With strong investments from global corporations like Unilever and Procter & Gamble, Saudi Arabia is emerging as the largest manufacturing hub in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, fulfilling its vision of becoming the area’s “manufacturing powerhouse.” Headquartered in Jeddah, Arabian Plastic Industrial Company (APICO)—a subsidiary of the Balubaid Group of Companies—is leading the charge in modernizing the plastics manufacturing industry.
As a leader in plastic packaging and thermoplastic injection molding, APICO continuously applies cutting-edge technologies. M.A. Wajid Tanveer, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Balubaid Group, shared:
“APICO is undergoing a comprehensive digital transformation. The first step is deploying a robust ERP system to automate and optimize manufacturing processes.”
Some products of APICO. Source: APICO
A Turning Point: Choosing Epicor Kinetic
APICO’s legacy on-premises system had numerous limitations, prompting the company to seek a modern, cloud-based, data-driven, and future-ready ERP solution. After evaluating Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP HANA, Tanveer affirmed:
“Epicor Kinetic’s cloud deployment stands out for manufacturing, seamlessly integrating with corporate-level financial and HR systems. Moreover, the solution is flexible, low-code, and cost-efficient.”
APICO’s goal is to fully leverage Epicor’s capabilities to restructure its entire production process and accelerate growth.
Automating Processes – Optimizing Operations
Implementation partner Panamax helped APICO smoothly deploy Epicor Kinetic, delivering immediate results:
Compliance with e-invoicing regulations: The tax authority has required electronic invoicing since 2021. Epicor allows seamless integration with tax systems, eliminating manual processing.
Accurate inventory management: Epicor provides real-time inventory data, enabling visibility of negative stock, recall status, and more effective planning.
Smarter raw material procurement: Previously, APICO only purchased raw materials per order. Epicor now allows seasonal price forecasting, enabling bulk purchases during low-price periods and proactive inventory stocking.
Transparent payment processes: All agreements and payment schedules are centrally managed, speeding up the “procure-to-pay” cycle and maintaining strong supplier relationships.
Accurate Finance – Faster Reporting
Previously, month-end closing took up to two weeks and was prone to errors. With Epicor, the process is completed on the last day of the month, with standardized financial data integrated with the group’s systems, providing real-time revenue insights.
From Data to Decisions
Epicor provides comprehensive data, but APICO aims higher with Epicor Grow, an advanced Business Intelligence solution:
Delivers clean data, deep analytics, and anytime, anywhere access.
Enables leadership to make faster, more accurate decisions.
Creates competitive advantages through trend analysis, such as identifying partnership opportunities with ice cream chains serving hundreds of thousands of customers daily in Mecca.
Tanveer emphasized:
“Such insights and tracking capabilities were previously unavailable. Epicor Grow will help APICO scale and seize every opportunity.”
Toward Green Manufacturing and Resource Optimization
APICO is revamping its processes to reduce plastic usage and increase recycled material consumption. Epicor Kinetic reduces IT dependency through low/no-code features while optimizing operating costs, enabling the company to do more without expanding headcount.
Empowering Employees – Shaping the Future
APICO employees are enthusiastic about the new system and are suggesting the rollout of additional modules such as CRM, IoT, and smart warehouse management. Tanveer concluded:
“Epicor Kinetic has given us a blueprint to digitize and streamline our entire workflow, strengthening APICO’s competitiveness and preparing us to reach new heights.”
Epicor Kinetic not only modernizes APICO’s production but also paves the way for sustainable growth, advanced data utilization, and a powerful competitive edge.
3S Software Co., Ltd.
To successfully upgrade a business, businesses need an experienced and trusted partner. 3S will be a partner accompanying businesses on their path of development, helping businesses become more comprehensive and increase productivity at lower costs. Along with compliance with the Epicor Signature Project Implementation Methodology, it will help businesses increase production efficiency and improve profits at a very reasonable cost. 3S believes that it will always bring the most satisfaction to customers.
The 5 main solutions of 3S include:
Epicor ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
Epicor MES – Manufacturing Execution System
BPM XSOL Solution – Business Modeling Solution
ECM DOCSTAR Solution – Digital Content Management Software
Epicor CADLINK solution – The solution allows transferring information from CAD drawings such as AutoCAD, Solidworks to Epicor ERP
More references: EPICOR KINETIC HELPS PHARMA OPTIMIZE LOGISTICS AND PROCESSES
