Case Study
Executive Summary
A US-based manufacturer, founded in 1992 near Niagara Falls, specializing in the design and production of fluid handling components for the aviation industry, sought to modernize their business operations. Their product line includes a variety of components such as valves, gauges, and hydraulic accessories. The company has earned a strong reputation for their expertise in this specialized field.
Challenges
The manufacturer was using Dynamics NAV 2013 and experiencing performance limitations. As their business grew, the system struggled to handle the increasing volume of transactions and processes, impacting both accounting and operational efficiency. Specifically, the aging NAV system faced challenges in:
Processing Volume
The growing number of processes and operations strained the capacity of NAV 2013, leading to slowdowns and bottlenecks.
Accounting and Manufacturing Tasks
Performance lags in accounting and manufacturing tasks negatively impacted overall efficiency and productivity.
Microsoft Productivity App Integration
Integrating with essential Microsoft productivity tools like Word and Excel proved problematic, hindering data sharing and reporting capabilities.
Objectives
The manufacturer needed a solution to address these challenges and streamline their operations. Key objectives included:
- Upgrade and Enhance: Upgrade their existing Dynamics NAV 2013 system to a more robust and modern platform to improve business operations governance.
- Streamline Key Processes: Simplify and optimize complex tasks such as reporting, invoicing, user task management, setup changes, and general ledger maintenance.
- Improve Overall Performance: Enhance the performance of both accounting and manufacturing processes to meet increasing business demands.
- Seamless Integration: Integrate with Microsoft 365 productivity tools, including Excel, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams, for improved collaboration and data management.
- Data-Driven Insights: Implement a solution that provides accurate, real-time insights to support smarter decision-making.
Solution
The manufacturer implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises to modernize their business management. This upgrade provided the necessary foundation for streamlined operations and improved efficiency.
Benefits
- Improved Performance: Business Central significantly improved system performance, enabling the company to process all ERP operations smoothly and efficiently.
- Seamless Business Management: The upgrade simplified overall business management, providing a unified platform for managing key processes.
- Enhanced Accounting Capabilities: Staff were able to perform accounting tasks efficiently, without the previous performance lags.
- Centralized Business Management: Business Central provided a single, unified dashboard for managing all core business processes.
- Streamlined Data Reporting and Sharing: Integration with Microsoft productivity apps like Word and Excel simplified data reporting, transfer, and sharing.
- Real-time Data Access: Business Central enabled real-time data sharing with relevant personnel, simplifying data processing and improving collaboration.
Conclusion
By upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises, the manufacturer successfully addressed their operational challenges and laid a strong foundation for future growth. The improved performance, seamless integrations, and enhanced functionality have enabled them to streamline their manufacturing and accounting processes, improve data management, and gain valuable insights into their business operations. This modernization has positioned the company for continued success in the competitive aviation components market.