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Advanced Analytics and Power BI in Chemical Manufacturing
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Advanced Analytics with Power BI in Chemical Manufacturing Industry
Advanced Analytics with Power BI in Chemical Manufacturing Industry 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Chemical manufacturing is a complex process with several different variables to consider at any given moment. Staying ahead of the competition today means using technology to help drive productivity and profitability.

Advanced analytics features in Power BI supply valuable insights into the substantial amounts of data that enable chemical manufacturers to make more informed decisions and optimize their operations.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how advanced analytics in Power BI can help chemical manufacturers drive productivity and profitability, including how data-driven decisions can be used to improve performance, reduce costs, and create more value for the business.

Power BI and the benefits of Advanced Analytics

In the chemical industry, data-driven decisions are necessary for businesses looking to maintain a certain level of efficiency and profitability. This means that organizations need access to reliable analytics and insights from their data to make strategic decisions that lead to better outcomes. Advanced analytics in Power BI are powerful tools that can help chemical companies maximize their productivity and profitability.

Advanced analytics solutions offer various features designed to help chemical companies find trends, uncover hidden patterns, and predict future events. Using the latest AI-based algorithms, these advanced analytics solutions can uncover insights that would otherwise be impossible to discover, resulting in improved decision-making and more efficient operations.

Power BI is an analytics tool that provides an interactive platform for visualizing and slicing data. Included features like charts, graphs, and dashboards allow users to easily explore and analyze data from anywhere, making it easy to gain a comprehensive understanding of their data and make more informed decisions.

Figure 1:Benefits of Advanced Analytics in Power BI

Benefits of Advanced Analytics in Power BI

Integrations

Power BI is a powerful business intelligence tool that can integrate with various systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), financials, and more. These integrations make connecting data across different platforms easier, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the information they need to make decisions quickly and accurately.

For businesses in the chemical industry, Power BI integrations can be incredibly useful for businesses in the chemical industry. They allow companies to make better use of their data and get insights from multiple sources. An ERP integration can help track inventory and orders, while a CRM integration can offer information about customer preferences and buying habits. By connecting these different systems, businesses can better understand their market and customers.

In addition, Power BI integrations can be used to improve operational efficiency. By integrating various systems, such as enterprise asset management (EAM) and predictive maintenance systems, businesses can get real-time insights into their equipment’s performance. This can help them find potential problems before they become major issues and ensure that their operations run smoothly.

Overall, Power BI integrations can be invaluable for businesses in the chemical industry. By connecting multiple systems, they can gain better insights into their operations and customers, improve operational efficiency, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. With Power BI, businesses can make better use of their data.

Automatic Reporting

Power BI supports automated reporting to help show trends and improve productivity. This automation allows companies to quickly find problems or opportunities within their processes and operations, which helps them make informed decisions quickly and efficiently.

With automated reporting capabilities, businesses in the chemical industry can save time by automating data collection and reporting processes. They can also receive help from the insights generated by this process, allowing them to make smarter decisions in less time. With accurate and up-to-date data, businesses can measure performance, compare trends, and optimize operations more effectively.

Overall, automatic reporting with Power BI helps businesses in the chemical industry achieve greater efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

Report Customization

Power BI gives businesses several ways to customize reports to meet the needs of any business, including those in the chemical industry. Businesses can quickly and easily customize their reports to streamline the entire process. This includes creating personalized visualizations, adjusting the format and layout of data, and adding new elements to existing reports.

Customized reports can give these businesses key data points to check progress, performance, and safety. Reports can be tailored to track specific aspects of a business’s operations and production, allowing for more efficient and effective decision-making. The customization process is highly intuitive and provides users with an interactive dashboard for creating and editing reports.

Overall, report customization provides businesses in the chemical industry with the tools they need to stay ahead of their competitors and maximize their value in the market. With custom reports, companies can easily identify trends and make better decisions faster, increasing productivity and profitability.

Simplified Collaboration

Power BI was designed from the start to promote collaboration and communication across teams in the chemical manufacturing industry, simplifying data sharing and streamlining how different departments and locations work together to achieve their objectives.

One of the main benefits of Power BI is that it helps users break down data silos. By allowing users to pull from multiple sources, such as cloud-based databases and on-premises sources, Power BI enables users to get a comprehensive view of their data. This helps decision-makers in the chemical manufacturing industry better understand the relationships between different pieces of data, which can then inform more informed decisions.

Power BI also makes it easier to access and share data with others within the organization. Through built-in visualizations, users can easily create a dashboard of all the data they need to review, making it easier to collaborate on data-driven decisions. Power BI also offers custom security settings, allowing users to control who can view, edit, and access the data. This ensures that sensitive data stays secure and private while allowing users to collaborate on projects.

Power BI’s collaborative features make it an invaluable tool for the chemical manufacturing industry. By eliminating data silos, users can access a single source of truth that can be shared with anyone in the organization. Additionally, its ability to restrict access to certain data and its customizable security settings help keep confidential information safe. Finally, its built-in visualizations help make it easier for everyone involved in a project to collaborate on data-driven decisions.

Predictive Maintenance, Throughput Analytics, and Maximizing Value

Chemical manufacturing is an incredibly complex industry with many operations and processes. Fortunately, advanced analytics and Power BI can help chemical producers make data-driven decisions and optimize their production, maintenance, and supply chain operations. Three advanced key analytics–based tools can help chemical producers improve their performance: predictive maintenance, throughput analytics, and maximizing Value.

Predictive maintenance is one of the most effective ways to ensure the best performance of chemical manufacturing assets. This tool uses machine learning algorithms to identify patterns in equipment behavior and predict potential failures before they occur. Predictive maintenance also helps to minimize downtime by enabling initiative-taking maintenance actions. This approach can increase operational efficiency and reduce costs associated with unexpected equipment breakdowns.

Throughput analytics are essential for optimizing production operations in chemical manufacturing. By analyzing production data, chemical producers can gain insights into their processes’ efficiency, find improvement opportunities, and reduce waste and inefficiency. Yield analytics can decide how effectively raw materials are being converted into finished products, while energy analytics helps producers identify areas of excessive energy consumption. Finally, throughput analytics enables chemical producers to optimize their production schedules by tracking the performance of each stage of the process.

Maximizing Value is important for enhancing the profitability of chemical producers’ supply chains. Power BI uses advanced tools to analyze customer data and uncover valuable insights that can be used to create new products and services that meet customer needs. Value maximization can also help chemical producers find opportunities to reduce costs in their supply chains by streamlining processes, finding more cost-effective sources of raw materials, and improving planning operations.

Next Steps

As with any technology solution, getting the most out of Power BI for your chemical manufacturing business requires a solid implementation plan. To ensure success, best practices for implementing Power BI at a chemical company should include these steps:

  • Gathering requirements from key stakeholders to find specific data needs and business goals.
  • Designing an analytics solution tailored to the organization’s unique business and data environment.
  • Developing an end-user interface that is intuitive and easy to use.
  • Training users on how to get the most out of their Power BI data.
  • Testing and refining the system to ensure it meets the needs of all stakeholders.

If you are ready to take the next step in using advanced analytics and Power BI to improve productivity and profitability in your chemical manufacturing business, contact us to learn more.

Schedule a call, our experienced team can help you design, implement, and support a custom solution tailored to your requirements. With the right analytics solutions, you can drive performance while getting the insights you need to stay competitive in today’s changing markets.

Predictive Pricing and Dynamics 365 in the Chemical Industry
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Predictive Pricing and Dynamics 365 in the Chemical Industry
Predictive Pricing and Dynamics 365 in the Chemical Industry 700 500 Xcelpros Team

One of the biggest challenges facing the chemical industry today is implementing dynamic pricing — predictive or strategic pricing- allowing you to adjust prices based on market demands and information.

With strategic pricing, companies can enjoy more consistency in sales, higher profits and faster inventory turnover (and therefore less risk associated with carrying excess inventory). Thanks to cloud computing and the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365. Implementing strategic pricing isn’t as complex or expensive as it may seem. Here’s how predictive pricing can work for you in the chemical industry.

The Basics of Dynamic Pricing

The chemical industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world. To remain competitive and maximise profits, chemical companies must use data-driven dynamic pricing strategies. To ensure their prices are aligned with the market and their products are priced competitively. Dynamic pricing involves using data-driven strategies such as predictive pricing and price optimization to determine optimal prices for each product, market, and customer.

Commonly used in retail, dynamic pricing has become an effective way for chemical companies to optimize their pricing strategy. By leveraging data-driven analysis and predictive analytics, companies can accurately forecast customer demand, spot market trends, and identify opportunities to set the right prices for each product and market. With this information, chemical companies can adjust their pricing regularly to reflect changing market conditions and customer needs.

For chemical companies looking to gain a competitive edge, implementing a dynamic pricing strategy with Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a good way to get started. Dynamics 365 provides data-driven insights, intelligent insights, automated pricing recommendations and predictive price optimization capabilities that enable companies to make strategic pricing decisions quickly and effectively.

Chemical companies can optimise their pricing strategy by leveraging Dynamics 365’s dynamic pricing tools. To ensure they stay ahead of the competition and maximize their profits by accurately forecasting customer demand and optimizing pricing. Companies can set the right prices for each product and market, ultimately increasing their bottom line.

Predictive Pricing

Chemical companies can also benefit from predictive pricing that allows them to optimize their prices in response to changing market conditions. By understanding the customer’s demand, the chemical company can set its prices according to the optimal price point for each individual customer. This helps the company remain competitive in the marketplace. As well as maintain a healthy profit margin. To be successful, predictive pricing requires three things:

  1. 1.Key price drivers
  2. 2.Full control of storage and capacity
  3. 3.Integrated insights

Figure 1:Predictive Pricing with Microsoft Dynamics 365

Predictive Pricing with Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a great resource for chemical companies implementing a predictive pricing strategy. It enables users to access data quickly and easily, identifying key price drivers and making informed decisions about pricing and other business matters. Microsoft Dynamics 365 also provides customers with an intuitive platform to manage their accounts and business processes, enabling them to develop a comprehensive pricing strategy that meets their needs.

By leveraging predictive pricing with Microsoft Dynamics 365, chemical companies can better understand their customer base, anticipate changes in demand, and adjust their prices accordingly. This helps them stay ahead of their competition while optimizing profits and margins. The ability to quickly adjust prices based on real-time data helps chemical companies stay competitive and increase their sales.

Dynamic Price Optimization

Companies need to have the right pricing strategy to stay ahead. One of the most effective strategies that can be used is dynamic pricing, which allows companies to adjust their prices in real-time according to changes supply and demand. By leveraging data-driven dynamic pricing strategies, chemical companies can optimize their prices to maximize their profit margins and stay competitive.

Dynamic pricing relies on predictive analytics to inform pricing decisions based on customer behaviour, market trends, and other factors. With Microsoft Dynamics 365, chemical companies can access powerful data insights that allow them to understand market dynamics and react quickly to changing conditions. This real-time analysis helps companies set pricing strategies to maximize profits while still meeting customer demands.

By leveraging predictive analytics and dynamic price optimization, chemical companies can take a more strategic approach to pricing that allows them to react quickly and effectively to changes in the market. This data-driven approach allows them to adjust their prices in real-time based on current market trends and customer behaviour. Ensuring they remain competitive in a highly competitive industry.

Using dynamic pricing, chemical companies can optimize their pricing strategies with increased accuracy, providing customers with competitive prices while still maximizing profits. By leveraging Microsoft Dynamics 365, chemical companies can use powerful data insights to drive their pricing decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

Trade agreements and pricing

When it comes to pricing in the chemical industry, it is essential to have a well-defined strategy in place. Trade agreements and pricing structures are constantly changing, making it difficult for companies to forecast their financial performance accurately. Fortunately, data-driven dynamic pricing and predictive pricing in chemicals can help to address this challenge.

Trade agreements are the main way discounts and pricing is configured in D365 Finance and operations, defining the logic the system uses to set different prices. You can set up and enable trade agreements that control pricing (sales pricing, purchase pricing) and discounts (Line, Multiline, and Total discounts) for items, customers, and vendors. Once these agreements are configured, pricing and discounts can be applied to orders, invoices, and quotes.

Agreements are usually configured to apply to a specific Item Code by preference:

  • Table – The first agreement the system looks for, targeting a single customer, vendor, or item.
  • Group – If there are no agreements coded: Table, the system checks for agreements that can apply to a group of customers, vendors, or items.
  • All – If agreements aren’t found coded for either Group or Table the system checks agreements that can apply to all customers, all vendors, or all items.

In total there are four types of agreements that can be activated:

  • Price agreements – Sale and purchase pricing for items that can be different for a customer or Vendor.
  • Line discounts – Line discounts for items that can be different for a customer or Vendor.
  • Multiline discounts – Just like Line Discounts, only usable with the item code set to Group or All.
  • Total discounts – Discounts for entire orders, these cannot be used with Group or Table item codes.

With the added power of Microsoft Dynamics 365, chemical companies can gain real-time insights into trade agreements, enabling them to adjust prices accordingly and remain competitive. In addition, using predictive pricing in chemicals can provide companies with insight into consumer demand and help them anticipate customer needs.

With data-driven dynamic pricing tools, companies can create an optimal price point to maximize revenue and profits while increasing customer satisfaction. Predictive pricing is a key element in crafting a successful pricing strategy in the volatile chemical industry.

Overall, dynamic pricing and predictive pricing in chemicals offer an opportunity for companies to gain a competitive edge by staying ahead of the curve. Using Microsoft Dynamics 365 to monitor trade agreements and adjust prices accordingly, chemical companies can remain competitive while optimizing their profitability.

Next Steps

With the advent of data-driven dynamic pricing, the chemical industry is constantly changing. Companies must stay on top of the game. Leveraging a pricing strategy built on data insights can help chemical companies increase profitability and stay ahead of their competition. To implement such a strategy, chemical companies should partner with industry experts familiar with predictive pricing models and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Experts in the field understand how to use data-driven dynamic pricing to optimise profits. They can help chemical companies set up a pricing model that considers market conditions, competitors’ strategies, and customer demand. This allows chemical companies to set prices that will maximize their profits accurately. Experts can also assist with implementing price optimization tools using Microsoft Dynamics 365. To provide a comprehensive platform for the chemical industry to manage pricing and sales.

Another advantage of utilizing industry experts is that they can provide valuable guidance on creating a strategic pricing plan tailored to the company’s objectives and goals. With the help of experienced professionals, chemical companies can learn how to set prices that capture maximum value for their products and services. Moreover, these experts can offer real advice on maintaining dynamic pricing and other pricing models over time.

Implementing dynamic pricing and predictive models within the chemical industry requires expertise and insight. Industry experts have the knowledge and experience to help chemical companies create an effective pricing strategy to maximize profits and drive success.

Working with the right partner can help chemical companies leverage data-driven dynamic pricing, optimize prices and use Microsoft Dynamics 365 to make informed decisions about their pricing strategy. Contact us today to see how we can help.

Streamline Your Supply Chain with Advanced Warehouse Management and MD365
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Streamline Your Supply Chain with Advanced Warehouse Management and MD365
Streamline Your Supply Chain with Advanced Warehouse Management and MD365 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Warehouse management is a key aspect of modern supply chain management that demands the full attention of a business to be efficient. In this post, we look at warehouse management in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations.

Overview of Advanced Warehouse Management in D365 F&O

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is one of the most well-known ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions offering innovative, AI-driven assistance for Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain Management. The Warehouse Management module of D365 offers a wide range of optimized capabilities to manage even the most complicated supply chains.

Worldwide, manufacturing and distribution companies of all sizes rely on D365 warehouse inventory management to support their supply chain operations at a core level. When a system like D365 is implemented correctly, it’s easy to gain efficiency and flexibility at every level. Furthermore, D365 enables warehouse owners to set up multiple priority-based storage areas within a warehouse making it easy to gain visibility into their supply chain. According to research from World Economic Forum, challenges like high overheads, growing competition, and evolving customer expectations continue to cause severe impediments.

When it comes to supply chain efficiency, gaining full visibility has become extremely important, permitting businesses to build a direct link with consumers and partners. Supply chain visibility is critical to building a strategy to reduce risks, drive innovation, and build customer trust.

Key Warehouse Management Processes

Figure 1:Key Warehouse Management Processes

Key Warehouse Management Processes

Full visibility makes tracking evolving customer needs, behaviour, and trends easy. This information makes it possible to optimize warehouse operations according to what the end customer is seeking. While not always easy, it’s quickly becoming non-negotiable.

The main reason so many businesses use D365 for supply chain and warehouse management is the wide range of modern features it offers in one solution, including –

  • Placement and Storage D365 let you define the stock based on query-defined rules that make tracking products easy. Users can define location and storage policies down to item and warehouse levels to ensure that RFID (radio frequency identification) capabilities are accurate and updated. You can streamline the storage facility greatly by dividing the warehouses into different zones, defining the storage needs, and even specifying an item’s location with the aisle, rack, and shelf details.
  • Inventory Dimensions D365 gives you visibility into specific inventory details like warehouse and location, as well as basic characteristics like size, color and more. Users have full control over how the products are stored, how warehouse storage costing is decided, and how inventory tracking is happening by defining the inventory dimensions according to any operational requirements.
  • Serial and Batch Number ControlD365 makes it easy to add and manage batch and serial numbers to things like finished goods and raw materials, streamlining the ability for your team to track their location as they move through production. As you gain full control of serial and batch numbers, it becomes easier to trace the quality assurance and warranty of your finished goods. As a bonus, properly assigning serial and batch numbers to your goods and products lets you know exactly where they are in your system, and whether the order has been shipped or not.
  • Wave TemplateWave templates in Dynamics 365 give users the ability to create and manage multiple Shipping, Production and Kanban Wave Templates can be processed manually or automatically. As these Waves are processed, specific work is assigned to a warehouse operations team(s) to be completed for different locations or scenarios. Setting up a wave template includes defining the location or warehouse that the template will create the work for, the order the system will follow if there are multiple waves, and actions to be taken when the wave is processed. Examples of Wave Template types include shipping or transferring orders, or special care and handling instructions for moving items in production. Wave templates create work from Work Templates and Location Directives (pick and put locations) for a specific warehouse.
  • Work Templates and Location DirectivesD365 also includes Work Templates and Location Directives to help define and standardize the operations crucial to a business’s warehouse management. Work templates define “work” and lay out specific pick and put process steps for users to follow in warehouse transactions. Work templates are not location specific by default, and only describe the actions to take.
    • PICK an item from a rack or shelf location
    • PUT an item into a packaging area
    • PICK an item from a packaging area
    • PUT an item into a shipment

    Location Directives describe the same steps for different sites and locations. Location Directives are specific directions for managing or moving inventory in a specific warehouse or location for different scenarios like handling of larger quantities, or specific storage location types like cold storage, freezers, etc.

  • Replenishment TemplatesReplenishment templates in D365 let you define the replenishment process for multiple locations. D365 includes the ability to set different replenishment strategies for different warehouses:
    • Wave demand – the default strategy designed to find locations that can be replenished until demand Is covered
    • Maximum location capacity – like Wave demand, but locations are replenished to maximum capacity.
  • Pick and Put-away ordersD365 makes it easy to pick and put items for outbound loads with handheld or mobile devices. You can define the order picking and dropping locations while streamlining the logistic chain. D365 enables warehouse managers to ‘pick’ any load from the warehouse and ‘put’ it directly to staging, making outbound loading and delivery quick and smooth.

Role of Advanced Warehouse Management In D365 F&O In Cost Reduction

Current trends indicate that supply chain management solutions focus mostly on controlling overhead. D365 can accomplish this by offering businesses full control and monitoring of their workforce and their warehouses.

‘D365 further helps reduce costs by offering full visibility of your operations, as well as the ability to manage your bills and invoices and optimize new or existing routes.

Other Benefits

  • Office IntegrationBeing able to streamline your supply chain is only possible when all related workflows are optimized, integrated, and capable of capturing and sharing key data without issue.

    D365’s native integration to Microsoft’s Office 365 products like Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, Teams, and more to make all possible to share and access information anywhere in the world.

  • Better Customer ExperienceWhen your systems are all fully integrated at a workflow level, you’re able to stay on top of your operations and the things that matter most to your customers, including things like timely support options, accurate forecasting, dynamic pricing and more.
  • Insight-driven ReportingD365 provides a wide range of detailed reporting options like Labor by job, Labor by users, Sales by product, equipment failures, warehouse transactions, and more. These insight-driven reports work in real-time to give businesses the ability to respond to problems and demands quickly and efficiently based on real data.
  • Warehouse PerformanceDynamics 365 offers multiple ways to monitor the overall performance of your supply chain quickly and easily by breaking down your entire warehouse into products, vendors, and sites. Inbound performance monitoring ensures vendor performance, tracks delivery, and identifies potential loopholes. Shipping performance monitoring ensures finished goods and products are shipped to customers at the right time.

Conclusion

It’s important to understand that the ability to streamline a supply chain depends on effective warehouse management – not an easy job.

This is where a scalable solution like D365 can be used to address a wide range of potential challenges related to ‘pick and put away’ orders, cycle counting, barcode and label support, and keep overheads to a minimum while still being able to meet continuously evolving customer demands.

Making sure it’s done right the first time means working with a partner that understands your industry and knows how to streamline the process and maximize your ROI (Return on Investment).

For more information and to find out how we can help optimize your supply chain contact us today.

Improve your inventory visibility with Microsoft Dynamics 365
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Improve your inventory visibility with the Microsoft Dynamics 365
Improve your inventory visibility with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Inventory can be your best friend or worst enemy, depending on how well it’s managed. If your business is experiencing issues managing its inventory, it’s time to take charge of your inventory management process. And prevent it from becoming an ongoing headache.

In this post, we look at the importance and benefits of inventory visibility and how to make inventory more accessible.

The importance of inventory visibility

Inventory visibility – One of the most frustrating aspects of running any business is tracking inventory levels so you know when it’s time to restock. Or, when products need to be sold off before they go bad.

This applies to finished goods and the raw materials used to make them, work-in-progress items (WIP). And anything used in maintenance, and repairs or operations (MRO).

Good inventory visibility means your inventory can be managed with as little hassle. When you can monitor what products are available and what quantity is in stock, you’re better equipped to make decisions that will help you manage your finances effectively.

It also goes a long way to reducing costs and offering a better customer experience. Proper inventory visibility makes it easy to track products and raw materials anywhere in the supply chain. Better visibility of your inventory leads to better visibility of your orders. From production to shipping and delivery.

Achieving Inventory Visibility

For most companies, inventory management is best left to dedicated solutions, like Microsoft Dynamics 365. Inventory systems like D365 help manage critical items like location, availability, status, cost, and stock levels.

Common practices to increase inventory visibility can include things like:

  • Increasing the accuracy of data captured for all products in your system.
  • Taking advantage of mobile devices and handheld scanners in fulfilment areas to track products in the supply chain.
  • Conduct regular audits and cycle counts against current inventory levels.
  • Investing in a modern inventory management solution that offers visibility of all raw materials and finished goods for multiple locations or channels.

Benefits of good inventory visibility

With enhanced inventory visibility, businesses can pinpoint any issues’ root cause faster than ever. Full visibility of your inventory means you’re in a perfect position to solve any problems. Without proper inventory visibility, it can be exceedingly difficult to generate accurate reports about your stock levels and costs or be able to manage orders. Or track items across different sites.

Some additional benefits of good inventory visibility include:

Figure 1:Benefits of Good Inventory Visibility

Benefits of Good Inventory Visibility

  • More efficient operations – Inventory visibility means you’ll reduce the amount of time you spend managing delays, complaints, or missing items.
  • More control of inventory and stock levels – Inventory visibility lets you reduce overstock as well as ensure you don’t run out of any must-have products.
  • Better security – Especially for highly regulated industries, inventory visibility is critical for tracking the movement of finished goods, raw materials, and specific batches.
  • Better response to customer demands – Improved inventory visibility means you’re always better equipped to meet changes in demand – This is one of the best ways to create a better customer experience.
  • Better resource allocation – Inventory visibility help you understand how much stock needs to go to different locations like warehouses, retail outlets, and more.
  • Increased forecasting accuracy – The data captured from good inventory visibility gives a better view of products you need to keep on hand. And improving distribution and purchasing at the same time.
  • Better responsiveness – Real-time inventory data lets you quickly respond to any changes in demand based on trends or other disruptions.
  • Better ROI – Better visibility means you can reduce your stock levels across the board, without disrupting the needs of your customers.

Inventory visibility challenges

Inventory visibility can indeed be challenging, especially without a dedicated system. Today, omnichannel marketplaces offering a growing list of new fulfillment options like Buy online pickup-in-store (BOPIS), drop shipments. And more means there is an increasing list of issues that can arise.

Some common challenges with achieving inventory visibility include:

  • Manual processes – Manual processes are notoriously inefficient, especially when we have access to barcoding solutions and automation.
  • Poor visibility – Not being able to track your finished goods or raw materials means you can create several unplanned delays, resulting in a less-than-stellar customer experience.
  • Unknown demand – Lack of visibility makes it easy not to understand the demand for your products; this quickly leads to overstock or understock conditions.
  • Re-stock issues, loss of business – Lack of visibility can lead to several missed restocking opportunities and more business for your competition.

These are all issues that can be harmful to a business. And leading to loss of revenue, damage to your reputation, a poor customer experience, or worse.

Improving inventory visibility with Microsoft Dynamics 365

Many retailers struggle with visibility into their inventory – not only can it be time-consuming and costly. But, it can also lead to out-of-stock items or delayed shipments.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers many features that can help you improve inventory visibility, including creating multiple levels of item locations and reconciling inventory automatically and manually.

Some of the ways D365 helps improve the visibility of your inventory can include the following:

Figure 2:Improve Inventory Visibility with Microsoft Dynamics 365

Improve Inventory Visibility with Microsoft Dynamics 365

  • Support for mobile and handheld devices – Microsoft Dynamics fully supports shop-floor devices designed to minimize redundant manual processes.
  • Process and route optimization – Microsoft Dynamics let you customize and streamline your processes, resulting in highly optimized routing throughout your supply chain.
  • Process automation – Microsoft Dynamics gives you more control of the automation of your processes, which not only increases compliance. But also significantly reduces time spent on repetitive tasks.
  • Actionable insights – Microsoft Dynamics allows businesses to extract more data from everything they do. Forecasting, scheduling, routing, and more all become much more efficient.
  • Electronic signatures and approvals – Electronic signatures in D365 are quicker, more compliant, and much easier to track.

Final thoughts

While challenging, inventory visibility has become more important than ever before, continuing to prove itself as one of the best ways to streamline your company’s operations.

However Improving inventory management doesn’t have to be difficult, especially in today’s rapidly changing marketplace. Once you understand your specific requirements, the best way to start on the right path is to work with a partner who understands your industry’s ins and outs. And can help implement a solution that’s perfect for you.

Schedule a call today to discover how we can help optimize your inventory visibility.

References: Inventory Visibility Add-in overview

Benefits Of Batch Traceability in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
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Benefits Of Batch Traceability in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company
Benefits Of Batch Traceability in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Introduction

In a previous article: Batch traceability in pharmaceutical manufacturing, we talked about GS1 traceability standards, the DSCSA, and why the pharmaceutical industry has to be prepared for item-level traceability by the end of 2023. Now let’s go over the benefits of traceability that the industry should not ignore.

Benefits of Pharmaceutical Track and Trace

The pharmaceutical industry relies on several workflows, and the ability to track and trace batches are one of the most important. With traceability slated to be mandatory by the end of 2023, it will help to understand the benefits that will come along with this change.

  • Reduced counterfeits Counterfeits are still a significant challenge for the industry, accounting for nearly 7% of all medicines globally. These fakes can replace high-quality treatment anywhere in the supply chain.

    With real-time lot tracking and tracing, it’s easy to fully follow the journey of a batch to ensure it hasn’t been misplaced or replaced at any point in the supply chain. This is a crucial step in reducing the number of counterfeit medicines.

  • Streamlined recall processes Despite paying mandatory diligence, specific errors are bound to happen. There are as many as 1200 recalls on medicine every year. But remembrance can be difficult when the manufacturer isn’t aware of the exact position of finished goods and raw materials in their supply chain.

    After implementing a traceability solution, manufacturers have much more control over finished goods and raw materials as they move through their supply chain. This means more opportunities to recall or even stop defective medicines from reaching the public.

  • Increased quality throughout production To ensure continual production, and an adequate supply of raw materials is essential. By adopting the practice of advanced track and trace for pharmaceuticals, these companies can maintain quality tracking at every production stage.

    The right pharmaceutical tracking system can record critical data like quantities in pounds or gallons, products consumed, remaining stock, quality throughout production, finished goods quality, and more. This data ensures only the best products are produced and quality requirements are upheld.

  • Maintaining supply chain integrity Another benefit of a system offering traceability is maintaining a higher level of supply chain integrity.

    Traceability solutions like D365 let manufacturers closely track the quality and pedigree of every batch from raw materials to finished goods.

  • Increased compliances As a pharma industry player, adherence to certain compliances and regulations is fully necessary. Achieving full compliance is one of the most important benefits of having item-level traceability.

    Full traceability helps you track the journey of a lot from manufacturing units to the pharmacies which is crucial for things like the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS), GS1 traceability standards, and more.

Figure 1:Benefits of Pharmaceutical Track and Trace

Benefits of Pharmaceutical Track and Trace

  • Easy lot number tracking Traceability solutions like Microsoft D365 help departments assign specifics like a package, serial, and lot numbers to any outbound or inbound finished medicines. This makes tracking whole batches quick, easy, and accurate.

    Traceability solutions also help post tracking details as ledger entries – where there is a dedicated page for managing the workflow. This dedicated page even shows the total sums of traced items throughout production.

  • Item availability Lot traceability with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations helps calculate and report an item availability in real-time.

    It’s not just about tracking, though; D365 also helps by providing a wide range of accurate item information on the tracking page so that it’s easy to find out how much of the product is consumed and what remains.

    You can check the lot availability per lot number and serial number. It also prevents the double allocation of items in a lot or batch.

    Some of the critical metrics D365 offers visibility on include things like:

    • Total Quantity
    • Current Requested Quantity
    • Total Requested Quantity
    • Current Pending Quantity and
    • Total Available Quantity
  • Lot or serial number allocation for inbound transactions Not likely to change anytime soon, seamless purchase order management is essential for inbound transactions, and D365 F&O makes it possible. D365 helps manufacturers process real-time lot code tracking from the moment they are part of the organization.

    This tool can automatically transfer the lot/serial number in the transaction documents and keep the warehouse team updated.

  • Lot/batch sales Whether you want to block a lot in the sales lines or control its entire journey, D365 F&O makes it possible.

    This solution enables manufacturers to freeze or partially dispatch specific lots before they’re sold. This plays a crucial role when it comes to managing recalls, especially important when you’re dealing with expired or defective lots.

    The job is done by clicking on the Items and selecting the Sales Blocked options.

  • Complete control of the track and trace items The real-time lot control and traceability abilities of Microsoft D365 Finance and Operations enable manufacturers to find out where a tracked item is used and how. This makes it easy to follow the present instances of a specific lot/batch.

    Regarding quality control, these features are significant as they help you understand which customer received which item. In case of defective product delivery, immediate actions can be taken to minimize damages.

Final thoughts

Regarding the pharmaceutical industry, we know accurate items and batch-level tracking will soon be a requirement – not just a nice to have. With advanced lot control and traceability capabilities, Microsoft D365 F&O is here to make everything more accessible than ever.

With that in mind, the effective implementation of solutions like D365 F&O will deliver the promised outcomes. The task is often a massive challenge as it is a comprehensive tool with multiple modules and features.

A seasoned Dynamics expert that understands your industry is the best way to keep the hassles to a minimum while extracting the maximum potential of a system like Microsoft Dynamics.

For more information or to find out how we can help, schedule a call today.

Batch traceability in pharmaceutical manufacturing
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Batch Traceability in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Batch Traceability in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 700 500 Xcelpros Team

One of the oldest in the world, the pharmaceutical industry has had to face many challenges over the years. One of the biggest challenges that still presents itself today is how to address batch traceability when it comes to pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The importance of Pharma batch traceability

For a multitude of reasons, pharmaceutical manufacturers need the ability to maintain traceability throughout their entire batch process. This means being able to identify every single ingredient and process step that was involved in creating a production batch. When an issue arises, this information can help determine which action caused the problem and where it may have originated.

Batch traceability will help identify what went wrong and provide critical data for addressing any resulting challenges. A manufacturer should be able to provide an audit trail for every batch manufactured and retrieve this information quickly when needed.

When combined with other quality systems, such as an SOP manual or cGMP guidelines, batch traceability becomes more potent.

DSCSA (Drug Supply Chain Security Act)

Brought to life by the FDA and Congress in 2013, the DSCSA was designed to change how pharmaceutical products and raw materials are treated throughout the supply chain, including prescribing ways to trace the movement of products when packaged and distributed. The goal of the DSCSA was to increase the security of pharmaceutical products and patient safety using pharmaceutical finished goods. This then new law offered:

  • 1 Single federally supported solution to replace requirements that might have been different for every state
  • A simplified, consolidated view of supply chain regulations that focus on enhanced patient safety and security
  • Higher standards for distributors in the U.S.
  • Streamlined processes for identifying the suspect or counterfeit goods in the supply chain

As we approach the 10-year deadline set by the DSCSA, where partners in the supply chain will need to provide item-level traceability when products move from one party to another, stakeholders must make sure they’re in full compliance.

The longer you need to implement a track-and-trace solution, the more at risk you face things like heavy fines, loss of licensure, and even imprisonment.

For more information about the act – see FDA DSCSA 

GS1 traceability standards

With so much more data getting captured every second, GS1 standards are a way to focus on what’s important – with a set way to manage your supply chain data to make sure important data is always available, understandable and 100% accurate.

GS1 traceability standards are part of a larger global framework used in over 100 countries to ensure the systems they use for traceability are designed for interoperable collaboration and sharing information for the entire supply chain using the following.

  • Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) Actual events that occur throughout the lifecycle of a traceable product or raw material. This includes things like packing, shipping, and receiving.
  • Key Data Elements (KDEs) Important information and data regarding the specific pieces of Critical Tracking Events.
  • Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and Global Location Numbers (GLNs) Unique identifiers for finished goods and raw materials as they move through the supply chain.

According to GS1, four key events should be given the most attention as finished goods, and raw materials move through the supply chain:

  1. 1.What product(s) were impacted?
  2. 2.When did the event occur?
  3. 3.Where did the product(s) come from? Where are they now?
  4. 4.Why was this process observed?

For more information about GS1 traceability standards – see Supporting the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain for DSCSA

Pillars of batch traceability

Figure 1:Pillars of Batch Traceability

Pillars of Batch Traceability

With the law already written, it’s up to partners to figure out how they’ll meet the requirements. To ensure this compliance can be met, four underlying pillars of batch traceability should be implemented one way or another.

  1. 1.Serialization – The ability to create unique identifiers for a product with multiple packaging options. This typically includes serial numbers, lot numbers, and expiration dates.
  2. 2.Track and trace – Like Serialization, track and trace is all about where a product has been and where it is now. This helps highlight any ownership changes, determine the original manufacturer, or track all movement throughout the supply chain, even if it hasn’t changed ownership.
  3. 3.Verification – The ability to verify where a product is or has been in the supply chain. This includes requirements to confirm specifics like serial and lot number, movement and transaction history, and more.
  4. 4.Reporting – The ability to report accurate information about serialization, track and trace, and verification to regulatory bodies as needed and required.

The ability to report accurate information about serialization, track and trace, and verification to regulatory bodies as needed and required.

These pillars are designed to work together to give you a more detailed view of the products in your supply chain, and lets you share that data with your partners, customers and more.

Final thoughts

Batch and item traceability doesn’t just help protect consumers from harm and keeps your company in compliance with regulatory bodies like the FDA. Batch traceability software lets manufacturers and distributors easily track every batch of product manufactured during a specific timeframe.

All said and done, a properly implemented track and-trace solution will allow you to fully trace finished goods and raw materials as they move through your supply chain from start to finish. Being able to track your products helps to prevent theft and counterfeit copies and makes sure your products remain safe for use. Tracing your products lets you closely follow and monitor every product in your supply chain, leading to fast, efficient returns and recalls, confidence in your products, protection of your brand, and more. A solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 makes this all possible by providing a customizable system tailored to your specific business needs.

After 2023, track and trace won’t be an option – this will be a requirement if you want to keep doing business in the pharmaceutical industry. The sooner you have a system in place, the better.

Not sure where to begin? Contact us today to see how we can help.

Streamline your Supply Chain with Transportation Management in D365 F&O
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Streamline your Supply Chain with Transportation Management in D365 F&O
Streamline your Supply Chain with Transportation Management in D365 F&O 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Introduction

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations is one of the most feature-rich and optimized ERP tools. They are used for managing funds, accounts, processes, and more. D365 has ushered in several benefits for different industries. This is one of the main reasons, so many modern businesses choose to rely on it every day.

But does it make some sense for transportation management? Keep reading to find out.

Transportation Management in D365 F&O

When Microsoft developed AX into D365, transportation management functionality took center stage in its module. This allowed businesses to automate all the essential finance and operation-related operations like accounting, cost management, freight management, master planning, and more.

The resulting Transportation Management module allowed users to enjoy improved capabilities and features. This included things like:

  • The updated version permitted manual freight reconciliation.
  • The ability to generate USMCA certification of origin documents.
  • Management of transport management engines in D365 F&O.

This is just the tip of the iceberg; the latest version of transportation management in D365 F&O is packed with modern-day capabilities.

Who Should Use it?

D365 is for any organization that wants to streamline its supply chain, reduce costs and offer a better customer experience – something that’s become critical in the last few years. D365 can completely replace legacy systems with best-of-breed transportation management technology. It can automate vendor allocation, routing, and transportation allocation for all outbound and inbound orders with full support for AI-enabled devices.

This tool can handle multiple logistics TMS aspects in different scenarios by granting better control over shipping, modifying the shipping rate according to distance & shipment weight, and so on.

Let’s look at some of the most common scenarios that can be handled efficiently with Transportation Management in D365 F&O.

Scenario #1

Due to changes in consumer habits, your SKU count has increased. And it would help if you found a way to get more control of your growing fleet. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is perfect for seamless delivery/pickup and complete control over shipping cost by volume/distance.

With D365, you can decide on the delivery charges based on distance or shipment volume. And share the delivery receipt with the customers directly without getting involved in reconciliation.

Scenario #2

Your business chooses not to charge a separate delivery fee; you instead combine it as part of the total cost of the order.

D365 makes it easy to adjust your pricing seamlessly and efficiently, as needed. This means you can account for changes due to shipping volume or availability.

On top of that, D365 lets you do things like automatically adjusting the order cost and providing insights into shipping cost breakage.

Scenario #3

Suppose you’re using the logistic services of several different companies for your business processes. Transportation management in D365 gives you complete control and the ability to manage all your service providers more effectively in one location.

You can set different transportation rates and delivery preferences there, as needed.

D365 Transportation Management Benefits

Figure 1:Benefits of D365 Transportation Management

Benefits of D365 Transportation Management

Working with a partner to implement Transportation Management in D365 brings a lot to the table for the end-users.

Whether it’s having complete control of your entire fleet, automatic transportation rate calculations, support for things like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and more, Transportation Management in Microsoft Dynamics 365 can change how you do business.

Planning, Logistics, and D365 Transportation Management

With access to real-time shipping information, the transportation management module in D365 makes inbound and outbound planning easier than ever. End-users can make plans according to the processed orders or their related shipments.

Inbound transportation in D365

The inbound transportation management in D365 is very business-friendly. It ensures a transportation solution is ready for vendor orders and doorstep delivery.

With D365, planning a route, generating the receipt, and tracking the order from the vendor’s warehouse to yours is easy.

Outbound transportation in D365

One of the critical benefits of D365’s transportation management is having end-to-end control of how you manage your shipments. Transportation Management in D365 makes creating an outbound lead, assigning rates, creating processes, and planning the load appointments easy. And everything else that goes into outbound transportation management.

Load Building as Needed

Volume-based load building in D365 is much more advanced than older, legacy solutions. It lets businesses set limits on the highest permitted height & weight values.

If your load exceeds the pre-defined load template, you can override it and define new values.

The best part about customizing load templates is that you can make them highly informative by adding details like load template ID, equipment, dimensions, floor stack load, the maximum allowed weight, etc.

Support For a Wide Range of Transportation Engines

Different transportation engines are used to define the logic needed to develop and administer transportation rates.

It takes a lot to ensure complete control of your transportation management, which usually means you need access to multiple transportation management engines. To this end, Microsoft supports multiple different engines in its D365 software including:

  • Rate Engine that can calculate rates.
  • Generic Engine that supports other engines.
  • Mileage Engine that can keep an eye on distance travelled.

There are also things like Transit Time Engines, Zone Engine, and Freight Bill Type Engine. With all these engines, organizations have more functionalities to add to transportation management and achieve perfection.

Better Integrations

Successful transportation management is only possible when the system has full access to the required data.

Transportation management in D365 offers several powerful integration capabilities.

D365 pairs seamlessly with CDS or Common Data Services, making various entities available. In addition, the Azure Data Lake is staged carefully in Entity Store, which ensures only updated data, with incremental syncs, is available.

Regarding shipments, D365 helps businesses automatically report product damage for refunds – all of which can be automated to save invested time and effort.

A Powerful Tool for Managing Global Operations

D365 is designed to streamline global operations. Presently, it has localized versions for 37 countries in 42 languages. This lets enterprises with a worldwide presence select a localized version for each region with a centralized view of data and operations.

D365 does an excellent job of keeping departments and branches worldwide up to date and able to collaborate more efficiently.

Scalability And D365 In the Cloud

Several benefits come from D365 being a cloud-based ERP, including the fact it benefits from a scheduled number of annual and semi-annual updates, both minor and significant.

Several features can be easily added or removed. With a familiar, browser-based interface, access from anywhere is possible – critical for a remote workforce, and licensing can be set for as few or as many users as needed. D365 truly delivers when it comes to productivity and scalability opportunities.

One downside often tied to having so many features is the need for clarity when making sure you pick what works best for your business. Constantly, the best solution is working with a certified Microsoft partner that can optimize your configuration, help you decide on ideal features, and document update requirements.

Final Thoughts

D365 delivers features like cloud deployment, fantastic integration, inbound and outbound management, load balancing, financial supply chain assistance, and other noteworthy capabilities. With D365, you eliminate the need to switch between apps or invest in different transportation management tools for different regions.

Hopefully, this article gives you a better view of how transportation management in D365 can help your business grow and succeed. However, taking advantage of the right features doesn’t have to be complicated. The best option for most companies is to work with a trusted partner to ensure your implementation goes as smoothly as possible.

The right D365 F&O experts can assist you through and through with the modernization and automation of your transportation-related operations. Schedule a call today for more details.

Staying ahead of the curve Warehouse Management Trends in 2022
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Staying ahead of the curve: Warehouse Management Trends
Staying ahead of the curve: Warehouse Management Trends 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Introduction

Remaining competitive in today’s global marketplace has become more important than ever. Consumer habits continue to change, and businesses are finding themselves stocking more and more items. An efficient warehouse management solution is the best way to ensure customer satisfaction at a time when everyone expects things like next-day delivery, BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup in Store), and more.

Thankfully, managing a growing SKU count is getting easier and the technology already exists to help improve your supply chain and bottom line.

Keeping an eye on the changing technology landscape is a good way to get started – here are some of the advanced warehouse management trends we’ve seen in 2022.

Automation

More warehouses are striving to be fully automated than ever before, from self-driving forklifts and automated inventory systems to sophisticated barcode scanning and sorting. Many companies see full automation as a cost-saving measure as they shift their budgets from human workers to technology – becoming more important as SKU counts continue to grow to meet consumer demand.

According to Capterra, 54% of warehouses plan to expand the number of inventory SKUs carried over the next five years.

Manufacturing plants have seen similar trends, with equipment automation replacing traditional manufacturing processes such as machining and assembly. You’ll need to think creatively about how automation can change your processes and make your jobs easier. Some innovations include adding robotics or autonomous vehicles into your delivery process; building more efficient ways to collect data; or developing mobile apps that make data easily accessible to your employees, wherever they are.

Sustainable Warehouse Solutions

Supply chains and warehouses have always been a driving force of the economy, and as we move into the future, warehouse management trends will continue to affect global supply chains. One of the most significant changes driving growth in sustainable warehouse solutions is increased consumer pressure for sustainable goods and services. Consumers want more transparency and accountability with their products, which improved tracking technologies can only achieve.

Another factor influencing this change is an increase in regulations governing environmental impact. For example, several European countries banned single-use plastic packaging earlier this year due to the damage it causes, leaving companies scrambling for viable alternatives, like bio-based plastics or renewable materials like bamboo.

Supply chain management solutions like Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 will play a vital role in managing inventory, assets and faults and improving compliance with regulatory bodies like the FDA, EPA, REACH and more.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Internet of Things (IoT) technology in warehouse management continues to grow and offers new benefits like reduced costs, better forecasting, and easier scalability.

Sensors and cameras continue to improve, and newer RFID (radio frequency identification) tags or beacons tell you exactly where an item is at any given time.

The data collected from these sensors leads to a better customer experience because you know exactly how long it takes for a package to be delivered or whether there are any delays with your orders. This makes your warehouse inventory management easier.

When managing people, IoT technology will allow you to reduce overtime hours and increase efficiency. Using drones and autonomous vehicles lets you confidently adjust your business strategy by setting prices based on demand or supply chain availability.

Some experts predict that we’re nearing the point where IoT technology will be doing a lot more tedious work like stock picking and placing items into cartons—saving companies money and freeing up valuable labor hours for other things like customer service or development projects.

Wearable Technology

Technology is changing how work is done everywhere, and warehouse management is no exception. We already see hints that in the not-so-distant future, fewer people will work in warehouses due to the rise of wearable technology. Examples include Exo-suits, Smart Glasses and audio devices – powered devices designed to reduce physical requirements and give workers hands-free access to their data and instructions.

These devices could replace warehouse management equipment like head-up displays or tablets. Amazon, for example, has already patented a system allowing its employees to use wearable devices while at work. These devices focus on 100% accuracy thanks to the ability to fully validate your inventory.

Some analysts believe this trend would lead to higher costs for shipping companies and consumers because it would require new training programs, and many warehouses wouldn’t need human labor. Others feel these technologies might reduce costs because they increase productivity and reduce errors.

The fact remains that wearable technology holds exciting potential and could change the way we manage our warehousing processes. However, it’s still unclear exactly what effects it will have on business owners and consumers.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Even now, fulfillment centers are beginning to use augmented reality (AR) technology to help with logistics and planning. This trend is expected to grow and expand over the next few years.

There are many benefits, like training and easy visualization. Still, one of the most important is that warehouse managers and personnel can use AR daily without having an expensive changeover cost when they start using it.

This technology provides instant feedback with data from multiple locations, so managers know exactly if their supply chain is performing as expected or if any issues need to be addressed. The wireless nature of these devices means AR is perfectly suited for work in and around warehouses.

Digital Transformations

Warehouse management is going digital everywhere. E-commerce and omnichannel retailing have become much more popular, leading businesses to invest more in warehouse management software and automation. The ability to deliver products from their warehouse on time with less employee involvement is what many businesses have been aiming for.

Companies want their warehouses to be fast and flexible, moving with the needs of changing business conditions. Warehouses are now being designed with reconfigurable storage systems, which can be changed based on current storage needs without downtime or significant disruption.

For this level of automation and digitization to happen, these enterprises need a great deal of up-to-date data about their inventory and how quickly they can process orders. Fortunately, warehouse management solutions like Microsoft’s D365 provide real-time updates on inventory levels and shipping rates. These are just a few reasons we’re seeing more businesses finally replace their aging legacy systems – and when all is said and done, they’re much better off for it.

What comes next

Staying up to date on changes in technology can be a full-time job. One of the best ways to understand what comes next is by working with a partner that understands your business.

As your company grows and your warehousing needs change, your partner can ensure you’re using the perfect solution.

Whether you’re looking for a whole new warehouse management solution or just adding on newer functionality, your partner should be there to set you up for greater success.

Be prepared for what comes next, contact us today to find out how we can help.

Improve Your Supply Chain with Microsoft D365 Transportation Management
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Improve Your Supply Chain with Microsoft D365 Transportation Management
Improve Your Supply Chain with Microsoft D365 Transportation Management 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Introduction

Today, most businesses are starting to realize that managing their supply chain effectively improves customer service, reduces costs and increases profit margins. But with increased workforce challenges and constantly changing data, the logistics involved can still be complicated. For most companies, the answer is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, designed to improve your business’s supply chain, transportation management and overall efficiency. With Microsoft D365, you can streamline operations, consolidate data and gain greater visibility into crucial business details that matter most, giving you more time to focus on your customers.

The importance of transportation management in any business

Transportation management is proving increasingly important for businesses of all sizes. Supply chain planning is increasingly focusing its local perspective on global strategy, so companies must keep up. For this, businesses will need access to modern tools and resources, which means looking beyond traditional processes, excel sheets and email notifications. Next-generation transportation management solutions offer the flexibility and – more importantly – scalability that businesses today need to help them grow without being hampered by outdated systems. Suppose you’re genuinely interested in moving away from an older legacy system. In that case, you want something that can go beyond your everyday operational needs, offering increased visibility of sales, distribution, and customer service departments, giving you a full-scope view of all your company’s operations.

How your business can benefit from using Microsoft D365 for transportation management

Microsoft Dynamics 365 helps businesses improve their transportation management by offering access to inventory management, customer service, and more – all in real-time. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is flexible and scalable enough for day-to-day operations to meet the demands of any size business. The transportation planning solution helps you understand where products are going and how to manage your supply chainbetter. This solution also helps you better meet customer service needs and increase sales with greater visibility on distribution, service, marketing, and more. With Dynamics 365 and the right partner, you can get up and running quickly, letting you take advantage of these features right away.

Transportation management in Microsoft D365

Microsoft has included several transportation features in Dynamics 365 that make it easy to see your fleet and track important metrics like fuel usage, mileage, driver hours, and total miles. Plus, you can always keep an eye on things like vendors and routes, as well as the status of your fleet, by tracking maintenance updates and scheduling jobs like oil changes. Information is available from any device at the click of a button, giving you the flexibility to look at things whenever and wherever you want. And because Dynamics 365 has been built to be flexible and scalable, you get full access to the benefits without worrying about limitations or overspending. When you decide on Microsoft Dynamics 365 as your transportation management system, data will be stored in one place so everything stays organized.

Figure 1: Use of Dynamics 365 with Respective Departments in Transport Management

Use of Dynamics 365 with Respective Departments in Transport Management

When it comes to planning, Dynamics helps you:

  1. 1.Plan inbound and outbound shipments more effectively with the help of D365, which provides visibility into pending orders for easier scheduling.
  2. 2.Manage costs better with detailed shipment cost reports and freight quotes for each shipment to help you find the best rates and save money.
  3. 3.Get accurate, up-to-the minute information on trucks with mobile access to the latest truck location, letting you know exactly where it is, how much gas is left, who is driving, etc., enabling you to give immediate feedback as needed to streamline business processes.

For inventory control, Dynamics gives you:

  1. 1.Real-time visibility into your inventory, with on-screen alerts if something needs attention.
  2. 2.Better forecasting thanks to more precise insights gained through analyzing historical demand patterns, weather forecasts, and other data sets.
  3. 3.More automation across sales channels including eCommerce sites so you have fewer manual transactions to manage and less risk of human error.
  4. 4.The ability to sell online without worrying about whether your back-end systems can accommodate new customers and orders coming in constantly. You’ll also get notifications via email and text message every time there’s a new order or product alert, eliminating the need for constant phone calls with vendors.

For customer service, Dynamics offers:

  1. 1.A single view of customer history so you don’t have to search between different systems trying to find what you’re looking for; saving time and making it simpler than ever before.
  2. 2.Improved customer satisfaction with proactive and reactive strategies to reach out to your customers before they reach out to you.
  3. 3.Improved billing and collections, with the ability to charge interest if payment is not received within a specified period, plus the option of adding late fees and penalty charges.

Who is it for?

Dynamics 365 is an excellent product for companies whose supply chains are critical to their business. Really, any company that manages their inventory in bulk or has a fleet of trucks and drivers on the road will benefit from using Dynamics 365.

For a company that wants to improve its transportation management, Dynamics 365 is flexible and scalable enough for day-to-day operations with greater visibility of your entire supply chain.

Dynamics 365 can be used for any business that uses transportation management in their daily operations. The flexibility of Dynamics 365 means it can grow alongside your business, so you don’t need to worry about change as your company grows. Microsoft D365 allows you to use data analytics to help make better decisions when operating your business, tracking all aspects of your supply chain by integrating with other applications like Office 365, Power BI or SharePoint Online. This lets you automate workflows and easily create reports, which helps your entire supply chain run much more efficiently.

Next Steps

The first step is to understand the basic features included in D365’s Transportation Management. This is where you need to identify your specific transportation management needs and how Microsoft D365 can help you meet them, including which modules available will work best for you – from distribution and customer service to sales and marketing. This is the perfect time to speak to your Dynamics 365 partner, who can help walk through what it will take to integrate these into your business and ensure all bases are covered.

Schedule a call today to find out how we can help your business grow.

References: Transportation management overview

Dynamics 365 and the Biotech Industry
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Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Biotech Industry
Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Biotech Industry 700 500 Xcelpros Team

Introduction

Biotech companies, like other highly regulated industries, must stay focused on their business to stay competitive and profitable, leading many to wonder if a solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help. Microsoft’s latest offerings include several different cloud-based software applications that can help your business succeed, no matter what industry you operate in. From CRM software that helps keep your customers satisfied to accounting and invoicing software that can streamline your operations, Dynamics 365 can improve every aspect of your business.

Overview of Microsoft Dynamics 365

We talk about Microsoft often, and with good reason. The latest version of Dynamics 365 offers a comprehensive, integrated application suite that helps midsize and large enterprises of all industries and sizes operate more efficiently. Organizations that have leapt legacy software happily report increased efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction, especially over time.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 uses complex algorithms, data analytics, cloud storage, and processing power to provide users with real-time data across their entire operation. Built on Microsoft’s Cloud technologies, it is an extremely capable Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that includes modules for finance, HR, sales, and marketing, integrating seamlessly with different Office365 applications like SharePoint Online.

Key capabilities include time management for HR teams and a BI (Business Intelligence) feature for analyzing important insights about sales performance or key metrics like customer loyalty. With Microsoft Dynamics 365, leaders can see where they stand with goals and forecast future results. With this information, they can make informed decisions based on reality instead of fear.

As organizations in the life sciences move into uncharted territory with technology innovations happening at an accelerated pace, they need solutions to help them stay competitive. A more thorough list of features includes inventory management (for example, purchase orders), financial forecasting (budgeting), contract management (including contracts with suppliers) and payment terms, which make the system highly flexible for any size organization or environment, reducing the need to customize solutions based on old ideology.

Benefits & Advantages of Switching to Dynamics 365

After switching from legacy software to Microsoft Dynamics 365, organizations can expect increased agility and enhanced efficiency in operations. Biotech companies will be able to find success by speeding up innovation and giving themselves a competitive edge over their competitors.

With Microsoft Dynamics 365, they’ll have more insight into what customers want, which products are working well and why they’re not doing as well as they should. Organizations will also have access to data that would have been difficult or impossible to retrieve, like customer feedback about past product launches.

Armed with more information, companies can go back and improve those products to give them better chances of success. They’ll also be able to make more informed decisions based on accurate data, meaning everything will run smoother when it comes time to restock inventory.

Employees will get more personalized insights allowing them to develop creative solutions to problems on the fly without having to wait for IT staff. Plus, all employees have an easier time finding needed resources because of how closely tailored Microsoft Dynamics 365 is to their needs as employees of that organization.

Microsoft Dynamics in Biotech

Biotech companies are constantly challenged to maintain compliance standards, but there are features within Microsoft Dynamics that help with regulatory requirements and inventory control.

And with eForms, document management, and archiving solutions, you’ll have all your data captured in a central repository where you can use intelligent or custom search to find what you need when needed.

Figure 1:Microsoft Dynamics 365 for the Biotech Industry

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for the Biotech Industry

Here are some more specific reasons for Microsoft Dynamics 365 in the Biotech industry.

  1. 1.Microsoft Dynamics 365 enables automation for several Biotech processes out of the box, which ensures you’ll spend as little time as possible getting up and running.
    1. a.AP automation
    2. b.Business Process Library (BPL) management for ISO certification
    3. c.Lot, batch and quality tracking
  2. 2.Dynamics 365 provides powerful insights through machine learning tools like Power BI that help measure customer engagement metrics, letting you plan and forecast more accurately.
    1. a.Expenses
    2. b.Budgets and forecasts
    3. c.Increased visibility for investors
  3. 3.Seamless integrations to the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem and other third-party solutions give you greater visibility of everything under one roof for maximum long-term value.
    1. a.Banks
    2. b.Label and Lab software
    3. c.Payroll systems
    4. d.ACH
  4. 4.Powerful scalability means you can add additional functionality or users as your business grows.
    1. a.Subscription-based pricing helps you manage your technology budget
    2. b.Secure team collaboration from different devices around the world
    3. c.One solution is to invest in the long-term

Microsoft Dynamics offers more than just sales, finance, and operations functionality. So, suppose any part of your operation needs a software solution. In that case, it’s worth exploring how Microsoft Dynamics 365 could be leveraged to give you a competitive edge over others in your industry.

The Biotech industry is a perfect example with numerous variables such as complex research, high failure rates for drugs going into clinical trials, and fluctuating levels of competition. The technology tools businesses use in this sector include precision engineering and computer modeling, proprietary manufacturing methods and other specialized equipment.

One thing to consider with Microsoft Dynamics is that the company updates their products at least once a year, ensuring they’re always keeping up with the latest trends in technology. For example, annual releases include updates across the entire product portfolio. Each solution can provide better support for real-time decisions based on emerging technologies such as Ai (Artificial Intelligence), IoT (Internet of Things), and analytics.

Technology that Supports Your Workflows

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a complete suite of technologies designed to streamline workflows and get more done in less time. The complete suite is designed with the people and processes that power your business in mind. Microsoft Dynamics 365 incorporates three main categories – customer engagement, employee engagement, and intelligence capabilities – to help all your employees work better together by offering a cloud-based app that functions on any device so that you always have access to information.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 also includes all necessary functionalities such as finance and accounting, manufacturing, retail management, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management and marketing tools to be flexible enough to adapt to any size or type of business.

These tools are designed to save you time while improving your decision-making abilities. Additional benefits include easy deployment and customization options tailored specifically to meet your company’s needs and greater security due to its compliance with data protection regulations like HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS standards.

Factors That Can Affect Your Migration

Key factors that can affect your migration to Microsoft Dynamics 365 usually include financial considerations, customer-facing tools, and Industry-specific modules. Considering these factors is essential when looking at the different migration paths and key decisions, such as starting from scratch or migrating everything from your existing system.

These decisions should be made with a strong understanding of Microsoft Dynamics 365 functionality and features. As mentioned previously, it’s important to research the best path for your organization before beginning any work on migrating data into Dynamics 365.

One major consideration is working with a Microsoft Partner specializing in either Data Migration Services or Application Integration Services, who’s worked with both systems. The right Partner will work with you through the process and help ensure it goes smoothly and efficiently.

It may take longer initially if you want all your data transferred. Still, this way, you won’t have any gaps in information once everything has been moved over, which could lead to a smoother transition overall while also avoiding potential errors due to duplicate records or inaccurate information.

Critical Aspects when Migrating to a New Platform

Below are five critical aspects to remember when migrating your business to any new platform.

  1. 1.Think about how long it will take you to make the migration before you start. Migrations that take weeks or months can consume your budget and cost you valuable time.
  2. 2.Ensure all stakeholders agree on what they want to achieve through a migration before your project starts.
  3. 3.Evaluate whether it’s feasible to do an incremental migration rather than a full one-time conversion from the legacy system to Dynamics 365 (keep in mind incremental migrations have their own set of issues and problems).
  4. 4.Consider migrating other aspects of your business, along with data – Integrating Dynamics 365 with your partners and vendors, for example, can help streamline day-to-day business functions.
  5. 5.Focus on understanding who uses which features and how they use them.

Understanding your needs ahead of time will help optimize your experience in the future. You’ll also want to set up a post-migration process where feedback channels are open at every step of the way, so that any challenges experienced by staff during the migration can be resolved quickly without disrupting business operations.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re an aspiring startup or an established Biotech company with a growing number of employees, Dynamics 365 continues to offer many powerful features that let you offer a better customer experience and help you keep things running smoothly.

Here are the next steps if you’re ready to get started updating your Biotech business solution to Microsoft Dynamics 365:

  • Find a Partner that understands the software, your industry, and the work you do.
  • Consider your company’s specific needs and goals to ensure the proposed solution meets these criteria.
  • Assess the current state of any legacy software in use, including the time it takes to manage payroll with old systems.
  • Identify what functionality is already included in the system and set clear priorities for needs and wants.

Schedule a call right away for additional details or to learn how we can support the expansion of your Biotech company.

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