EPDM Usage

For however many EPDM users that are out there, after
converting to release 6 we still have some questions about
EPDM usefulness and usage.

Given that you cannot stock, buy, use on the shop floor or sell
a revision (without tons of manual intervention) what is EPDM's
purpose as an application? In other words what are we missing?
Or to put it another way, what cannot be handled by using
item naming conventions and effectivity dates or just by using
PDM+, the original progenitor of all the client applications?

Also since MAPICS seems to be pushing procurement,
order based production mgmt, materials management,
and customer service management has anyone found
any features in any of them worth the hassle and
performance issues of implementing them? The most I
see in the manuals, which are unfortunately rather brief
is some copy functionality.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Konrad Underkofler
Director of IT
Hoshizaki America, Inc.