ECI launches Deacom ERP for Australian manufacturers

ECI Software Solutions has launched its Deacom ERP system for Australian manufacturers, targeting batch and process businesses.

The rollout focuses on sectors including food, beverage, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and specialty manufacturing, where companies often manage finance, production, inventory, purchasing and quality across multiple systems.

Deacom is a single-database ERP platform for batch manufacturing. It brings together formulation management, inventory, sales, traceability, quality controls and financial processes in one application.

That approach is intended to address a longstanding challenge for many mid-sized manufacturers, which still rely on spreadsheets and separate software for core operational tasks. Users are offered real-time visibility across costing, formulations, stock, quality and traceability.

AI features

The launch also includes built-in artificial intelligence tools aimed at routine operational and finance work. One feature, AI Assistant, answers user questions inside the system and is designed to help staff understand workflows and functions without leaving their current screen.

Another feature, AI Invoicing, is aimed at accounts payable. It can capture supplier invoices digitally, match them to purchase orders and identify discrepancies, while allowing fully matched invoices to be posted automatically with audit visibility.

For manufacturers in regulated industries, the pitch is less about experimenting with AI and more about reducing manual work in areas such as invoicing, onboarding and production planning. The software is also positioned as a way to support compliance through built-in quality controls, labels and document generation.

Traceability is another central part of the offer. According to ECI, the system tracks raw materials, lot movements, warehouse activity and finished goods throughout the production process, giving manufacturers visibility over each batch and movement.

Market pressure

Australian manufacturers have faced pressure from labour shortages, supply chain disruption and margin compression, particularly in sectors that depend on precise batch control and regulatory oversight. ERP vendors have increasingly presented integrated software as a way to improve resilience by reducing fragmented data and strengthening operational oversight.

ECI cited a recent Nucleus Research ROI case study involving Van Drunen Farms, which reported a 46% return on investment after deploying Deacom. The study also found that month-end close fell from 30 days to two days, while sales rose 10% alongside a 2% increase in inventory costs.

Those results relate to a single customer and may not be repeated across other manufacturers, but they illustrate the kind of efficiency gains software vendors use to support ERP investment cases. Faster financial close, less manual input and better stock control remain among the market's most common selling points.

ECI serves small and mid-sized businesses and says it has more than 25,000 customers in over 90 countries. It operates across sectors including manufacturing, building and construction, field service and distribution, with offices in Australia as well as North America, Europe and India.

Paul Farrell, Senior Vice President of Product Management at ECI Software Solutions, outlined the rationale for the Australian release.

"Australian batch manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve efficiency, maintain compliance, and protect margins while navigating supply chain volatility and labour shortages. Many are still relying on spreadsheets and disconnected systems that limit visibility and create operational complexity. Deacom embeds AI directly into the manufacturing workflow, helping teams automate manual processes and gain real-time insight into production and profitability. This gives manufacturers the visibility and control to move from hours of manual planning to faster, more confident decisions from a single system purpose-built for process manufacturing," said Farrell.