Welcome back to another episode of the Epicor Experts Podcast — I’m Sophie, and today I had the pleasure of sitting down with John Grimshaw, Head of Operations at a water treatment manufacturer based in Rochdale. John’s been living and breathing Epicor every day for the last couple of years, and we covered a lot around implementation, data, and how to make Epicor work smarter, not harder.
What stood out immediately was John’s honesty about their own Epicor journey — they jumped in a little too quickly. Data migration, as he put it, became a bit of a “bowl of wool” to unpick. Instead of taking the time to clean and check the data beforehand, it was all moved over in one go… dates, formats, and all. As John said, “If the dates aren’t right, you’re just importing rubbish.” That stuck with me.
His approach now? Keep Epicor’s core clean. Customise only when absolutely necessary, and when you do, manage it outside the core system so future updates don’t cause havoc. Smart thinking, right?
When I asked John what advice he’d give to someone about to start their own Epicor implementation, his answer was clear: people first. Then process. Then tech. The system itself, as powerful as it is, can’t solve your problems if your people aren’t on board or your processes aren’t nailed down. “Epicor doesn’t matter until you’ve got the people and the process right,” he said — and honestly, I couldn’t agree more.
Another massive part of our chat was about integration. John’s dream? A one-click integration between Epicor and the other systems they use, like CAD and HR software. Right now, it’s a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster — bits of data stored in different systems, managed manually, and creating more admin than necessary.
We also touched on the difference between hiring a contractor and a permanent employee. For John, Epicor is too important to hand off to someone temporary. That’s why bringing in Karen, a systems expert we helped place permanently, has made such a big impact. She’s already spotting things they didn’t even know they needed to fix. And because she’s in it for the long haul, she’s thinking strategically, not just ticking boxes.
Honestly, it was refreshing hearing from someone so candid about the ups and downs of implementation. From struggling with bad data to valuing long-term people over short-term fixes, John’s perspective is one every Epicor user should hear.
We also dug into some community questions — like what he’d do with a blank cheque (spoiler: he’d hire a process and data analyst), and how he’d do things differently if he could start over. His advice? Map everything. Not just your parts process, but how the system should work in detail — button by button.
This was a very insightful conversations for the podcast, and I know there’s plenty more gold in the full video, which you can watch below!
Get in Touch
Looking to optimise your ERP project? Contact us to learn how we can help.
Our Services Include:
-
Resource Provision: Access skilled Epicor consultants, project managers, and business analysts.
-
Business Analysis: Identify and solve operational bottlenecks.
-
Consultation: Tailored advice to align ERP systems with your business goals.
-
Data Clean-Up: Ensure accurate data for smooth implementation.
-
Post-Implementation Support: Keep your business running efficiently with expert guidance.
Let us help you achieve ERP success.
