Meet the Team | Anthony Tran

Anthony is an Account Manager at ECI Solutions who helps manufacturing customers across Australia and New Zealand. He supports clients using M1 or JobBOSS² ERP software, helping them with customisations, addressing technical challenges, and providing ongoing support.

His role involves understanding customer needs, interfacing with support and development teams, and helping manufacturers improve their operational efficiency through ERP solutions.

We spoke to Anthony about addressing customer challenges and common pain points, his approach to customer support and trends in the manufacturing sector.

What was your background before joining ECI?

I first joined ECI in 2021 as a Business Development Representative for about three years before leaving to explore other opportunities. I joined a manufacturing startup then moved to a FinTech startup where I was responsible for setting up sales processes. Both roles focused on sales and business development before I returned to ECI recently as an Account Manager.

This experience has given me a deep understanding of the sales processes, how to respond to customer needs and build communication skills to effectively explain technical solutions to customers. It’s really equipped me to better support manufacturing customers, understand their pain points, and help them implement effective ERP solutions.

What kinds of challenges do you see manufacturers facing?

Manufacturers are struggling with visibility. Often, they don't know who's looking after a particular product, or how it moves through different parts of their manufacturing cycle. If they're making furniture for example, they need to track metal pieces, fabric, and assembly, but often can't see where things are in the process.

Capacity planning is another big issue for manufacturers. They want to understand how many jobs they can actually do with their current machines. Right now, they're often running on spreadsheets, which means they have to physically go to the production floor and ask workers about job status, instead of having a system that shows everything clearly.

The economic environment is also having an impact. As costs go up or tariffs change, manufacturers need to adjust their approach. They're looking for systems that can help them reduce costs, increase profitability, and create a better customer experience by giving them clearer insights into their operations.

How do you help manufacturers address these challenges?

When a manufacturer comes to me with challenges, the first thing I do is try to understand exactly what they're trying to achieve. Sometimes they're struggling with visibility - they can't track where a job is in their manufacturing cycle, or they don't know how many jobs they can complete in a month.

Then I'll look at customising the system to their needs, whether that's M1 for larger manufacturers or JobBOSS² for smaller job shops. This might mean adding a module to simplify financial reporting, or creating a way to automatically enter specific data onto invoices to reduce manual errors.

If they're consistently having issues, I'll arrange some consulting hours or additional training. My goal is always to help them use our systems more effectively. Whether that means connecting them with support, arranging training, or developing custom solutions, I'm here to help them improve their operational efficiency and get the most out of our software.

How does M1 and JobBOSS² help solve manufacturers problems?

When we talk about these systems, it's about giving manufacturers a way to see what's happening in their business.

For larger manufacturers, M1 provides a powerful system that can handle detailed reporting, track production cycles, and provide visibility across different departments. It provides visibility around their production scheduling and capacity planning.

M1 makes their whole process smoother. They can reduce costs, increase their margins, know when they can get back to customers about product completion. It's about giving them dashboards where different parts of the business can see exactly what's happening.

For the smaller job shop, JobBOSS² is about helping them grow their business. They can see how many quotes they're getting, how many jobs they can produce, and start thinking about maybe moving to a bigger site or getting new equipment.

What’s your advice for manufacturers when looking for an ERP solution?

My advice is to look for a system that's manufacturing specific. Find someone who really understands your industry sector and your business. Look for someone who understands your key pain points, and who can demonstrate they can fix those problems.

When you look at reviews, you're always going to see the bad reviews. But it's best to pick up the phone and speak to someone. Do your reference checks, and if you're comfortable, then move forward.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is picking up the phone and speaking to customers. I love learning about the diverse range of manufacturers in Australia. I get to work with everyone from pillow manufacturers to companies developing liquid cooling for the defence industry. It’s mind-blowing to discover what manufacturers can do in Australia.