In this Acceleration Case Study, learn how a CNC machining business transformed its operations by upgrading its software to Microsoft Dynamics 365. With 45 employees working in the industry, the company needed a solution to improve efficiency by making essential documents accessible to each worker. The welding shop also needed to rely less on manual tasks. So, the company prioritized finding ERP software to streamline numerous activities. Read how this CNC machining business accomplished this by implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Business Challenge – Replacing Outdated Software
In 1970, two brothers founded a family-owned and operated welding shop. Over the last five decades, the company has grown to 45 employees while providing welding services within various industries. Throughout the years, the small family business grew into a leader in the metal fabrication industry. Despite this success, the company was interested in upgrading its business software. Also, they were interested in gaining access to new features to further improve operations.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the CNC machine shop mainly used pen and paper. In the 1990s, they upgraded to digital spreadsheets. Using Microsoft Excel was especially beneficial for tracking a wide range of data. However, it still required manual entry for estimating new jobs. The welding shop needed to revamp its entire system to ensure everything could be completed by using ERP software available for employees to view.
Initially, estimating and quoting a job required using a form. Created more than 20 years ago, the form was so outdated that the original floppy disc used for the form was lost. They had to create several copies of the form by using other copies. The welding shop needed to find a solution for using digital templates and worksheets instead of using outdated forms for creating estimates and quotes.
Tracking reports also became an issue while the company grew with more employees and customers. Relying primarily on Excel took up a lot of time. Additionally, it often led to many mistakes by employees. For example, the Bill of Material Shortage Reports was often inaccurate, resulting in a lot of wasted time correcting errors. It ultimately caused employee costs to be much higher. Finding a new software solution that created accurate reports was a top priority.
Software Solution – Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
With the guidance of Solution Systems, the company chose to use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which integrated with Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Power BI to help them overcome these challenges. Implementing this integrated software enables the welding shop to grow even further by connecting their employee and business processes like never before. Everything was much more accessible from day one, whether taking orders, quotes, selling, reporting, invoicing, or manufacturing.
Because of its scalable features, implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central allowed the software to grow. All of the different issues impacting the company were alleviated due to its ability to extend essential functions through apps. This data can easily be accessed from nearly anywhere.
By using Microsoft Power BI as a reporting solution, employees are able to transform data into dynamic visuals. These visuals make it easy to collect and organize information for gaining additional insights throughout the organization.
Microsoft Office 365 operates on the cloud while offering Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, One Note. Office 365 can easily integrate with Business Central by using Microsoft apps, such as Excel, Word, and Outlook. Employees can also access these features from any location. The implementation process took around 18 weeks. It only required one project manager and assistance from an IT support team. Importing all of the data from the organization was fairly straightforward because of the excellent integration capabilities of Business Central Excel.
The Results
Employee training was provided during the 18-week implementation period, which helped better prepare the employees for using the software once it went live while keeping any downtime to a minimum. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offered many new features for the company, which included:
Availability of Statistics
Business Central makes it easy to view statistics at any time. All you need to do is click on the job title from the Job List to view the Job Summary, Job Changes, Purchase Order Changes, and Notes.
Budget Viewing
It’s also easy to view the budget by clicking on the Cost Categories tab. Employees can quickly compare budgets using predefined Cost Categories. The company uses a wide-ranging Cost Categories list. This list includes Freight, Field Labor, Material, Machine, Miscellaneous, Service, Overhead, Travel, Shop Labor, Subcontractors, and other options. The statistics page allows employees to view estimated costs, estimated hours, remaining hours, actual costs, and much more.
Job Subcategories
Employees can also split created jobs into various subcategories. For example, an employee has a master job before breaking it into three subcategories: Design, Fabrication, and Installation. Employees can view Tasks and Bill of Materials with only a few clicks of a button within the job subcategory.
Procurement
Each employee can make purchases under the Master Job and any subcategories from using a single screen. Items can also be directly imported from CAD software or even typed in manually. Purchasing happens much faster due to the ability to create Purchase Orders with relative ease. Employees can look at Quantity to Requisition while also knowing which vendor to use for making purchases. Now, employees can make an entry by using the requisition worksheet to create a Purchase Order automatically.
Final Thoughts
Using Business Central for Job Shops improves productivity while also boosting employee morale with its many new features. Some employees even reduced their monthly closing process from 20 days to three days. By using Microsoft Outlook integrated with Business Central, it further boosted productivity by handling business interactions for customers and vendors. Now, it’s possible to easily view financial data while creating and sending financial documents to improve business operations.
The reporting process is much more straightforward with the integration of the Microsoft Power BI solution. It’s possible to easily combine Business Central while using Power BI reports, making it easy to share this information with management. The visuals of this software make a big difference in allowing managers to view trends to help make better business decisions quickly. Ultimately, choosing to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Central was an excellent choice for this family-owned welding shop.
