ECI Macola
| Vendor | ECI Software Solutions |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Westlake, Texas, USA |
| Ownership | Private; ECI majority-owned by Leonard Green and Partners since November 2020, with funds advised by Apax Partners holding a minority stake |
| Deployment | On-premises (Windows client-server); partner-hosted arrangements exist |
| Support status | Maintained for existing customers only, no new-customer sales; Macola Progression, Macola ES and Macola 10 remain supported with no publicly announced end-of-life date; ECI directs new prospects to JobBOSS2, M1 and Deacom (verified August 2026) |
| Target market | Existing small and midsize manufacturers and distributors (installed base only) |
| Industries | Discrete manufacturing, wholesale distribution |
| Pricing | Not published; license and maintenance terms quoted to existing customers |
| Website | ecisolutions.com/products/macola |
The short version
Macola is a legacy ERP line for small and midsize manufacturers and distributors, owned today by ECI Software Solutions. Three generations carry the name: Macola Progression, Macola ES, and Macola 10. Together they form one of the larger legacy installed bases in the US small-business manufacturing segment. ECI still supports the product but no longer sells it to new buyers, which is why it sits in the legacy section of this directory.
Where Macola comes from
The software began in Marion, Ohio, and spent decades building a reputation for accounting, distribution, and manufacturing functions aimed at smaller companies. Dutch software group Exact bought the business in 2001 and sold it as Exact Macola for years. In 2018 ECI Software Solutions took over the Macola, JobBOSS, and MAX lines from Exact and folded them into its portfolio of industry-specific business software. ECI is headquartered in Westlake, Texas, and has been majority-owned by private equity firm Leonard Green and Partners since late 2020; funds advised by Apax Partners hold a minority stake.
What it covers
The footprint is the classic mid-market one. Financials cover general ledger, payables, and receivables. Distribution handles order entry, purchasing, and inventory control. Manufacturing adds bills of material, MRP, and shop floor control. Macola 10, the newest generation, layered on a modernized interface plus workflow automation, document management, project management, CRM, and HR options in a single platform. Depth differs sharply between generations, and plenty of customers still run Progression or ES with third-party add-ons bolted around them.
Who buys it, and how it is sold
Nobody new, officially. The practical audience is the installed base: small and midsize discrete manufacturers and wholesale distributors across the United States, many of them a decade or more into the product. A network of longtime channel partners and independent consultants keeps those installations running. Technically it is an on-premises Windows client-server system, although some partners offer hosted arrangements. ECI publishes no pricing. Existing customers pay annual maintenance and support fees, and licensing questions go through ECI or its partner channel rather than a public price list.
Where it wins, where it loses
Macola is in maintenance mode, and buyers should read it as exactly that: supported, but not where ECI puts its development money. The vendor sends new prospects to JobBOSS2 for job shops, M1 for discrete manufacturers, and Deacom for batch and process operations, which is an unusually candid signal from a vendor about its own legacy line. If you already run Macola, the system still runs your business and no announced end-of-life is forcing your hand, so a panic replacement is the wrong reflex. Standing still without asking questions is the actual risk. Raise the roadmap question at every renewal, and put the cost of staying next to the cost of a planned move, data migration effort included. Anyone starting an ERP search from scratch should not shortlist Macola at all, and even existing customers should test ECI's in-house successors against outside alternatives on equal terms in a structured ERP selection process instead of accepting the internal upgrade path by default.
What the ECI Macola website looks like
Current view of the vendor homepage, captured by our editorial team.
