The Client
A large diesel engine repair services firm that operates three locations in the United States.

The Challenge
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has come a long way over the years, to the point where those who were early adopters and invested in customizing the first generation solutions for their business requirements have gotten stuck with older versions.

Such was the situation for this client, who had an old version of Microsoft Dynamics called Navision, the solution’s original name before Microsoft acquired it. Because the client had a highly customized version of the software, it prevented them from upgrading and improving their organization’s business processes.

Thus, at the bare minimum, the client needed a comprehensive Microsoft Dynamics NAV upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (yes, yet another name change for the NAV software) that fit their current management and staff’s business requirements and could be easily maintained moving forward.

For example, a large component of this organization’s ongoing processes and practices involved inventory tracking. While their previous solution lacked many of the latest technology bells and whistles that a state-of-the-art ERP has to offer, they had added functionality over the years to their system to manage their inventory and needed to be sure the new version of the system could handle their inventory requirements.

Solution
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is available both as an on-premises (the client’s preferred option) or a cloud solution. Having a plethora of functionalities that are uniquely designed to suit mid-size businesses’ needs in a variety of industries, Business Central includes software suites for finance, orders management, inventory management, project management, warehouse management, service management and manufacturing, as well as several others. These capabilities were all geared for this client’s needs.

The Results

One of the biggest improvements that Business Central provided was its inventory bins feature. Since this client’s inventory wasn’t assigned to specific locations, bins served as an effective tool that, once fully implemented, allowed them to seamlessly track inventory items at their existing locations and move items from one bin location to another. With their older version of Microsoft NAV, they were relying on a highly antiquated tracking method that was linked to shelving numbers and SKUs; these only told the client where items should be, not whether they were actually there.  With bins, the client can quickly identify in real-time where items, parts and components are. Bins also assist with stocking management by providing insight and alerts into occasions where mission-critical inventory is running low. Auto-generated purchase orders allow the firm to re-order and replenish on an as-needed basis.

Another issue that we helped the client resolve in the transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central was their historical data migration. Twenty-plus years is a long time to use one ERP, so the firm had a lot of data. Instead of simply upgrading their database, we worked with them to compare and contrast upgrading versus starting with a fresh install. One of their objectives was the implementation of the very latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central without significant customization so they would have an easier time staying current on new versions. We worked in very close consultation and collaboration with the client and determined that starting fresh and loading their master files instead of upgrading their database was the most cost-effective and efficient approach. With this approach, they should be able to implement updates with minimal disruption in their ongoing business affairs and efforts toward increased productivity.

In the course of the implementation with this client, we wound up customizing a few aspects of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for them. Previously, they relied on sales order processing to generate quotes, even though everything they do is a job. If they won a quote, they would have to reenter everything as a separate project/job, which was redundant, inefficient and prone to errors. Consequently, they wanted the convenience and flexibility of quote creation for the various jobs they performed and completed in the project suite. This was something that we were able to configure and modify for them.

Finally, we helped the client simplify their business reporting. Their prior system was overly complex and didn’t provide the reporting in the format the business needed. Consequently, staff were creating their own spreadsheets and databases to track information necessary to do their jobs, which resulted in a great deal of data disorder. For example, the statistics and reports for one line of their businesses based on their spreadsheets would not agree with another line. Additionally, much of the data they had was duplicative, creating confusion and errors in reporting.

We went through all of their reporting requirements and centralized their reporting with the use of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Dimensions. Dimensions is an analytical/filtering feature that allows companies to track and assign specific transactions to specific accounts without over-complicating their accounting processes.

Today, the client is on a supported version of their ERP software which also fits their business requirements better than the outdated version they were using when we first met.

If you are looking to improve your business with a new CRM/ERP solution, contact The TM Group today to schedule a new system consultation.

The Client

An outdoor specialty sports equipment manufacturer based in Michigan that sells and distributes premium products, apparel and accessories. It also sponsors professional athletes. The company has been in business since 1978.

The Challenge

Although fairly well-known to athletes and outdoor sports enthusiasts, the client was trying to grow its online web presence and hired an e-commerce firm to make this possible. That firm was charged with optimizing the company’s website, order handling and fulfillment and a few other services that were relevant to their needs and goals.

It didn’t take too long for them to realize, however, that what they had signed up for they weren’t receiving. In short, the client was left feeling unfulfilled for a fulfillment-centered firm. Pretty much everything they were looking to get they didn’t receive.

Faced with the prospect of having to renew a contract with a provider they weren’t pleased with and an approaching deadline, the client was between a rock and a hard place. They turned to us at The TM Group to see if we could come through for them in the clutch — meaning no more than 30 days to get the job completed and done well. They also wanted to replace their Sage accounting software and a custom Access system they used to manage their manufacturing.

The Solution

Before this project, the client had approached us about evaluating their systems for a possible migration. But the job had to be postponed because they were building new offices and a manufacturing facility. So when they spoke to us about why they needed to abandon their e-commerce platform fast, we already had an idea of the issues they were facing from prior conversations, which informed our approach.

We already knew that they could use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to run their business effectively if we also included an e-commerce add-on solution. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the gold standard of enterprise resource management software, and enables organizations of all sizes to do more with their data through many different management tools.

While a big portion of this job was related to the implementation of an e-commerce site, we first had to tackle what was their biggest business issue: inventory management. This problem had manifested itself in their initial dealings with the aforementioned e-commerce vendor.

Much of what they sold on their original website was classified very generically, without a lot of item order information. While they actually preferred this setup, it made inventory management more difficult than it needed to be and made the online shopping experience a challenge to manage and fulfill.

We rectified this situation for them by using a feature within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central called item variants. These can be used to manage products with different variations like size, color, style etc. By using item variants in Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can set up one item with various variants instead of having to setup a separate item for each variation. There is also another feature in Business Central called attributes that can be used to categorize inventory items based on attributes like weight, material type and size (e.g. small, medium, large). These two features both allow shoppers to filter their purchase options for point-and-click simplicity on the website as well as simplify inventory management in the warehouse.

The client was also encountering some obstacles with manufacturing. Most of the sporting items and equipment they sell are manufactured on-site at their warehouse; they handle almost all aspects of the supply chain production process, from fabrication to assembly to labeling and distribution.

All of these workflows must be tracked and recorded on an ongoing basis, and we helped them do that through Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central’s manufacturing suite.  The warehousing capabilities available within Business Central, like bin management, also made it easier for them to manage activities such as receiving, shipping, and picking. These tools and some enhancements that TM Group added during the implementation helped to eliminate redundancies and diminish downtime, ultimately resulting in greater work output and throughput.

So far, this client is very pleased with the results, but they’re also looking to expand the use of Business Central into the manually intensive custom order side of their business. The start to this process was adding a configurator for their custom order management process. The configurator allows them to both track and retain all of the options and aspects that customized orders entail. Their customer service team is currently using the configurator, but eventually they would like their custom-order customers to configure their own orders.

With the ERP portion of their business now squared away, they will be able to place their focus on further website enhancements and expansion of Business Central into other aspects of their business.

The TM Group would love to help you tackle all of your business needs by implementing an ERP solution that’s designed for you and your business processes. Contact us today to arrange a consultation.