Topics: ERP, Manufacturing
The Supply Chain is Broken. Now What?
Before COVID-19, few people gave much thought to the global supply chain. As long as new cars and toys and electronics kept coming, consumers were happy, and the supply chain remained invisible. But ...
Topics: Business Transformation, Manufacturing
How Electronics Manufacturers Shorten Lead Time with Manufacturing Transformation
As an electronics manufacturer, you’re likely focused on optimizing your lead time. After all, if your lead time for electronic components and sub-assemblies is too long, your business suffers. Talk ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How to Succeed Despite Constant Supply Chain Disruption
The pandemic disrupted countless supply chains, triggering shortages that include everything from semiconductors to medical devices. However, disruption and uncertainty are nothing new. Even before ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How Equipment Manufacturers Are Eliminating Waste Through Manufacturing Transformation
If you are a manufacturer of equipment, you likely have product profitability, operating costs, and product quality at the top of your list of things to improve. As a business leader, you are ...
Topics: Automotive
How Leading Automotive Suppliers Reduce Unplanned Downtime
As a leading automotive supplier, you are always looking for ways to improve processes, optimize costs, and expand margins. After all, auto suppliers represent roughly 70% of the industry’s costs ...
Topics: Manufacturing
6 Ways Electronics Manufacturers Can Improve Equipment Availability
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is one of the most vital metrics you can track as an electronics manufacturer; it’s considered to be the “gold standard” for measuring your effectiveness. OEE is ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How Do Leading Equipment Manufacturers Improve OEE?
As an equipment manufacturer, one of the most critical KPIs you need to watch is Equipment Performance. Equipment Performance is one of the three legs on the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) ...
Topics: CRM, Manufacturing
Thrive in Industry 4.0 with a Smart CRM for Manufacturing
Industry 4.0. Manufacturing 4.0. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). These terms have gained a lot of traction over the past few years, but what do they really mean? There are many ways to answer ...
Topics: News
MCA Connect Announces New Chief Growth Officer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MCA Connect Announces New Chief Growth Officer Lori Borg to Lead Company’s Expansion Initiatives and Strategic Partnerships September 7, 2021 (Denver, Colo.) – MCA Connect, a ...
Topics: ERP, Power Platform
3 Ways to Simplify the CapEx Approval Process
Pandemic or not, capital expenditures are on the rise in manufacturing. According to Melius Research, industrial firms that reported results in the first half of 2020 anticipate a 20% increase in ...
Topics: ERP
Dynamics AX to Finance and Operations Apps Feature Comparison
When you are deciding whether to migrate to the Dynamics 365 suite of cloud apps from Dynamics AX, consider the new and improved functionality that they have to offer. The following charts compare ...
Topics: ERP
Moving from Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 in the Cloud
Is your organization evaluating whether to transition your Dynamics AX solution to Finance and Operations apps in the cloud or stay on-premises? To determine whether this is the right move, you’ll ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Is the Cloud Secure Enough for Manufacturing?
Manufacturers around the world adopt cloud technology to drive efficiency, build resiliency, and improve productivity. However, concerns about cloud security remain. According to one survey, 93% of ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Part 3: Seven Essential Lean Manufacturing Guidelines
Welcome to part three of our blog series, ‘Seven Essential Lean Manufacturing Guidelines’. All manufacturers know that lean manufacturing is an essential component of manufacturing excellence. This ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Seven Essential Lean Manufacturing Guidelines: Part 2
Welcome to part two of our blog series, ‘Seven Essential Lean Manufacturing Guidelines’. All manufacturers know that lean manufacturing is an essential component of manufacturing excellence. This ...
Topics: News
MCA Connect Earns Inner Circle Recognition for the 13th Time for Microsoft Business Applications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MCA Connect Earns Inner Circle Recognition for the 13th Time for Microsoft Business Applications Microsoft honors MCA Connect for achievements in sales and innovation July 26, ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Seven Essential Lean Manufacturing Guidelines: Part 1
All manufacturers know that lean manufacturing is an essential component of manufacturing excellence. The drive to remove waste has streamlined operations, eliminated idle inventory, and helped ...
Topics: News, Automotive
MCA Connect Wins 2021 Microsoft US Partner of the Year for Automotive
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MCA Connect Wins 2021 Microsoft US Partner of the Year for Automotive Microsoft Recognizes MCA Connect for Dedication to Automotive Success July 12, 2021 (Denver, Colo.) – MCA ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics, Automotive
4 Ways Data Estates Enable Operational Excellence for Auto Suppliers
Auto suppliers are facing multiple operational challenges these days, and one of them is advancing their journey towards operational excellence. One critical step to help with this journey is data ...
Topics: Automotive
Using IHS Data with Sales and Operations Planning for Better Automotive Supply Demand Forecasting
If you’re an automotive manufacturer, you may be asking yourself, “Why is it so difficult to get an accurate demand forecast?” Lots of reasons. First of all, demand forecasting is inherently ...
Topics: Manufacturing
2 Ways Manufacturers Maximize Inventory Management for Improved Return on Assets
As a manufacturer, inventory problems are likely top of mind for you these days from the spikes or drops in levels of order demand, or at new levels never before seen, with a new product mix. Or, to ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics, Manufacturing
Data Lake vs Data Warehouse
The Modern Data Estate: Data Lake vs. Data Warehouse A modern data estate should provide multiple methods of ingesting and storing the various data that businesses generate. Data comes at us fast and ...
Topics: ERP
What are the major ERP products of Microsoft Dynamics?
Microsoft's ERP solutions have gone through several name changes over the past decade. When Microsoft acquired Axapta, this ERP solution was first called Microsoft Business Solutions Axapta. That ...
Topics: News
MCA Connect, LLC Proudly Announces David Willis as Newest Board Member
DENVER, Colorado, 2021 - MCA Connect is pleased to announce that David Willis, former Microsoft Corporate Vice President, has joined its Board of Directors. David had an illustrious career at ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How Smart Manufacturing is Revolutionizing the Industry
I'm sure you've heard of "factories of the future," which has been a well-discussed philosophy among manufacturing leaders for decades. The idea of using cutting-edge technology to revolutionize ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How to Overcome the Challenges of S&OP for Equipment Manufacturing
Succeeding at Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) is hard for most manufacturers but doubly hard for equipment manufacturers.
Topics: ERP
Goodbye AS/400, Hello Microsoft?
Can a technology platform that's been around since 1988 still provide business value? If you are old enough to recall 1988, you'll remember that the average person didn't have a cell phone, email, or ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics
Budgeting – FP&A After Microsoft Forecaster
Microsoft Forecaster was a great tool for companies with relatively simple budgeting and forecasting needs. It was popular with users who primarily had been trying to manage these processes with ...
Topics: ERP, Manufacturing
It’s Time to Upgrade from MAPICS
Why would you stay on MAPICS? MAPICS was created by IBM more than 35 years ago as an operational control system for manufacturing and accounting information. In 2005, the product was purchased by ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics, CRM, ERP, Manufacturing
Key Technology Trends for Equipment Manufacturers
As equipment manufacturers find themselves in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, one thing is certain: Change is an undeniable constant. The industry continues to experience change across ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics, Automotive
Data Estate Defined for Automotive Manufacturers
There’s been a lot of talk for many years about the significant value of data to the corporation, specifically to automotive suppliers. So much so that we often hear experts state how data is the new ...
Topics: CRM
Power Apps: Solving One Business Challenge at a Time
Power Apps is a tool used to create, connect and extend your internal business applications – including Dynamics 365 and Office 365 – but also 200+ other applications. The beauty of Power Apps is ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How to Build a Resilient Supply Chain in 2021
Have you recently discovered new gaps in your supply chain? Over the last decade, global supply chains have seen a significant increase in disruptions for many reasons, from natural disasters to ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How Manufacturing Leaders are Adapting Their Business in 2021
In order to understand the future of manufacturing, it's important to understand the industry's current situation and how leaders are positioning their companies for future growth. We surveyed 50 ...
Topics: Manufacturing
What Every Manufacturing Executive Should Know Going into 2021
Even pre-pandemic many manufacturers around the globe were grappling with immediate challenges like keeping workers healthy, maintaining productivity, and inventory issues, while also considering ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Top Challenges Faced by Electronics Manufacturers
The global marketplace is constantly evolving. No other industry experiences more change than electronics. New technology becomes available at an alarming rate. In order to remain competitive in the ...
Topics: Field Service
Remote Assist for Mobile vs. HoloLens: What Are the Benefits?
The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped how companies operate and as it becomes more and more necessary for Field Service teams to find solutions that enable them to collaborate virtually and ...
Topics: News
MCA Connect Achieves the 2020/2021 Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications
MCA Connect is honored by Microsoft for achieving outstanding sales achievement and innovation. MCA Connect, a Microsoft Gold Partner, has achieved the prestigious 2020/2021 Inner Circle for ...
Topics: Manufacturing
4 Key Technology Trends for Discrete Manufacturers
Discrete manufacturing technology is evolving quicker than ever. Increasing availability of industry solutions and advancements in enterprise systems empower manufacturing companies to maximize the ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Top 3 Manufacturing Digitization Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robots, 3D printing, the Internet of Things (IoT)...there’s a whole world of advanced manufacturing technology and innovation just waiting for manufacturers who ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Master Planning Does Not Work for All Electronic Manufacturers
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance has some valuable improvements coming for the performance of the existing master planning engine. However, it is somewhat disappointing that it is not addressing the ...
Topics: Business Transformation, CRM, ERP
How Technology Supports Our New Virtual World
The ongoing spread of COVID-19 has changed how many companies operate. Encouraging employees to work remotely is probably the biggest change for those companies, thus making our world even more ...
Topics: CRM
How Technology Can Drive Your Customer Service Transformation
As a result of the recent global pandemic, digital transformation is becoming more and more popular among companies to adapt to our new market reality. What’s interesting about this is, however, is ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics
Steps to Migrate Your Legacy Data to Dynamics 365
Harvesting enterprise data is central to how organizations compete, and even survive, as industries transform digitally. Yet, as companies grow and technologies shift, managing data has become an ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Modern Technology for the Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Team
With the modern technology available today, industrial equipment manufacturers can take advantage of new manufacturing opportunities by connecting business systems that give them a better view of all ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics, Manufacturing
Where’s My Stuff? How Container Tracking Can Help Manage Your Global Supply Chain
If you’re a manufacturer in a global supply chain and you order a finished product or components from across the globe, then you know there is about a month of time where you really don’t know the ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics
The Modern Data Estate: Data Lake vs. Data Warehouse
A modern data estate should provide multiple methods of ingesting and storing the various data that businesses generate. Data comes at us fast and in many forms. These different forms can include ...
Topics: IoT & Analytics, Manufacturing
Reduce Supply Chain Disruption with IoT and Analytics
Reducing the risk of supply chain disruptions As the threat of disruption has increased recently, companies are pressured to ask if their supply chain is ready for the next event, pushing them to ...
Topics: Manufacturing
Why S&OP is Critical for Manufacturing COVID-19 Recovery
We understand the recent health crisis makes for uneasy times and has already impacted many manufacturers in one way or another. Most businesses are wondering how big of an impact this will have on ...
Topics: Manufacturing
How to Build a Future-Ready Strategy for Manufacturing
From rapid changes in technology to ever-increasing consumer demands, every industry is trying to keep up with the pace of change and reinvent processes for a more sustainable future. When a ...
Topics: CRM
Are These Pitfalls Preventing You from Maximizing Your CRM Investment?
Let’s consider this - an organization invests in business applications to modernize its Customer Relationship Management. The business case promises everything and more: excellent efficiencies, ...
