encompass also enhances the implementation experience through the use of unique project management templates, Avalara implementation best practices, and access to internal tools to address the needs of data migration, tax code mapping, and more.

Customer Benefits

The benefits of being listed among Avalara Certified Implementation are not reserved for Encompass or Avalara exclusively. Customers relying on us for Avalara-related projects enjoy many benefits of the partnership, including:

Confidence – Avalara Certified Implementation Partners pass rigorous training and have access to tools and priority support, so you can be confident when you go live on your automated tax compliance solution.

Customer Experience- Clients benefit from a single point of contact, an expert in their ERP or accounting system, familiar with tier business challenges, and focused on their business success.

Time to Value – ​Implementing a tax compliance solution can be time-consuming and risky. Avalara Certified Implementation Partners are trained to accelerate your time to value while minimizing your firm’s time commitment.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


So, you just purchased a shiny new ERP, and are looking to roll out EDI. You want to get started right away on your EDI project, right? We should be able to set up data and test all transactions out of the box, right? WRONG!

EDI Project Best Practices

EDI is a customized, systemic process, that much like your data, rolls through the quote to cash cycle in a coordinated sequence. Each EDI document requires data from an upstream process, and you must always complete, and validate, the upstream processes first.  A common mistake we see on many EDI projects is an expectation that EDI is plug and play, and that we can implement all documents simultaneously.  EDI is not plugged and play, for the same reason that ERP implementations are not plugged and play.

EDI trading partners are notorious for sending through erroneous or uniquely specific data. Our customers all have different shipping and packaging scenarios. Many customers have different expectations on how EDI data is to be handled. The answer to a successful EDI implementation is to work on each document until it is correct, until moving to the next one, and ensure that the ERP system has been configured and validated for packaging and shipping processes before starting to work on outbound transactions. EDI implementations always lag the ERP implementation by some weeks, and always last the duration of the design and validation stage of the implementation project.

Below are some typical EDI transactions, that must be managed, and processed sequentially.

Inbound Purchase Orders (850i), Demand Forecasts (830i), etc.

Many times, Trading Partners will send data that does not have a native home in ERP. Our EDI team must carefully inspect all the inbound PO documents from all your trading partners, and understand each file, which will be unique, whether there is a native home in Epicor, and if not, we create one for it and make it visible in the ERP through customization. This can take time, and for some trading partners, extensive customer part cross references must be built, so that Epicor ERP can understand what it is in fact that this customer is ordering.

Outbound Sales Acknowledgement (855o)

It is common to need to include custom trading partner data in an 855 outbound. Until all of the inbound maps have been translated, and the data housed in Epicor, we can not start testing 855o.   This is normally not a difficult transaction, but until we have every inbound document defined and a custom schema in place to accommodate your trading partners, we can not design the outbound format for this document for testing.

Outbound Packing Slip (856o)

Most customers expect us to be able to start this right away. Some customers have even demanded that we start this right away. The trouble is that everyone ships differently, and some people have multiple levels of packaging, at various points in their production process, which change how we build the dataset for the 850o. Another common mistake our customers make is asking for the packing labels before the ASN is designed.

The shipping and packaging process must ALWAYS be designed first, and approved, before we start building 856o data and labels. Typically the label would be the last thing we build, as we process through all the 850i for all trading partners, demonstrate all packaging scenarios for each, and then finally, armed with model data, we can construct the outbound ASN dataset and labels. This is especially important when you have multiple versions of labels for different trading partners, or if you have Master Pallets, Mixed Pallets, etc. All EDI projects I have seen go over budget, or that have been frustrated, have been those where the company insists on having working outbound ASNs before the shipping process is validated.

Outbound Invoices (810)

Typically the easiest of all, but these can not be started until a validated ASN document has been produced. As such, we save these until the end of the project, to ensure all the data necessary on the invoice, whether from custom inbound data from the 850o, or custom packaging data from the 856o, are available. Shipments in the system are required to invoice, so there needs to be a solid, unchanging process to generate multiple shipments for the inbound orders, such that they can be invoiced.  This data is typically not available until the last quarter of the implementation.

Listening to your expert EDI implementation consultant, and understanding that EDI will slightly lag the work being done in ERP and that the work will stretch the duration of the project, are key to a successful EDI implementation. Following our process and methodology and will minimize frustrations if expectations were that EDI would be ready on day one, and reduce or eliminate rework for any EDI transactions forced through before the system is validated.

If you are having a difficult implementation and would like to talk to Encompass about how to put things back on track, we would be happy to conduct a mid-ERP implementation review. If you are about to start an EDI implementation, understanding the above before starting, and ensuring that the project manager and steering committee understand the timeline, will be critical to meeting expectations, and ultimately having a successful, error-free cutover.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Encompass Solutions has been named one of the top project management companies in NC by Welp Magazine. To be recognized alongside 27 other great North Carolina companies was a pleasant surprise to start the new year.

the logo for welp magazine named encompass solutions as one of the top project management companies in NC

‍Coincidentally, this event arrives alongside the milestone of our 20th Anniversary providing an array of professional and technical services to businesses in manufacturing industries.

We’re thankful to have received the distinction and the encouragement that comes with our recognition as a great company. If you’d like to read the article and see who else shared the distinction, the article can be found here.

Thank you to Welp Magazine for the support – we appreciate the recognition as one of the top project management companies in NC!

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.

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