Metalman Auto syncs Sales, Procurement and Production to improve bottomline by 10 percent

Sessa Klein (SK), world leading innovator in the design and production of windows for rolling stock, established SessaKlein Shenfei (SKS) with Suzhou Shenfei Vehicle Windows Manufacturer in 2008. SK knew a sophisticated and flexible ERP was necessary to make the new joint venture a world-class operation where important technical and design data could reach the people that needed it quickly. Working closely with Beijing EXTECH Technology, SKS deployed Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009. Streamlined access to critical information and processes through Role Center help people organize and manage workloads, and the familiar, intuitive interface made it easy for the 40+ staff to start benefiting right away. Furthermore, by taking advantage of Microsoft Dynamics AX’s localization modules, SKS was able to ensure they met Chinese regulations for their financial reports accurately and on time.

Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner NeoProcess supports business customers with business process optimization and implementations of Microsoft Dynamics® AX. The company experienced a rapid influx of new customers and needed to streamline implementations while enabling new hires and other employees to be effective. NeoProcess discovered and adopted the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology. NeoProcess uses Sure Step to structure consistent, efficient implementation processes and to manage communications and understanding with its customers and partners, providing the company with a way to achieve its goals. With Sure Step resources, NeoProcess consultants accelerate their productivity, set proper expectations with customers, obtain signoff at all critical steps, accomplish higher customer satisfaction, and communicate effectively with customers and global implementation partners.

As a relatively small company in a competitive global market, hummel International wants to operate as efficiently as possible and deliver consistently excellent customer service in designing and distributing sports and fashion clothing and accessories. The company implemented Microsoft Dynamics® NAV to help manage and streamline business operations and enable employees to be more effective. The solution integrates closely with other Microsoft® software already present and smoothly adjusts to changes in the business model. Under the Business Ready Enhancement Plan for Microsoft Dynamics, hummel International can upgrade and enhance the solution whenever Microsoft releases new versions, fixes, or service packs, without incurring additional expenses. Employees easily access training resources through Microsoft Dynamics CustomerSource to become more proficient technology users.

Based on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Oughtred Coffee and Tea is a coffee roaster, distributor, and equipment service provider. Relying on a basic accounting package to manage operations, the company handled many processes outside the system, resulting in islands of data, data reentry, and a lack of business insight. To streamline operations and achieve the insight needed to strategically plan production and optimize its merchandising on retailers’ shelves, the company implemented Microsoft Dynamics NAV® 2009 and engaged Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner The RSC Group to drive the implementation by using the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology. After going live with core functionality in only four months, Oughtred Coffee and Tea has established the central data store needed for advanced decision making and expects to save 2,000 hours a year by reducing data reentry.

BMI Defense Systems designs and manufactures protective equipment with patented energy-absorbing designs for the U.S. military. In 2008, the company won a multimillion-dollar contract to ship a gunner platform and restraint system in direct support of the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan under the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle program. Faced with a need to exponentially scale up its operations, BMI Defense worked with Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner SIS to implement Microsoft Dynamics® SL for accounting, supply chain, and manufacturing. The solution helped BMI Defense better demonstrate to the government its direct and indirect costs for the new contract, thereby saving the company more than the amount it cost to implement the system. In addition, BMI Defense now tracks inventory with greater accuracy and is better able to meet shipment schedules.

Bianco Footwear designs, manufactures, and distributes a complex product line of shoes and fashion accessories through franchise boutiques located throughout Northern Europe. To make distribution more reliable and to gain better control over its business, the company replaced an older, no-longer-adequate software system with Microsoft Dynamics® NAV. With the solution, Bianco Footwear helps ensure that all the stores can always meet customer demand and centralize and automate many cumbersome manual processes. In addition, the company decided to maintain the value of its technology investment by signing up for the Business Ready Enhancement Plan for Microsoft Dynamics. Through the plan, Bianco Footwear can upgrade to newer versions of Microsoft Dynamics NAV without incurring additional licensing fees and has access to all solution updates and fixes as soon as Microsoft releases them.

Microsoft® Certified Partner Total Enterprise Solutions (TES) provides implementation and support for Microsoft Dynamics® NAV. Because of customers’ cost concerns, TES typically deployed the solution to small groups, mostly within the finance and accounting departments of large organizations. Web services in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 provide TES with an opportunity to integrate data and business logic from the business system to other applications. Now, TES can help customers cost-effectively extend the solution to more people to standardize and fully automate business processes. Microsoft Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office (DCO) licensing gives TES the technologies and licensing framework to take advantage of the integration capabilities offered in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009. With the DCO licensing model, TES has penetrated larger markets and reduced development costs.

To accommodate sales growth of 125 percent in one year, clothing designer and distributor Head Gear needed to automate and streamline its warehouse operation. The company’s existing Activant Eclipse ERP system, however, lacked the functionality needed to take on new business requirements. For example, the system did not support EDI, which became a necessity as Head Gear penetrated new markets. To meet this need and others, the company deployed Microsoft Dynamics® NAV and add-ons for shipping and the fashion industry. Since then, Head Gear has automated operations and increased responsiveness to customers through EDI. The company has also driven significant improvements in productivity, resulting in a savings of more than U.S.$250,000 a year, and reduced its turnaround time for orders from three days to only one—all while handling a sales volume as large as $1 million a day.

The IRITO group of companies uses the BrightAuto system to manage its dealer centers. BrightAuto, based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, is a trade solution for the automotive business.