As advanced manufacturing becomes increasingly data-driven, aligning physical automation with an integrated digital backbone is critical to unlocking full operational value. Nagi Reddy Bommareddy, Head of IT at Uniceramic Qatar, tells us how a cloud-first ERP transformation unified departments, improved inventory accuracy and production efficiency, and laid the foundation for AI-ready, data-led manufacturing excellence.
Uniceramic Qatar occupies a unique and prized position in the country’s industrial landscape. As the country’s first and only manufacturer of porcelain and ceramic tiles, it represents a significant investment in advanced manufacturing, automation and national self-sufficiency. Its highly automated factory, built over the course of a decade, employs cutting-edge robotics, tightly controlled production lines and a complex, resilient supply chain sourcing raw materials from multiple international markets.
With this physical plant designed with cutting-edge precision, Uniceramic’s leadership recognised that true operational excellence would require an equally modern digital backbone. This ambition to unify data, eliminate silos and create a single source of truth across finance, manufacturing, supply chain and sales was entrusted to Nagi Reddy Bommareddy, Head of IT at Uniceramic Qatar.
What followed was not simply an ERP implementation, but a fundamental transformation in how the manufacturer plans, produces, costs and delivers its products. In this exclusive for Intelligent CIO Middle East, Nagi Reddy shares why Uniceramic chose Epicor’s cloud-based ERP, how the organisation re-engineered its processes around data, and what measurable impact this has had across the business.
Uniceramic operates one of the most advanced tile manufacturing facilities in the region. When you joined the company, what was the state of IT and operational data?
When I joined Uniceramic in 2022, the world-class factory infrastructure had just been completed so it was time to turn attention to the information landscape. Rather than the convention of each department operating with its own view of data, we wanted standardisation. In manufacturing, finance has its numbers, production has its own terminology, sales speaks a different language, and inventory records vary depending on who you ask. For an organisation of our scale and complexity, such an approach could create risk as small inefficiencies can quickly snowball. Our leadership was therefore committed to avoiding such shortcomings from the onset.
Was it immediately clear that ERP would be the solution?
Absolutely. As an IT leader, my primary responsibility was to bring unity across departments. You cannot do that with spreadsheets, disconnected tools or manual reconciliation. You need an ERP system that integrates procurement, production, inventory, finance and sales into one platform.
I have more than a decade and a half of experience implementing ERP systems across different industries and geographies, so I knew very clearly this was the backbone our organisation needed. The leadership team had invested hundreds of millions into building a highly automated factory. Without an integrated digital core, we would fall short of extracting the full value of that significant investment.
How did you approach the ERP selection process?
We evaluated multiple ERP vendors, looking at both cloud and on-premise options. The first non-negotiable requirement was strong manufacturing capability delivered as a true Software-as-a-Service model. Many platforms claim to support manufacturing, but when you look closely, the depth simply isn’t there.
Second, we looked at modularity. We needed the flexibility to deploy what we needed first – things like finance, supply chain and manufacturing – and scale over time without being forced into unnecessary complexity or cost. Third, we considered user experience. An ERP system only delivers value if people actually use it.
Finally, of course, cost matters. This isn’t just about licensing, but implementation and long-term scalability. When we scored everything objectively, Epicor consistently came out on top.
Why did you decide to go cloud-first rather than on-premise?
Cloud was a very deliberate decision. We did not want to spend time and resources maintaining infrastructure. Our focus needed to be on improving processes, not managing servers.
The cloud model by Epicor gave us resilience, scalability and faster time to value. It also positioned us well for the future. So down the line, if we’re considering advanced analytics, AI-driven insights or Disaster Recovery, that’s significnatly easier to add on.
Let’s talk about impact. What measurable improvements have you seen since implementation?
The improvements have been significant and very tangible because our ERP solution now sits at the centre of every critical business process – from procure-to-pay and order-to-cash through to production planning, inventory management and financial control.
On the operational side, inventory accuracy has improved from around 80% to more than 96%. That gives us near absolute confidence in stock availability, safety stock levels and batch traceability, which is essential in manufacturing. Our purchase order cycle time reduced from five to seven days down to just one to two days, driven by automated workflows and faster approvals.
Because of tighter MRP, better job tracking and real-time visibility into material availability, production schedule adherence has increased from roughly 70% to over 90%. Simultaneously, sales order processing, which previously took two to three days, is now completed on the same day. This significantly accelerates our order-to-cash cycle and improves customer responsiveness.
From a finance perspective, monthly financial closing has been reduced by more than 50%. This allows the finance team to spend less time reconciling data and more time on forecasting, cost control and strategic analysis.
Costing is often a major challenge in manufacturing. How has ERP changed this for you?
Before ERP, costing was largely estimate-based. People would look at electricity bills, gas usage and raw material consumption and then try to divide costs proportionally. There was no consistent standard for understanding the true cost of a batch, a job or even a specific product.
With Epicor, we defined clear production standards and cost standards across BOMs, routings and resources. Today, every production run captures actual material usage, energy consumption and labour time. That means we know exactly what it costs to manufacture each tile type.
This level of cost transparency allows us to protect margins, price more competitively and ensure we are delivering fair value to customers, all while maintaining meticulous financial discipline and control.
You describe yourself as having a data scientist’s mindset. How does that influence your role today?
ERP gives you data, but mindset determines how you use it. Epicor centralises data across procurement, production, inventory, sales and finance, which allows us to build reliable KPIs and dashboards.
We actively use business intelligence tools, BAQs and SSRS reports to monitor performance in real time. Decisions are no longer driven by opinions or assumptions but rather by clear facts. That data-led approach has also strengthened compliance and traceability. Built-in audit trails and system controls make it much easier to meet internal governance standards and external reporting requirements.
One of the most striking aspects of this project is how lean the implementation team was. How did you manage that?
Because of my prior experience with Epicor and ERP implementations, I took on much of the configuration and integration work myself. This hands-on approach ensured that the system was designed around real operational needs rather than theoretical models. It also allowed us to move quickly and stay in control of the project timeline.
Looking ahead, how does ERP position Uniceramic for emerging technologies like AI?
AI is only effective if your data foundation is strong. ERP gives us clean, structured, historical data across two years, and growing.
We are already exploring how advanced analytics and AI can further optimise planning, maintenance and forecasting. Being on the cloud makes this far easier to adopt when the business is ready.
Finally, what advice would you give to other manufacturing leaders considering ERP transformation?
Treat ERP as a business transformation, not an IT project. Success depends on leadership, process clarity and data discipline. When you view technology simply as the enabler, you focus on the business outcomes. If you get that right, the results speak for themselves.
