Project Success Story: Manufacturer/Distributor Customer Spotlight

Manufacturer of Custom Home Accessories Modernizes ERP to Support Company Growth

Western Computer deploys Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud to streamline workflows and provide KPI visibility

THE SOLUTION

When companies rely on a legacy ERP application for many years, they sometimes discover that the aging technology limits the growth of the business. This was the case for a manufacturer and distributor of home accessories that wanted to implement an agile and simple-to-use ERP solution.

Key needs included streamlining business processes, particularly as product orders went through sales, manufacturing, and distribution workflows. Because the company had customized its legacy Sage ERP solution running on an onsite AS/400 system, the software could not adapt to the growth of the business.

To meet client demands and support the higher volume of transactions, the leadership team needed a solution that makes it simple for developers to apply changes when the company grows. Another requirement was easy integration with key third-party systems.

These include an Insight Works warehouse management system, an EDI tool, and a configurator that supports custom product designs. Although the base ERP system did not meet the company’s needs, management hoped to maintain these add-on functions with the new ERP system.

To solve the ERP solution, the manufacturer turned to Western Computer, which recommended deploying Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud for the base ERP system. Western Computer also advised implementing Microsoft Power BI to generate reports on key performance indicators.

The implementation of the core solution required minimal customization while giving the customer advanced ERP functionality. At the same time, nontechnical users can configure Business Central to meet specific needs without custom coding.

THE BENEFITS

As part of the implementation project, Western Computer trained the customer’s end-users. Given that they had relied on the legacy Sage ERP platform for many years, this played a critical role in the success of the project. With Business Central Cloud, the users were switching to a new modern ERP platform. The Western Computer training sessions allowed them to feel comfortable in the new environment.

With the new functionality provided by Business Central, the customer has improved many processes. These include eliminating duplicate data entry and increasing data accuracy. Both benefits reduce the amount of time to process orders since data automatically flows across processes. Plus, end-users no longer waste time hunting down information to manually correct errors.

And with the ability to consolidate data into one central database, the customer has improved its reporting capabilities. Thanks to the Power BI integration, the management team has visibility into all aspects of the business.

For example, managers can closely track production and shipping costs and have visibility into available inventory across multiple warehouses. Because they know what’s going on in real time, they can make fast decisions that enable the company to get orders out the door faster, improve customer service, and increase our margins.

In addition, the manufacturer appreciates how Western Computer created the connection between Business Central and the product configurator. With most orders coming in as custom jobs, the configurator accelerates the design process, and the resulting order information flows automatically into Business Central.

Another key integration is 365ContainerImport by Western Computer. A custom add-on to Business Central developed by Western Computer software experts, the solution consolidates and tracks purchase orders and inventory in containers coming rom Europe. The manufacturer gets real-time updates throughout the entire transit process to plan production for when the containers will arrive.

Looking ahead, the customer will work with Western Computer to implement more manufacturing features, such as projecting how long it takes to produce products and then analyzing that against the actual time. Presently, it’s a huge plus to run the ERP system in the cloud. In addition to enabling all end-users to access the operational software from anywhere, the company benefits from the regular feature and function updates Microsoft installs. This means users can always tap into the latest ERP capabilities and don’t have to wait until a future upgrade that may be years down the road