Epicor revamps energy management IT to support green agenda

The firm says it's all about helping companies to reduce their operational and green costs, by providing the ability to identify, analyse, audit, track, manage, benchmark and report on both energy and environmental impact. "Epicor Energy Management delivers an integrated assessment of the company's devices and energy usage to give customers a baseline of where they are now and how to move forward in the future," explains Malcolm Fox, vice president of product marketing at Epicor. "More importantly, this is a collaboration to help our customers develop a strategic energy management plan that inspires efficiency across their organisation," he adds. Epicor may be slightly late in coming to the party, but its rebranded and redirected suite will strike a chord, particularly with larger manufacturers. A recent report from Gartner noted that economic considerations, such as rising energy prices and burgeoning operating costs, are the primary drivers for current investments in energy management. The analyst also stated: "In addition, environmental and sustainability considerations are pertinent to the business case for many companies — in particular, for those in jurisdictions where greenhouse gases are regulated, or where the brand benefits of improving a company's sustainability scorecard come into play." Epicor's point is that, either way, organisations at least need a validated means of measuring energy management initiatives to justify continued investment – and hence its new release.