The Client

A German plastics manufacturing systems provider with independent satellite offices in Southwest Michigan.

The Challenge

Personnel from the client’s American outpost in Michigan contacted The TM Group in hopes of implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The satellite location, which manages North American distribution and marketing operations, was simplifying its processes by scaling down in-house product assembly activities and therefore needed to swap its manufacturing-focused Made2Manage enterprise resource planning solution for an alternative with more robust shipping and receiving components. The client also wanted to eliminate shadow information technology usage and give employees centralized data access and management tools to replace locally stored documents and spreadsheets. Finally, it needed to adopt a streamlined bill of materials template to adhere with with a newer, more simplified system that allowed them to flatten their bill of materials (BMOs).

In addition to addressing these challenges, the company sought to integrate the new ERP solution with its custom-coded quote configuration application and document management solution. The client also specified that the installation would need to work in tandem with its organizational customer relationship management system in Germany.

The plastics manufacturing systems provider needed new ERP software.

The Solution

The TM Group team assessed the situation and agreed that moving to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central was the ideal option. The group proposed a solutions package featuring several essential modules. These included:

• General Ledger
• Accounts payable
• Accounts receivable
• Assembly management
• Bank reconciliation
• Field order management
• Inventory control
• Multi-currency
• Purchase order management

The client participated in multiple demos of several solutions and ultimately decided to move forward with the Business Central implementation. The process unfolded with few roadblocks due to significant client involvement and dedication, starting at the top with the American division president who offered strong executive support and worked directly with The TM Group to sort through key configuration variables and build user training resources. The materials and logistics manager at the Michigan location was heavily involved as well. In fact, his embrace of Business Central’s complicated requisition worksheet, which streamlines operations by using customer demand and inventory data to generate purchase orders, greatly accelerated implementation, as he could work independently from almost day one. 

The Outcome

The client saw significant improvement following go-live. The fully integrated Microsoft Dynamcis 365 Business Central installation drastically improved ease-of-use, expanded data access and eliminated the need for shadow IT tools through centralization. And, the requisition worksheet boosted shipping and fulfillment operations, lending distribution stakeholders the assets they needed to order and ship out products and critical components. Of course, the new ERP also enriched specific departmental activities. For instance, the Business Central general ledger module bolstered more detailed tracking within the sales division by enabling multidimension data capture via Dimensions, an analytical accounting feature. The system also supported the implementation of a new commission-reporting approach as well. Similar improvements materialized in the distribution hub, where personnel could leverage Business Central to optimize the existing CON-BOM reordering methodology.

In all, The TM Group managed to put into place an impactful solution that met the client’s needs. However, the project is not over, as our team is currently collaborating with stakeholders to develop XML-based purchase order paths between the Michigan location and the company’s home office in Germany.

Is your organization interested in achieving similar results by rolling out Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central? Consider connecting with The TM Group. We have been managing Microsoft ERP implementations for decades, providing organizations of all sizes, across numerous industries, tailored services designed to help them find success now and in the future.

Contact us today to learn more about our work.