Engineering Change Control (ECC) in Epicor Kinetic is the backbone of clean, disciplined product lifecycle management. Without it, things get chaotic fast—like version numbers on spreadsheets, mysterious Bill-of-Materials (BOM) edits at 3 PM on a Friday, and the classic “Who changed this routing? Not me” debate.
If your engineering, production, and quality assurance (QA) teams are tired of playing detective, it’s time to implement ECC properly. And yes, it can be painless—especially with a seasoned Epicor partner like Data V Tech Solutions guiding manufacturers and distributors through the maze.
Below is your crunchy, practical, no-nonsense, step-by-step setup guide to Engineering Change Control in Epicor Kinetic.
1. Enable and Configure Engineering Change Management
Before you can do anything fancy, turn on the module. Go to:
Product Management > Engineering Change Management
Configuration tasks include:
- Defining who can create, modify, and approve Engineering Change Orders (ECOs)
- Setting required fields
- Defining mandatory workflows
- Locking down revision edits for people who like “creative freedom”
Pro tip: Set your security roles early. You don’t want half the company approving ECOs like they’re clicking “Accept Cookies.”
2. Build Your Version Number Rules
Consistent revision control is not optional—it’s survival.
Epicor lets you define:
- Numeric, alphanumeric, or hybrid revision patterns
- Auto-increment rules
- Engineering vs. production revision tiers
Typical formats include:
- A, B, C …
- 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 …
- A01, A02, A03 …
Just pick a system and stick with it. Your BOM will thank you.
3. Set Up the Engineering Workbench
The Engineering Workbench is where the fun (or chaos) happens. This is home base for:
- Reviewing assemblies
- Applying revisions
- Managing part check-outs
- Validating BOM and routing updates
- Making sure no one accidentally “fixes” the wrong version
Use the check-in/check-out controls to prevent overlapping edits. You’re running a factory, not a Google Doc.
4. Create ECO Templates (Optional but Highly Recommended)
Standardize your ECOs so each change request isn’t a blank slate. Templates help you pre-define:
- Change categories (BOM, routing, documentation, compliance, etc.)
- Required review stages
- Sign-off requirements
- Standard tasks
This eliminates the infamous “What kind of ECO is this supposed to be?” meeting.
5. Build Your Approval Workflow
Epicor Kinetic allows multi-step, multi-role approval flows with full traceability.
Your workflow should define:
- Who reviews engineering changes
- Who approves them
- Notifications and escalations
- Automatic status updates
Done right, this workflow becomes self-driving: approvals move, alerts fire, and nothing “gets lost” in someone’s inbox.
6. Create and Manage ECOs
Once everything’s configured, your ECO process should run like this:
1. Create ECO
- Assign the parts, revisions, and reason for change.
2. Analyze Impact
- Perform BOM “what-if” analysis
- Check cost, labor, and material implications
- Place parts or assemblies on hold if required
3. Execute Changes
- Update BOM
- Update routing
- Validate materials and alternate parts
- Apply revision number rules
4. Submit for Approval
- Follow your workflow stages
- Let Epicor handle the notifications
5. Release Changes
- New revision becomes active
- Production sees updated specs immediately
- Audit trail logs who changed what, when, and why
If every ECO looks consistent and easily traceable, congratulations—you’ve escaped manufacturing chaos.
7. Integrate ECx Manager for CAD Sync (Highly Recommended)
If your engineering team lives in SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, or Inventor, ECx Manager is a life saver.
It lets you:
- Sync CAD models and drawings directly into Epicor
- Eliminate duplicate data entry
- Update BOMs automatically
- Push revised models into Kinetic with full ECO traceability
This is how modern manufacturing teams go from “chaotic paper trails” to “digital engineering excellence.”
And yes—Data V Tech implements ECx integrations too.
8. Train Your Users
Don’t skip this part unless you enjoy confusion.
Train your teams on:
- The Engineering Workbench
- ECO request creation
- Approval flows
- Revision handling
- Best practices and common mistakes
A well-trained team turns ECC from a system feature into a productivity engine.
Why Manufacturers Choose Data V Tech
Data V Tech delivers hands-on implementation, optimization, and automation for Epicor users across APAC and beyond.
We help manufacturers and distributors:
- Build bulletproof ECO workflows
- Reduce BOM errors
- Speed up approvals
- Achieve clean revision control
- Integrate Epicor with engineering tools
- Scale engineering change discipline across teams
If you want your engineering change process to run like a Swiss watch—not like a Friday afternoon fire drill—talk to our team.
