Client Success Story
Global Manufacturer Transforms Business, Cuts Order Closing Time by 70% with Modern Cloud Technology
Industry: Manufacturing
Solution: Dynamics 365 Field Service, Finance & Supply Chain Management
Introduction
Located across six continents, one manufacturer has a 100-year history of developing high-quality machining solutions for job shops and manufacturers. However, aging legacy systems and data silos threatened the company’s progress over time.
To maintain a high level of quality and support, the global manufacturer knew they needed to modernize their business at all levels. Here’s how we helped the manufacturer improve visibility and cash flow, reduce errors, and cut order close times by 70%.
Challenge
Outdated Service Software
With outdated service software, employees couldn’t share detailed records or enter international addresses due to character limits within fields.
Disjointed Systems
Employees across 10 locations used 14 interfaces to manage everything from purchase orders and service requests to shipping logistics and part numbers. The disjointed systems created:
- Limited visibility across multiple business areas
- Inventory inaccuracies and tracking complications
- Shipping delays and reduced customer satisfaction
Core struggles
- Outdated Service Software
- Disjointed Systems
Solution
Modernizing the service experience
Dynamics 365 Field Service
Our Manufacturing Strategy experts quickly got to work, evaluating the manufacturer’s platform and processes to uncover problems and improvement opportunities. We then used those insights to deploy Dynamics 365 Field Service with tangible improvements to their bottom line. This included quickly improving field efficiency with web support for internal users and a mobile service application for field workers.
Our strategy and implementation support empowered the company to reduce its work-to-cash cycle, enable collaboration across silos, and better measure organizational performance.
Connecting disjointed systems
Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management
Improving parts and service management
The manufacturer replaced their legacy ERP with Dynamics 365 and our modern data warehouse. Coupled with Power BI visualization, this solution consolidated data and eliminated manual reports by providing easy access for stakeholders.
The first rollout focused on the manufacturer’s Parts and Finance departments and went live during the COVID-19 pandemic, our first fully remote deployment.
Improving visibility and accuracy
To increase visibility, our team built integration bridges linking disparate interfaces to the new system. To improve accuracy, we streamlined processes for uploading part numbers and listing these parts in inventory. We also integrated the manufacturer with their head office in Japan to create parts released as part of a mass upload.
For the second phase of the rollout, the manufacturer expanded Dynamics 365 to create better visibility into sales, shipping, and invoicing.
Results
With consolidated data, streamlined processes, and increased visibility across the organization, the global manufacturer:
Over four years, the manufacturer created a modern manufacturing platform that enables stakeholders to measure organizational performance and get actionable insights across demand, performance, and financial results.
Dynamics 365 is setting us up for a journey to reach our end goal of having all of our systems talking together and using a common data source.
– National Service Manager, North America
About MCA Connect
Through passion and deep industry expertise, MCA Connect® helps manufacturers succeed by unlocking innovation with actionable business insights. Our strategic solution and industry intelligence help manufacturers gain visibility, improve profitability, and achieve a competitive edge. Contact us today to learn how we can help solve your biggest manufacturing challenges.
