The Latest Trend in Implementing Manufacturing ERP Software

The purchase of new manufacturing ERP software is usually driven by a desire to innovate, differentiate, cut costs, and create efficiency.

Until recently, manufacturers had two ERP implementation choices:

1. A Highly Customized Implementation – Your ERP team completely configures or customizes the manufacturing solution to align with your business processes.
2. A Vanilla / Fixed Fee Implementation – You choose to modify your business processes to align with the way the enterprise software operates.

The customized solution can be too expensive and time-intensive, and the vanilla implementation can be too limiting.

Introducing The Accelerated Implementation

The latest trend in implementing manufacturing ERP software provides a third option, a hybrid approach that accelerates the ERP project, while freeing up project resources to almost exclusively focus on those areas that provide the greatest competitive edge.

MCA Spectrum

Our accelerated implementation of Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations is called MCA Spectrum, because you pick how much customization and configuration you need.

Because Dynamics 365 is hosted on Azure, our consulting team can spin-up an instance quickly. You skip all the hardware procurement and setup. You even skip most of the configuration because we’ve pre-configured a standard manufacturing setup following manufacturing best practices for processes like:

• Concept to Market
• Prospect to Quote
• Procure to Pay
• Plan to Produce
• Post to Close

We’ve even pre-built most of the training and templates.

The only thing left to do is to make the ERP solution uniquely yours!

Following what we’ve uncovered during the discovery process, we focus the majority of the project on creating a competitive edge through custom configuration of unique processes that result in performance improvements like:

• Increasing On-Time Delivery Percentage
• Decreasing DSO – Days Sales Outstanding
• Accelerating Inventory Turns
• Shortening Manufacturing Lead Time
• Raising Quotation Win Percentage
• Cutting Expedited Freight Costs
• Minimizing Product Recalls

What types of manufacturers can use MCA Spectrum?

Pretty much any type of manufacturer can use MCA Spectrum. Because our consultants have been involved with hundreds of different manufacturing software implementations, we can customize the solution to fit the needs of:

• Discrete manufacturers
• Lean manufacturers
• Process manufacturers
• Make to order
• Make to stock
• Even mixed mode manufacturers

What are the major advantages of this manufacturing trend?

1. You get your ERP software up and running faster – and at a lower cost.
2. You retain the ability to customize the software as much as you’d like down the road.
3. You get all the advantages of a Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution, including integration with other Microsoft products, accessibility, mobility, and continual product improvements. Dynamics 365 could become your last ERP software implementation – EVER.

Interested in learning more about MCA Spectrum? Click to download the fact sheet.

Contact us today to start a discussion on how your business could benefit from this tailored approach to a D365 implementation.

Author: Joe Measer, Director, Strategic Projects

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