• iCM | iQM

Xcelpros

A Global technology and consulting services
The Road to Success Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

Jump-starting resilient and reimagined operations
Jump-starting resilient and reimagined operations 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Jump-starting resilient and reimagined operations

Based on a wonderful piece from our friends at McKinsey, describing the effort needed by businesses moving forward after COVID disruptions. A reminder that businesses able to maintain a certain level of speed during the transition can create a significant long-term advantage.

Get a consultation to learn more about building resilient operations for your company.

Get Started

The Power of Integrated Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

The Power of Integrated Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
The Power of Integrated Material Requirements Planning (MRP) 700 500 Xcelpros Team

At a Glance

Today, growing companies need to keep tighter reins over their inventories. Having too much on hand means capital outlays will suffer. Too little could mean trouble meeting unexpected demands. Materials requirements planning (MRP) allows companies to better plan their production, ensuring needed supplies are available without hampering other business functions. The benefits of using MRP software, like that found in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, include:

  • Proper MRP and supply chain planning acts as a catalyst for growth
  • Ability to better manage customer expectations and reality behind the scenes
  • Addressing real-life pain points becomes easier
  • Ability to plan production campaigns in advance
  • Easier to overcome resistance to change while adapting to newer, more efficient planning methods

Supply Chain Planning Methods Benefit All Companies

Whether you’re a bakery or a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, planning your inventory is an essential part of daily operations. If a bakery does not order enough flour, yeast, or eggs, it can’t meet customer demands. Order too much and the company loses money from spoiled or wasted materials.

When it comes to chemical companies, managing waste is not as simple as throwing away a loaf of bread. The repercussions to unplanned operations in highly regulated industries can be significantly worse: Creating bad batches of hazardous or volatile chemicals, along with continuously yielding unplanned co-products or by-products will require additional storage or disposal based on quality tests.

For another example, consider a pharmaceutical company. The production of batches with a lower than planned potency can easily result in an over-extended campaign, the over-consumption of raw materials and lower production yields. If a batch is planned for a certain potency, the production process can’t be considered complete until the quality department confirms it meets the required specifications. Then, after reworking the batch a few times, it may even be reclassified to a lower potency when it does not yield the desired results.

While the concept of MRP was originally intended for manufacturing companies, it now extends itself into all industries, including those whose products are services.

MRP can be even more critical in small-to-medium manufacturing companies: the smaller a company is, the more precise the allocation materials and resources needs to be. These planners and buyers need clear and precise signals allowing them to make informed decisions on when to buy, and when to produce. The availability of materials and capacity of resources is everything in optimizing and streamlining a plant’s supply chain.

Especially today, MRP should be included as part of optimizing a company’s overall supply chain. This is one of the reasons were seeing MRP integrated into Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software more and more. Combined with other parts of supply chain management, MRP lets companies offer their customers a better experience along with the added benefit of lower inventory costs.

A Real-Life Example

Customer A requests a quote for a specific product they need quickly. This customer has already reached out to secondary vendors for quotes.

In order to please this customer, especially with added competition, may require a thorough inventory evaluation to know if you can meet their deadline.

Without a proper MRP system in place, it’s likely you’ve had to develop and manage dozens of complex spreadsheets with sales orders, supply and demand forecasts, production schedules and more. After that, you’ll probably have to superimpose inventory availability and resource capacities into the same spreadsheet. Does this sound familiar?

This method can take 2-3 days just to determine if you can meet their deadline. The work and precision required puts tremendous pressure on planners, alienates customers and impairs organizational growth. Competitors with an MRP system integrated into their ERP platform can provide a realistic promise date significantly quicker than companies still relying on manual methods.

Without the ability to provide reliable available-to-promise (ATP) dates, you can easily lose customers to suppliers able to commit and deliver on time.

Meeting customer demands by a certain date requires at least three inputs:

  1. 1.Planned supply
  2. 2.On-hand availability after all allocations and reservations are considered
  3. 3.Resource capacity

Meeting customer demands

What Happens on the Ground?

Preparing a production schedule can be a challenge if you don’t have a complete understanding of inventory levels, labor and resource availability. Even with a forecast in place, it’s hard to efficiently schedule production if you’re facing capacity issues. This Standard Costing in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing – Industry Challenges and Solutions offers an example of the batch manufacturing processes and the data inaccuracies that can occur while consuming inventory. Add these data inaccuracies on top of lack of resource capacity and the challenge should be clear.

These problems illustrate the need for accurate production planning and scheduling, which are critical in any manufacturing or distribution company, especially if youre trying to streamline operations.

Not only do customers often expect 99 percent-plus service levels within 24 to 48 hours, but supply reliability is also becoming more tenuous as once local supply chains now extend around the world. Source – McKinsey and Company

Being able to boost production efficiency with accurate inventory plans is becoming critical in today’s business environment. Companies face constant pressure to perform at a higher level, especially with growing competition and customer loyalty seen as directly connected to a company’s perceived value.

Meeting Customer Demands

It’s important to know your planner is able to meet the demand of your customers, along with being able to relay and provide important information, including things like:

  • Resource availability
  • Production capacity
  • Overall demand
  • Quality requirements
  • Batch potency requirements

Without even basic planning, a company operating reactively will lose inventory and suffocate resource availability, resulting in a considerable waste of time and money. Systems that can take advantage of modern technologies like AI an ML can generate needed results in minutes much more efficiently. That’s where a system like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management comes in.

Cost of inaccurate inventory

Not being able to track capacity means waiting for one machine operation to finish before the next job starts. Knowing how long each process takes is crucial in providing a reliable promise date. Companies who aren’t able to meet customer deadlines can easily lose any edge they may have over their peers. Continuing to operate without proper supply chain planning, companies stunt their own growth.

Interested in learning how Microsoft Solutions can help your your company?

Schedule Demo

Benefits of an Integrated MRP and Forecasting System

An integrated materials requirement planning and forecasting system offers much better control over production. These systems can take advantage of different coverage settings like lead times and time fences for upcoming projects, and creates production signals based on material availability plus resource capacity and capability.

The system’s built-in algorithms take into account all products that require planning while sharing the same raw materials and resources. It shows the planner schedules for all material requirements to meet supply and demand based on the calendar with working time.

The planner is able to access a similar visual schedule to what they would create manually on a spreadsheet but with much more functionality and the ability to make informed decisions. The planner can then decide how and where reprioritization needs to happen and then which lot production runs to schedule first.

A good MRP algorithm empowers users to be able to proactively plan, letting them keep better tabs on raw materials and resource allocations. On top of that, being able to add stringent production floor operating procedures with stop gaps can help reduce or eliminate uncontrolled activities that can alter inventory projections.

Role of People

Having a well-trained, experienced workforce is invaluable. It’s undoubtedly your biggest strength. But because some people are comfortable performing tasks a specific way, they may find it challenging to adapt to changes designed to streamline your supply chain. How do you convert workers who are unwilling to change?

Some proven ways are:

  • Educating your workforce on how adapting to newer methods and tools to increase supply chain optimization benefits them
  • Explaining and showing them how the modern tools are actually simpler to use and follow standard execution methods
  • Creating a change management process
  • Involving them in the overall transformation from no planning or manual planning to a systematized planning and scheduling tool
  • Teaming your workforce with newer team members who act as change agents during the software implementation process

40%

More than 40% of financial services executives feel cultural or behavioral change is the biggest challenge they face in pursuing their technology transformation.

Source: Inference from McKinsey

Key Takeaways

There are several steps any company can take to proactively plan its supply chain. These include:

  • Looking at current cycle count procedures and then re-categorizing the top items for better visibility
  • Using better time and management procedures to better allocate resources to the right jobs
  • Providing proper handoffs for machines and operators from one step in the production process to the next
  • Proactively scheduling jobs and finding more efficient operating methods

Finally, ask yourself this question: Is your company on pace to beat your competition right now or are you lagging behind? Could MRP help you capture more sales and improve the customer experience by letting you deliver quotes faster and meet, or beat existing production deadlines?

If you aren’t getting ahead maybe it’s time to take a closer look at how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management can help.

How an ERP system can help improve Manufacturing performance
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

How an ERP system can help improve Manufacturing performance?
How an ERP system can help improve Manufacturing performance? 700 500 Xcelpros Team

At a Glance

  • Installing modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) software comes at a high cost for manufacturing companies. They want to use their software investments to maximize manufacturing performance.
  • Manufacturers can best use their ERP model by letting their production line and vendors work in tandem with the software to streamline processes.
  • ERP systems are no longer a part of the business backend. Newer tools and applications like cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning are changing ERP systems. All of these technologies affect overall return on investment (ROI).

Introduction

The general benefits of using a comprehensive tool like ERP are well known by most manufacturing organizations regardless of size. However, there are still ways with which ERP systems can be used to better overall operational efficiency in manufacturing, streamline existing processes and improve the production line. How solutions like ERP become the catalyst in generating ROI are usually the difference-makers for the manufacturing sector.

Mid-size businesses’ adoption of ERP software will grow at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2014 to 2020.– alliedmarketresearch.com

As more companies modernize their ERP, they want to understand how they can adapt and manipulate their current practices to maximize their technology investments. First, understand how ROI is calculated in terms of ERP in the manufacturing industry.

Figure 1:Determining the ROI of Manufacturing ERP

Determining the ROI of Manufacturing ERP

Calculating the ROI for ERP Manufacturing: A Comprehensive Look at the Benefits of Installing an ERP System

Every organization has specific short and long term goals in mind when installing an ERP system. While the ROI might be a relative concept for every manufacturer, certain common areas can help decide the benefits an ERP system brings to your company:

  • Does the ERP system help streamline production processes and improve overall production line efficiency?
  • Does it reduce human intervention, lowering the cost of labor for data management and analytics?
  • Does it help better manage purchases, procurements and inventory?
  • Does it provide real-time visibility across the production line for improved communications and faster response times?
  • What other tangible benefits in terms of cost savings and profit gains can you see after installing the ERP system?

Answering these questions lets you calculate the ROI for your ERP.

Take Our Assessment to Get Started With Digital Transformation.

Get Started Now

The Road to Better Manufacturing ROI: Improving Manufacturing Performance with ERP

01.Efficient Machine-to-Machine and Machine-to-Human Interaction

In today’s cloud-dominated software world, everything is connected through the Internet. Manufacturers can enhance their ecosystems by making real-time connections between the workforce and machines. When everyone from the top floor to the shop floor can view the entire production line, it lets skilled workers use smart manufacturing techniques to save time and effort.

Using ERP software to adopt smart manufacturing techniques helps manufacturers avoid production delays while efficiently tracking material and equipment. Using these methods will generate significantly more revenue.

Figure 2:ERP in the Manufacturing Industry

ERP in the Manufacturing Industry

02.Better Inventory Management

Large-scale manufacturers can afford to hire a larger workforce to manage their inventories. Small and mid-scale businesses lack that luxury so inventory problems can cause financial losses. Efficient larger companies are looking for a centralized network that can keep track of raw materials, incoming and outgoing shipments plus maintenance schedules.

A sturdy, modernized ERP system is designed to handle these tasks where older legacy platforms fail.

ERPs allow companies to get real-time data on their inventory, allowing them to better predict and manage inventory. Every manufacturing company—large or small—understands that accurately managing inventory is a must if it wants to avoid stock-outs and related production delays. A robust ERP system improves ROI by helping manufacturers more accurately manage inventories.

03.Forming a Competent Skill Base

Advanced software and or mechanical tools can only help boost ROI when the workforce is trained in how to use them. An ERP system is no exception. When an ERP is integrated with cutting-edge applications like IoT, machine learning, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence, training becomes critical. Having a well-trained, expert workforce lets companies take full advantage of their ERP. Taking the time and spending the money to train staff reduces problems and provides long-term profit gains.

Key Takeaways

Making these changes in your manufacturing ecosystem will help you maximize the benefits of your ERP system. They will also solidify your work standards and technical competencies.

  • The cost of installing a modern ERP system for manufacturers is countered by improving the return on investment.
  • Regardless of size, manufacturers should look at ERP software as an integral part of their production line. Training their workforce in how to use its many features will boost overall profits.

Streamline Your Supply Chain with Advanced Warehouse Management and MD365
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

Achieving Growth with Multi-tier Supplier Collaboration
Achieving Growth with Multi-tier Supplier Collaboration 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Achieving Growth with Multi-tier Supplier Collaboration

Chiefly based on a wonderful piece from our friends over at McKinsey about uncertain delivery times and critical shortages due to COVID-19. Certainly the crisis wreaked havoc on production and logistics worldwide, causing chaos for organizations all over. Consequently, in reflecting on the shortages of semiconductors, lumber, and steel, it was a wake-up call which highlighted just how fragile our globally integrated supply chains can be. Despite it all, crisis can be turned into opportunity. Technology unveiled potential disruptions along supply chains, enabling new strategies to prevent future headaches. Embrace the power of tech and turn crisis into triumph by building strong partnerships with multi-tier suppliers today.

Contact us

The pandemic propelled supply chains to the forefront of corporate priorities, although the focus was already gaining momentum. Dive into the world of ambitious ESG goals that demand OEMs and suppliers to monitor, control, and share information on carbon emissions and labor practices throughout their supplier networks. Uncover the vital role suppliers play in industries like automotive, where they are responsible for a staggering 80 percent of product value. Learn how supplier cost, quality, innovation, and delivery performance are pivotal to achieving business triumph.

In the pursuit of excellence, companies have discovered the key to success lies in forging stronger bonds with their trusted suppliers. By fostering a deep connection, they can unlock immense potential for growth and improvement. However, the path to achieving a fully integrated supply chain has been littered with challenges.

The journey towards seamless collaboration has been hindered by three major hurdles. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers alike have grappled with the struggle of increasing data sharing and building effective collaboration networks within their supply chains.

Technology

Outdated technology hinders efficient data exchange in supply chains. For instance, the automotive industry relies on the limited electronic data interchange (EDI) standard, which restricts sharing of crucial information on forecasts, orders, and delivery schedules. It’s time for a modern solution that enhances collaboration and streamlines operations.

Processes

Imagine a world where we can effortlessly exchange complex data about everything from the environmental impact of products to their exact location in real-time. Unfortunately, we haven’t reached that point yet. Standards of processes for this kind of data exchange are yet to be developed. But, the potential for transforming our logistics networks and making more informed decisions is huge.

Confidence

Building confidence in each other is crucial for participants in data sharing projects. They face two major challenges. The first is protecting sensitive information. The second is establishing a common understanding of the value and accuracy of each other’s data. These hurdles make it hard for organizations to agree on terms and incentives. It can make them hesitant to incorporate external data into their systems. Perhaps, however, we can create a stronger foundation for collaboration with confidence in each other.

Final Thoughts on Supplier Collaboration

Broken down barriers, money saved, and boosted resilience. That’s what happens when participants come together, embrace common standards, trust each other, and share the gains. But it doesn’t stop there. This greater integration sets the stage for a sustainable and efficient supply chain, with a laser focus on end-to-end success. Don’t miss out on this key enabler for the fast and flexible future we’re all striving for.

Contact us

How choosing the right ERP system can boost your company's growth
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

How choosing the right ERP system can boost your company’s growth
How choosing the right ERP system can boost your company’s growth 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Introduction

According to the latest Mckinsey research, agile organizations are healthier and more likely to meet long-term performance KPIs than their counterparts. Moreover, such organizations are more likely to achieve:

  • greater customer centricity,
  • faster time to market,
  • higher revenue growth,
  • lower costs, and
  • a more engaged workforce.

One way to improve the agility of your organization is to employ an ERP solution. Here we explore the advantages of utilizing an ERP system and outline five ways the right ERP system can improve agility and help you grow your business.

40%

of all companies won’t survive in the next ten years if they fail to figure out how to change and transform their business to accommodate the latest technologies.

Source: East Innovations

Benefits of Implementing an ERP Software Solution: Key Areas

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) as a business process management tool can enable organizations to manage day-to-day business activities like:

  • accounting,
  • procurement,
  • marketing,
  • human resources,
  • project management,
  • risk management,
  • compliance, and
  • supply chain operations.

The right Enterprise resource planning software application allows these different departments to communicate and share information with the rest of the company.

Figure: 1Different departments integrating through an ERP

Different departments integrating through an ERP

In other words, ERP software helps your business by making it easier for different departments to cooperate with just one interface.

Book a assessment to learn about the right ERP system for your company.

Schedule Call

5 Ways a Modern ERP Can Help You Grow Your Business

Large ERP solutions often slip to the bottom of IT management’s agenda, but the growth benefits of ERP solutions—seamless, end-to-end integration across functions and business units—make them a fundamental asset for most large companies.

Moreover, the next generation of modern ERP solutions offers even more promising capabilities, both functionally and technologically. Below we explore just a few of the ways a modern ERP can help you grow your business.

Enhanced Insight and Visibility

ERP software provides complete access to important business processes by making data from different departments easily accessible to senior management. It provides a birds-eye-view of daily business operations like:

  • Financial Accounting
  • Management Accounting
  • Human Resources
  • Manufacturing
  • Order Processing
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Project Management
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and
  • Data Services.

The boost in visibility enables decision-makers with the information they need to not only control daily operations but also improve inefficient processes and reveal opportunities for growth.

Better Reporting and Analytics

Accurate and complete reporting helps businesses plan, budget, forecast, and communicate the state of operations to the organization and other interested parties, such as investors and shareholders.

ERPs make big data and big business a good match because they enable your team with a single, unified reporting and analytics system for every process. You also enable your team to analyze and compare functions across departments, without the hassle of multiple spreadsheets and emails.

Greater Efficiency and Performance

By linking far-flung departments, ERP systems make it easier for your team to interoperate. The easier it is for your team to interoperate, the easier it will be for them to produce high quality work, and perform at their best.

“Higher the efficiency, the higher the profitability!”

Properly implemented, an ERP software suite can greatly reduce or eliminate repetitive manual processes, which frees up your team to focus on revenue-generating tasks. ERP systems can also aid in the adoption of industry best-practice, and alignment across the organization.

Stronger Data Security

ERP software improves data security by limiting input to a single system, thus eliminating the avenues by which a hacker could infiltrate the system and/or steal information. Both on-premise and cloud-based ERP systems provide a higher degree of security than the alternative, i.e., merging information from multiple systems.

Additionally, most ERP software runs on a single database system, which enables centralized backups of your critical and sensitive data.

Improved Supply Chain Management

The feature-rich working environment of an ERP suite provides a range of important supply chain advantages and play a key role in several aspects of the creation and maintenance of a superior supply chain management process, including:

  • Supply Chain Planning – ERP systems offer an easier and more flexible way to establish and alter the supply chain parameters.
  • Purchasing, Procurement and Execution – ERP software applications provide a more effective way to manage the procurement and supply of goods, services and other resources that are needed to operate a successful supply chain.
  • Monitoring and Maintenance – The ability to monitor, review and alter supply chain efforts and activities in real-time is essential for ensuring your business can maintain the flexibility needed to stay competitive and ensure cost-effective operations.
  • Measurement and Assessment – ERP systems offer superior information aggregation and organization, which makes it easier to identify and address undesirable variances throughout the supply chain.

How to Choose the Right ERP System

There is no one-size-fits-all ERP system for every business, but there are features that distinguish it from other types of business software, including:

  • Common database – Most ERP advantages stem from a common database that enables organizations to centralize information from numerous departments, and eliminate the need to manually merge separate databases.
  • Single user interface – ERP systems provide the same user interface (UI) and have a similar user experience (UX) across all departments and roles. In other words, everyone uses the same interface and sees the same thing when they interact with the software.
  • Process Integration – The right ERP system will enable your team to unify a diverse set of processes, and connect workflows that play crucial roles in the company’s success.
  • Automation – A basic feature of most ERP systems is the ability to automate repetitive tasks like manual data entry, which saves time, improves efficacy and minimizes human error.
  • Data Analytics – the most valuable aspect of an ERP is how it breaks down information silos, enabling your team to mix and match data from any part of your business into insightful reports.

Conclusion

The prospect of streamlined business functions and major boosts to productivity make ERP systems a good investment for any business owner. But which ERP system is right for your business? The answer to that question depends on your business.

Ultimately, the ERP system you choose for your business should not only make work easier, but also enable your team with the tools, time and information they need to improve business processes and set your company on a trajectory for growth.

Key Solutions to Chemical Company Operational Challenges
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

Operational Challenges in a Chemical Company: Key Solutions
Operational Challenges in a Chemical Company: Key Solutions 700 500 Xcelpros Team

At a Glance

Recovery by end-use markets and export consumers are expected to boost the U.S. Chemical industry in 2021 and 2022. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) predictions include:

  • A global gross domestic product (GDP) increase of 6.1% in 2021 and 4.4% in 2022
  • A rise in the U.S. GDP of 6.4% in 2021 and 4.3% in 2022 after a 3.5% fall in 2020
  • U.S chemical volumes will increase by 1.4% in 2021 and 3.2% in 2022
  • Chemical shipments will increase 8.1% in 2021 and 8.2% in 2022 after a 13.5% decrease in 2020
  • Capital spending will increase 11.9% to $30.6 billion in 2021 and 3.1% in 2022 after falling 17.6% in 2020
  • Basic chemical production will rise 0.5% in 2021 and 3.4% in 2022
  • Specialty chemicals will expand by 3.8% in 2021 and 4.1% in 2022 after falling 10.8% in 2020
  • Chemical exports will rise 5.8% in 2021 and 13.2% in 2022 after falling 7.6% in 2020
  • U.S. Chemical imports will rise 1.7% in 2021 and 13.7% in 2022 after falling 5.1% in 2020

Also affecting U.S. chemical companies are tariffs and regulations.

  • U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods were averaging 19.3% on a trade-weighted basis in early 2021, up dramatically from the 3.8% rate before the U.S. China trade war, CNBC states
  • China currently has a 20.7% tariff on U.S. goods
  • Failure to meet global harmonized system (GHS) labelling requirements can generate fines of $12,600 per violation and up to $127,000 per violation for the most serious issues

Making Sense of the Numbers

Higher production translates to higher capacity requiring production managers to equip themselves with the technology needed to adapt to the changing market.

A sophisticated enterprise resource planning (ERP) business application helps plant production managers keep up with rapidly changing challenges. ERP software also lets them track key metrics such as inventory turnover and manufacturing throughput to optimize cost of production.

Production in modern-day chemical companies involves unforeseen challenges. These range from obtaining raw materials to ensuring proper quality, fluctuating demand, tariffs, dwindling margins, capacity and resource planning. It also requires keeping formulas secure from data thieves.

Regulatory compliance plus international tariffs add additional stress to profit margins and the supply chain.

Tariffs require leveraging resources more efficiently to achieve better margins while promoting trade. One effect is forcing companies to explore near-shore vendors that can supply essential materials at a reasonable price.

One way to become more efficient is by using modern technology. ERP solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) Business Central have tools that let production managers take more control of their production floor.

For example, production scheduling is complex, requiring an understanding and balancing of specific elements such as:

  • Resources Planning
  • Continuous production
  • Optimal asset planning
  • Fluctuating demand
  • Tighter lead time
  • Procurement delays
  • Outages
  • Quality check
  • Recalls and regulation requirement

Five Key Concerns

Five key concerns for chemical production plant managers are:

  1. 1.Fluctuating product demands
  2. 2.Volatility in raw materials supplies
  3. 3.Complying with government regulations
  4. 4.Ensuring consistent quality
  5. 5.Resource and production throughput

Fluctuating Customer Demands

Capital spending will increase 11.9% to $30.6 billion in 2021 and rise another 3.1% in 2022 after falling 17.6% in 2020, American Chemistry Council states.

Basic chemical production will rise 0.5% in 2021 and 3.4% in 2022. Specialty chemicals will expand by 3.8% in 2021 and 4.1% in 2022 after falling 10.8% in 2020.

“Following the worst downturn since the 1930s, the world economy is on the rebound,” Kevin Swift, chief economist at ACC is quoted as saying. “We expect recovery to proceed apace despite multiple risks and uncertainties. These include supply chain constraints and increased demand as economies reopen; trade tensions; weather events, cybersecurity and similar shocks; inflation; financial volatility and public and private sector debt.”

While these developments position chemical companies in a bright spot compared to 2020, not all is bullish. As demand for chemical products increases, so does competition and the demand for innovative products. Production Managers now handle unprecedented customer demands causing tight deadlines and highly-stressed resources.

Production Managers need an air-tight strategy to meet sporadic demands and ensure business continuity. Products such as D365 Business Central are equipped to handle such strategies, ensure complete visibility, provide control over the entire supply chain and support informed decision-making.

Some of the critical elements in production planning and control include Master Planning, Production Scheduling and Production Control as shown below.

Production management

Today we live in an on-demand economy. Production managers face rapid changes and increased sales order quantities from customers, adding pressure on Production.

Example #1: A Chemical Plant

Using a chemical plant as an example, say Customer A doubles their order quantity from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds.

To meet this demand, the production manager must respond quickly by evaluating available resources and scale batch sizes in the reactor.

Companies using a modern, well-designed order management system can update the sales order quantity and set the order priority to high.

Order priority can be designed to consider critical demand, customer categories and customer relationships. Changing the order priority signals the materials requirement planning (MRP) system. It issues an updated production order to reflect the larger batch size.

After seeing the revised production order, the production supervisor can review the production schedule and adjust resources to meet the customer’s new demand.

Similar situations are common at chemical companies. Plant managers recognize the need for an integrated ERP system that seamlessly manages communication between different business areas.

Using Gantt Charts

The production control module within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management creates powerful Gantt Charts. These charts visually represent production flows, map resources, check on material availability and inventories plus see which machines are available. This information helps managers control and optimize the production plan and make informed decisions.

Gantt charts within Dynamics 365 Finance provide a uniform view of schedule activities within a defined time interval. Managers can use these charts to:

  1. 1.Schedule jobs from production orders. Managers and schedulers can modify production plans by dragging and dropping or using an online menu.
  2. 2.Schedule jobs from planned production orders. Scheduling starts after the production plan converts to an actual order.
  3. 3.See hourly schedules of all jobs. A calendar that has active working times is a prerequisite for all production activities. Seeing the real-time status of every job lets managers know the status of “jobs that have started” and “jobs that have ended.”
  4. 4.View production orders organized by order and resources. Production managers get a real-time view of a production schedule displaying scheduled production orders, material availability and resource capacity. Managers can change schedules when required.

Order view

View of the resources available or engaged.–

Resource view

Volatility in raw materials supplies

Chemical manufacturers use crude oil and natural gas byproducts as the base for their products, accounting for about 50% of the production cost. Oil and gas are extremely volatile commodities with pricing subject to many macroeconomic factors beyond the chemical companies’ control. Volatility causes include geopolitical unrest, OPEC member nation policies, sanctions, currency fluctuation, etc.

Keeping track of raw material cost and availability—especially with the continuing pandemic—is another important production manager function. In the “old days,” managers used a series of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to manually keep track of key metrics such as inventory turnover and manufacturing throughput. Modern ERPs track data real-time offering benefits to help minimize the effect of raw material price fluctuations:

  • Transparently tracking actual costs while accounting for cost of goods sold, revenue, margins, cash flow, etc.
  • Adjusting for currency fluctuations when dealing internationally. Managers can obtain materials from the lowest cost supplier.
  • Analyzing order volumes and budgeting for cost. Managers can get better pricing and plan production more efficiently.

Complying with government regulations

Any company working with hazardous chemicals is regulated at the federal and state levels. Many also face scrutiny from local officials.

Common requirements are labels meeting GHS standards. Software able to generate the right labels for each product coupled to label printers on the production floor are essential in meeting regulatory requirements.

In the US, companies dealing with hazardous chemicals including manufacturers, distributors, transporters and end-users must adhere to the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) label compliance requirements. Noncompliance can cost $12,600 per violation, while the more serious ones could range up to $127,000, not counting damage to a company’s reputation.

A labeling solution that includes chemical properties, characteristics, batch and lot number, test specifications and other required information is crucial.

Hazardous chemicals need to be distinctly identified to avoid disasters such as when reactive chemicals come in close contact. Labeling applications, such as Integrated Chemical Management (iCM) in D365, can address these issues in Production and elsewhere.

iCM not only provides labels meeting GHS standards, it also includes Safety Data Sheet authoring and management. It reduces human error when printing labels during a production run by knowing which product labels to print during the process.

Production order

Ensuring Consistent Quality

The effects of quality checks and recalls can have a long-lasting impact on a company’s reputation. Creating the required documentation for processes such as production, use of raw materials, packaging and others helps track each product from its source to its final destination. Accurate documentation improves visibility in the supply chain and enhances traceability in the event of an inquiry, recall or audit.

Chemicals are used as a base in multiple industries such as automotive, paints, food and beverage, appliance, electronics, packaging, textiles, cosmetics, toys, etc. The graph below shows recalls across major industries in 2016.

Production recall by Number of insurance claims 2016

A closer look reveals the reasons for such recalls. Top reasons for medical device recalls in the U.S. as of the second quarter, 2019 according to Statista were:

  • Software issues (49)
  • Mislabeling (32)
  • Quality Issues (31)
  • Sterility (18)

Common reasons for drug recalls according to WebMD are:

  • Health hazards
  • Mislabeling or poor packaging
  • Poor manufacturing quality
  • Packaging and product misalignment

Microsoft Dynamics 365 has the ability to track and trace products at a batch or lot level from the source to the end user. This function helps:

  • Ensure regulatory compliance
  • Track and trace batches and lots to identify damaged or contaminated products
  • Visualize the journey of the product from the manufacturing site to its end-users
  • Trace the root cause of an issue and treat it accordingly

Resource and Production Throughput

Managing the production shop floor requires diligent planning of human capital and other interdependent machine resources such as blenders, reactors, mixers, hot ovens, separators, packaging, tanks, etc.

Production planning and scheduling can get overwhelming depending on the number of resources and shifts. Production managers are constantly under pressure to increase production volume using less resources. Recurrent variation in batches to meet higher volume demand and continuous production often results in inconsistent batch quality.

Real-time data monitoring using measured and inferred values can increase production by as much as 4%. D365 uses measured and inferred values to track batch completion in real-time, reducing batch cycle time. It also is also used to achieve batch consistency. Using data collected over time to predict events that can disrupt the production cycle, production managers can reduce those delays, decreasing operating costs.

Being able to track and analyze real-time data also improves asset and resource effectiveness by up to 4%. Unscheduled downtime due to maintenance or breakdown isn’t new to manufacturing plants. Using predictive analytics, past asset performance can model scenarios that detect equipment health and prevent failures.

Key Takeaways

The US Chemical industry is still a volatile market, one that seems to be rebounding from the vagaries of Covid-19 one minute and then being hammered by political crises the next. Individual companies face growing competition to produce unique products, increase production, gain customer loyalty and comply with stringent regulations.

The life of a Production Manager in a chemical industry is stressful. Embracing modern technology will help them achieve company goals while also staying compliant with changing regulations.

Microsoft D365 offers easy-to-use visualization of data across all organizational departments including production, sales, compliance, marketing and others. It’s ability to seamlessly share data across multiple sites and locations enhances transparency and improves product and material tracking and tracing. The combined functions of each D365 application boost productivity and increase efficiency.

Avail a Consultation for to learn how to overcome operational challenges in your chemical company

Get Started Now

A Comprehensive Approach to Digital Transformation in the Chemical Industry
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

5 moves to make during a digital transformation
5 moves to make during a digital transformation 700 500 Xcelpros Team

5 moves to make during a digital transformation

Based on a wonderful piece from our friends over at McKinsey, A Global survey of executives to determine the best moves to make for businesses looking for a smooth digital transformation representing the best path forward regardless of organization size. Understanding where to focus let’s you streamline the way your business works.

Book a consultation to learn more about making your digital transformation a successful one.

Get Started

mistakes that slow the growth of a chemical manufacturing company
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

Mistakes that slow the growth of a chemical company
Mistakes that slow the growth of a chemical company 700 500 Xcelpros Team

7 Quotes

Companies need to grow if they wish to flourish and prosper. There are many quotes already related to business growth you might have heard before, including:

  • “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth,” President John F. Kennedy
  • When you stop growing, you start dying,” author William S. Burroughs
  • “Every problem is a gift —without problems we would not grow,” motivational speaker and author Anthony Robbins
  • “Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength,” neurologist Sigmund Freud
  • “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle,” author Napoleon Hill
  • “The only way you are going to have success is to have lots of failures first,” Google co-founder Sergey Brin
  • “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu

Introduction

What do you consider growth for your business? How this is measured is up to each individual organization. Data points that highlight company growth includes:

  • Sales
  • Revenue
  • Profits
  • Company Value
  • Number of customers
  • Number of Employees

The next question to ask is, “Are you growing in a way that is sustainable and lets you achieve all of your company’s goals?” As they grow, companies can make several mistakes that doom their opportunities for growth.

According to Growthink, the most common growth-related mistakes are:

  1. 1.Ignoring the Ansoff Matrix—also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid—that details ways to increase sales.

Figure: 1Ansoff Matrix: Product-Market Expansion Grid

Ansoff Matrix: Product-Market Expansion Grid

  1. 2.Failing to conduct market research, such as a SWAT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) assessment.
  2. 3.Developing weak financial models showing the impact of each growth opportunity.
  3. 4.Forgetting what worked in the past for your company.
  4. 5.Starting at the wrong place and lacking a clear vision of where you want to go.
  5. 6.Lacking focus, which can occur when a company lacks a clear growth plan.
  6. 7.Ignoring the human factor by not having the right people.

Chemical Industry Mistakes

The previous items apply to all companies wanting to grow, regardless of industry. The heavily regulated pharmaceutical and chemical industries face additional challenges when they want to grow.

According to Global Safety Management, these unique challenges include:

  1. 8.Ignoring jurisdictional regulations.
  2. 9.Costly errors from operations.
  3. 10.Failing to evolve into an intelligent enterprise.
  4. 11.Delivering products, not business outcomes.

Ignored regulations often result in hefty fines. For example, if your pharmaceutical company sells its products in Europe, and then decides to expand into the U.S., not following FDA labeling regulations is a major no-no. Violating Section 21 of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (aka, title 21, section 331) mislabeling a prescription drug for interstate commerce is expensive. Penalties include prison sentences up to 10 years, fines of up to $250,000 and civil penalties up to $10 million, the law firm of Wallin & Klarich states.

Problems often result from manufacturing errors and omissions. Many of these can be traced to the supply chain. For example, inaccurate inventory counts lead to starting a production run only to discover a key ingredient is missing, stopping production.

Evolving by using available technology as a way of moving forward can be done when company leaders are looking toward the future. Tools exist today—such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) coupled with modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) software—to let small and medium-sized businesses grow. They also let larger companies get even bigger.

Having total control over your inventory and an ever-changing grasp of your supply chain lets you reduce raw materials and shipping costs while still delivering products on time.

Translation Errors Can Prove Fatal

The final error in our “devils’ dozen” is:

  1. 12.Translation Mistakes.

Let’s face it: many American chemical manufacturers purchase materials from suppliers outside the U.S. and ship finished products overseas. That means labels must not only be in the languages used by your customers and others in the supply chain, they must also meet safety regulations at their destination.

If, for example, a formula using imperial measurements (i.e., pounds and ounces) is incorrectly translated into its metric equivalent or instructions are unclear, the resulting product may fail safety and purity tests. Poorly translated labels could cause regulators to deny a shipment until the products are relabeled correctly. Translation errors could even result in a large batch failing its tests, wasting the materials, time and equipment.

“If the mistakes are severe enough, the resulting chemical combinations could be dangerous or deadly for staff members who follow mistranslated instructions to the letter,” GLTaC states.

Under terms of the European Chemicals Agency’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) act of 2006, dossiers are required on each substance produced or imported weighing more than one metric ton.

“Inaccurate information due to translation mistakes could result in regulatory action by the European Chemicals Agency that could prove financially crippling,” GLTaC, a translation services provider, warns.

Technology Helps Reduce Mistakes

ERP software like Microsoft Dynamics 365, especially when paired with something like Xcelpros’ Integrated Chemical Management (iCM), helps companies better manage their growth.

Figure: 2Integrated Chemical Management with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

Integrated Chemical Management with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

ERPs can work with IIoT sensors, gathering large quantities of data. Dynamics 365 Finance helps turn the raw numbers into actionable data. Using this data, and the charts and graphs created from it, executives can spot areas operating inefficiently. For example, machines are down and staff is doing make-work while waiting for earlier cycles to complete.

Having access to real-time numbers lets these leaders know where changes can occur, boosting overall production.

iCM helps chemical companies hit their growth targets. It integrates seamlessly into D365’s Finance module, providing impeccable security. Among iCM’s value propositions are:

  • Built-in labeling and safety data sheets (SDS)
  • Fully integrated SDS management
  • Real-time SDS data sheets are consistent and compliant with Global Harmonization System requirements

These SDS features reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) by removing the need to maintain product safety documentation and data in-house.

iCM becomes the repository of record for all regulatory data while making it accessible to authorized D365 users. It also integrates SDS authoring at the formula/item level, embedding workflows for authoring and approvals.

Xcelpros’ product adds to one of D365’s many strengths: its labeling prowess. The Supply Chain Management module lets companies track products from the moment raw materials arrive in their warehouse to the instant a customer receives them. iCM builds on the existing technology, further focusing on the chemical industry.

For example, iCM becomes the system of record for all labels, integrating them into operational workflows like production and shipping. To learn more, download the iCM brochure.

Figure: 3Translation Service Process in Dynamics 365

Translation Service Process in Dynamics 365

Customers using D365 also have access to the Dynamics 365 Translation Service (DTS). Hosted in Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS), it uses a machine translation system to maximize translation output quality. It also recycles linguistic assets from D365 and partners, such as Xcelpros. DTS is compatible with D365 Finance, Commerce and CRM modules among others.

Summary

Chemical companies face potential mistakes common to all growing businesses. In addition, they also face certain hurdles that other industries do not. Regulation is a major issue for chemical companies, especially those who rely on raw materials and finished products made outside the U.S. or shipped overseas.

Taking advantage of technology like Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Xcelpros’ unique Integrated Chemical Management software can help prevent these mistakes and let executives continuously grow their companies.

Get a consultation to learn how to resolve critical problems in your chemical company.

Get Started

References: Distribution Of Mislabeled Products In Interstate Commerce

Guide to Adopt Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP: Upgrade or Migrate
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Upgrades
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Upgrades 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Series Intro: Upgrades in Dynamics 365

This is the first in a series of posts we are sharing about Microsoft Dynamics 365 upgrades. Learn everything you need to know about upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365’s Finance & Operations Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software through this easy to understand and informative series. We will go over reasons to upgrade, features, benefits, prerequisites, what happens when moving from on-premises to the cloud, change management, data migration, budgeting, updates, backing up, considerations, and more.

Why a Dynamics 365 Upgrade?

Change is the only constant. We define it in our daily lives as, “the process of undergoing a transformation or transition.” We see this transformation every day with every new regulation, every new discovery and every new trend. Transformative trends are driving all industries: chemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, manufacturing, distribution and others. Keeping up with these market trends and more importantly, staying ahead, is the key to being a successful company.

Many companies are reluctant to upgrade their software from stand-alone siloed programs to an ERP. Others don’t want to change from a comfortable older ERP to a newer version even though the older version is obsolete. Why don’t they change? Some leaders are scared that an upgrade may disrupt business operations. The lack of a proper budget or resources, insufficient information, and a lack of proper guidance hold them back.

These companies are not alone. In fact, we have seen customers face this more than once in the past.

In one case, “Alpha Customer” was a high-performing, mid-sized pharmaceutical manufacturing company. It had been running an older ERP system for over 20 years. Recently, its legacy application failed to recover after regular maintenance, and the ERP crash brought operations to a grinding halt. Everyone across the company was forced to perform previously automated functions manually. This meant manually inputting sales orders, confirmations, purchase orders, invoices, shipments, and everything else.

Luckily for them, they were just a few weeks away from a planned go-live update to Dynamics 365. The staff could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Upgrades: Reasons

Using unstable systems poses significant risks to business operations and hampers growth opportunities. Companies expect their software to work. They expect it to do a specific job or series of jobs, do them well, and never fail. They expect stability. Anyone who has ever dealt with an unstable operating or financial system knows that fixing up software is not a simple “rip and replace” task. Upgrading older systems requires extreme caution and planning, particularly from the standpoints of cost and the critical business functions they perform.

Many business leaders enjoy working in their own comfort zone, enabling them to overlook inefficient systems and processes. The result of not evolving from a dinosaur system is that the company will end up spending too much time and money building up complex customizations, that now they need constant updates to keep up with their new standards and business needs.

Companies under a more watchful eye, such as chemical or pharmaceutical companies, are required to meet various regulations set up by government agencies. Old systems could even be prohibiting companies from keeping up with their standards digitally, and compliance failures cause unwanted audits, fines, and penalties. Despite all efforts, the old system seems to be always “in repair.” Keeping it going continually drains your IT resources and budget.

Ultimately, it becomes critical that these companies continue spending on customizations just to keep lights on and meet today’s needs. With the current rate of change, the cost of doing nothing is significantly amplified. Delaying the migration to a modern ERP can impact not only internal systems and processes but a company’s speed-to-market, customer service, profitability, competitiveness and more.

Microsoft Dynamics 365, Upgraded: The Differentiator

Companies using an older version of Microsoft’s “legacy” ERP find that upgrading to the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 streamlines operations. It allows them to allocate IT resources and budget to other pressing needs since maintenance costs are dramatically lowered.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management is Microsoft’s flagship ERP. The application includes industry best practices. It was designed to fit the needs of these industries right out of the box:

  • Manufacturing (Discrete, Process and Mixed Mode)
  • Distribution
  • Retail (Operations and POS)
  • Oil and Gas
  • Food and Beverage
  • Finance etc.

What sets Dynamics 365 apart from its competitors are the included features and functions designed for the process manufacturing industry. Dynamics 365 offers best-in-class functionality for process industries like chemical, pharmaceutical, life sciences and Biotechnology. These industries benefit the most in upgrading to the latest version of Dynamics 365.

ERP solutions began years ago. They continually evolve and adapt to changing regulations and industry requirements. Microsoft Dynamics 365 continues this trend. Major updates are scheduled twice a year, keeping your company in compliance with the newest regulations.

Real-Life Stories and Data Points

Companies leaders must ask themselves: Is upgrading to Dynamics 365 the right choice for their companies?

There are many other ERP solutions out there. Will Microsoft Dynamics 365 work for your business?

Many companies can answer “yes” to both questions. They successfully upgraded to Dynamics 365 and achieved their intended project objectives.

Success stories

  1. 1. A specialty food company needed a platform to efficiently manage their inventory and orders between their warehouse and distribution center. The older ERP could not handle the increased sales volume during the two-month holiday season. Microsoft Dynamics 365 tracks inventory data in real-time through mobile devices, which is exactly what the company wanted. By upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 and making use of its included real-time data tracking and sending functions, it created multiple benefits. Employees could make more informed decisions. They could serve their customers faster and more efficiently. Customer service improved.
  2. 2. An Italian aircraft manufacturer wanted to shift its ERP system to the cloud without disrupting its facilities. The company chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, ensuring its five global facilities remained up-to-date. This helped the company reduce IT costs while streamlining the data flow between them.
  3. 3. A shipping giant was facing data accessibility challenges and severe security risks. By upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365, it gained data accessibility and security while reducing overall operational costs. Another benefit was automatic prediction of maintenance needs letting executives concentrate on developing new products and services.
  4. 4. A global weather company handles almost 17 billion data requests from 1.5 billion people every day. The high request volume also makes it an ideal advertising platform. The company was struggling to balance transitory weather events and advertisers trying to reach affected markets. After making the switch to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, it can track data in real-time. This function lets us make informed decisions on allocating inventory to meet advertiser expectations.
  5. 5. A not-for-profit healthcare network transformed its patient engagement with the support of Microsoft Dynamics 365. Running a Microsoft ecosystem single platform combining Office 365 and Azure, one of the doctors developed a business application with PowerApp. It gave physicians and nurses visibility into each other’s teams, helping them collaborate more effectively.

Making ERP upgrades like those above must be planned before starting the change. Requirements include a thorough understanding of the current business needs, aligning them with product capabilities. Unfortunately, some companies learn the hard way that their decisions during the upgrade were not in their best interest, costing them time and resources.

Real-life upgrade failures

Upgrades require a significant investment and failures can be heartbreaking. ERP failure stories can teach us valuable lessons on avoiding such failures in the future. Some notable disasters include these.

In 2013, a famous cosmetic company invested $125 million and almost four years of work in an ERP project that became a disaster. The company started testing its new ERP system in Canada, quickly realizing it had problems. The software’s failure to perform required processes required sales reps to perform more work, not less.

A series of problems costing millions in lost sales, expedited shipping fees, declining customer service levels and other expenses caused the company to ultimately end its relationship with the ERP firm.

Investments & Failure in Dynamics 365 Adoption

In 2000, a major sporting goods manufacturer spent $400 million on a software upgrade to its ERP system. The upgrade was supposed to help the company manage its supply chain and make its demand forecasting more efficient. Instead, the upgrade caused $100 million in lost sales and a 20% decrease in stock prices. How? Through an unresolved transient error causing a total system failure.

Dynamics 365 Adoption Statistics

In 2004, Hewlett-Packard (HP) decided to upgrade its ERP system. The intent was saving money, creating shorter delivery times and improving its global distribution network. The result was catastrophic. Instead, the company suffered a $160 million loss while 20 percent of all orders were trapped in the older ERP system.

Any ERP system failure is painful and expensive to companies and their leaders, especially when proper planning and more investigation could have uncovered the issues above. Customers should not have to pay for the mistakes of their vendors.

Still, failures like these are more common than you think. The monetary losses mentioned in these examples do not fully represent the dangers of a poorly planned upgrade: they could easily be three or four times more expensive.

81%

Organizations are either in the process of implementing ERP software or have completed Implementation.

Source: Panorama Consulting Solutions

Your Benefits from the Upgrade

As companies begin exploring upgrade options, they will face challenges and difficulties in finding the right software for their needs. Fully understanding the requirements and reasons in upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the best way to minimize problems and maximize your upgrade budget.

Ensuring the success of an ERP upgrade starts with clearly understanding the size and scope of your upgrade desires. Create a detailed plan, estimate your investment budget and timeline, determine your company’s needs, weigh all available options, set achievable targets and goals, and then choose the ERP solution that best fits your specific needs.

Picking an ERP solution that can handle anything you can throw at it – like Dynamics 365 – is always a good choice.

Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations has many benefits. For example, with Dynamics 365 you can:

  • Eliminate incompatible software with one simple, powerful platform
  • Eliminate the risks and challenges associated with outdated systems
  • Enhance the productivity of your company with streamlined processes and workflows
  • Allow your company to grow with a scalable solution
  • Reduce integration and maintenance costs by having everything under one familiar roof

Upgrading to the right technology at the right time is imperative. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is not just an application: it’s a comprehensive platform with seamless and easy connectivity to other Microsoft products like Outlook, Word and other third-party applications.

D365 is the evolution of Microsoft from a company providing individual solutions to having the Microsoft One Commercial Partner (OCP) organization designed for enterprise customers.

Microsoft Eco System

Make Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics Your Top Priority

Weighing up all the benefits and new features available, upgrading to the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 in 2021 should be at the top of your to-do list.

With Microsoft Dynamics 365, enjoy a secure, convenient, and up-to-date system. Reduce integration costs. Securely connect to all your apps and increase productivity.

Key Reasons for Upgrading to Dynamics 365

Consider upgrading to Dynamics 365 when:

  1. 1. Your system lacks the comprehensive functionality to meet your current business needs. A growing business requires an agile system to support it. Investing a lot of time and money in customizing an old system to meet your current needs may well be a needless waste.
  2. 2. Your most-used applications are no longer supported or were replaced.
  3. 3. Finding support for an older system is a major problem.
  4. 4. Your infrastructure needs an expensive overhaul so shifting it off-site to the Cloud is a less-costly alternative.
  5. 5. Productivity in the warehouse, on the production floor and in the sales suffers from lack of mobile access to important data.
  6. 6. You are finding it increasingly difficult to integrate with other portals or systems.
  7. 7. Your current system no longer meets data security and other regulatory requirements.

If you are experiencing any of these issues, you know it’s time to upgrade.

Key Takeaways

Continuing to use an unstable older ERP solution is an unnecessary risk to company operations.

Only consider upgrading to a newer ERP such as Dynamics 365 after evaluating the software’s ability to handle your businesses’ day-to-day operations and achieve short- and long-term business goals.

Consider the potential value for your upgrade investment. Ensure the return on investment from the ROI makes sense as does the total cost of ownership and productivity increases.

Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 has a huge economic and transformative value to your business.

If your enterprise is still using an older Microsoft ERP such as Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics Nav, Microsoft Dynamics GP or SL or any other legacy system, it is time to upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Conclusion

This concludes Part 1 of the 10 part series, which provides and considerations for upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365. In upcoming articles, we will provide all the information you need in evaluating the business case for the upgrade.

Stay tuned for more…

Get a consultation to learn about an upgrade or migrate to Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP

Schedule Call

Also Read: Microsoft Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365 : A Guide to Migration

Customizations and Configurations in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP
  • Xcelpros Team
  • No Comments

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Adoption Made Simpler with Agile
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Adoption Made Simpler with Agile 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Adoption Made Simpler with Agile

Based on a wonderful piece from our friends over at McKinsey, Explaining why Companies and system integrators need to dispel the myth that agile can’t be applied to ERP, instead of adopting an agile approach towards ERP transformations. While every ERP transformation has its unique challenges, these challenges are much less of a hurdle for organizations taking an agile approach.

Get a consultation to know how your ERP transformation can be made agile and successful.

Get Started

Thinking
Unlimited!

There is no box! We believe in the limitless possibilities of human potential powered by technology.

Subscribe Now

Chicago

1 Mid America Plaza, 3rd Floor Suite #226, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

Phone: 630-869-0901

Bangalore

V4 Complex 2nd Floor, Krishna Kamala Enclave, Uttarahalli Hobli, Bangalore, Karnataka 560061

Search Services, Industries, Insights, and Products