A supplier of emissions solutions for the natural-gas industry, EMIT Technologies has 70 employees. Seeking a competitive advantage by adopting the latest technology, the company decided to upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 from an earlier version of the solution. Wishing to accelerate learning about new features, it accepted an invitation from Microsoft to join the Technology Adoption Program for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010. The emissions solution provider implemented the upgrade in a test environment after gaining a deeper understanding of how new functionality could advance the company’s business goals. EMIT Technologies’s IT team discovered numerous ways the new release can help it operate more efficiently, improve customer service, and compete more effectively, helping the company to deliver ongoing innovation that will support it now and into the future.

Our investment in Microsoft Dynamics GP has been essential to our success. Without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Travis Perkins, Director of IT, EMIT Technologies

Business Needs
With 70 employees, EMIT Technologies is a supplier of emissions solutions for the natural-gas industry. Natural-gas producers depend on the company for its catalytic converters, air/fuel ratio controllers, and expert field services. EMIT Technologies manages manufacturing, service, and sales from locations in Sheridan, Wyoming; Fort Worth and Houston, Texas; and Farmington, New Mexico. Increasing demand for natural gas and tighter air-quality regulations have helped the emissions solution provider support the rising interest in “green” alternatives to fuels, such as coal.

The company derives competitive advantage from a combination of its in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities and its use of the latest technology to streamline operations. To drive ongoing improvements, EMIT Technologies transitioned its accounting system from Intuit QuickBooks to Microsoft Dynamics GP in 2007. Says Travis Perkins, Director of IT at EMIT Technologies, “We needed a solution that was more flexible, had the capability to scale, and could better adapt to our business processes.” In spring 2009, the company upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 to realize ongoing improvements in field services and inventory management and to streamline reporting, planning, collaboration, and project management. “We are consistently asking the question of how technology can improve our business processes, allowing us to become more efficient and effective in daily activities,” adds Perkins.

When Microsoft presented EMIT Technologies with the opportunity to engage in a Technology Adoption Program (TAP) to deploy Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 before its general release, EMIT Technologies was quick to see the value. “We felt that the TAP program would give us an unparalleled opportunity to bring new functionality into production,” says Perkins.

Solution
In winter 2010, EMIT Technologies upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 in a test environment. This enabled the company to thoroughly assess the product without disturbing existing business processes. Through the TAP program, the company was able to not only help ensure a smooth implementation but also gain a deep understanding of how new functionality could advance its business goals. “Participating in the TAP program reinforced our confidence in Microsoft Dynamics GP,” says Perkins. “It also gave us a window into how the new solution would integrate with our existing and projected business rules.”

Through the TAP program, EMIT Technologies focused on exploring the benefits of the improved human resources (HR) and payroll functionality. “Payroll reporting is now much more flexible than before,” says Perkins. And in HR, EMIT is particularly looking forward to new self-service capabilities. With the self-service functionality, which is available through Business Portal, the company aims to provide employees with real-time access to information, such as benefits, vacation, and paid time off, relieving that administrative burden from office staff.

The enhanced reporting capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 have also caused particular excitement. “Microsoft has increased the number of default reports and made it much easier for users to work with these reports through functional integrations in Microsoft Word.”

Perkins adds, “The reporting capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 and our ability to draw on information from Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services have greatly improved our use of business intelligence.” Impressively, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 provides more than 90 built-in SQL Server Reporting Services and 220 Microsoft Excel reports out-of-the-box.

EMIT Technologies also looks forward to taking advantage of Business Portal to establish a centralized source that will enable employees to obtain new parts from its own warehouses and outside suppliers more quickly, for example, when a customer makes a change to a fabrication order. “We are deploying new capabilities quicker than we originally expected,” says Perkins. “Major functionality will be added every few weeks.”

In winter 2010, EMIT Technologies was able to scale its enterprise resource planning solution by integrating the production environment with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. Connecting the two applications channels sales information directly to the back office while providing salespeople with a complete customer view. “Communications between customers and employees are now stored in one place,” says Perkins. “This will significantly improve the productivity of our salespeople, which will help them serve customers in greater capacities.” Salespeople will also be able to quickly access detailed business information about contracts, pricing, and product information.

In addition to rich new features in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, EMIT Technologies is pleased that the platform is highly scalable in both the number of users processing data and the volume of data the solution supports. Says Perkins, “Scalability of our business systems is essential to ensuring our future success.”

Benefits
By using Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010, EMIT Technologies is discovering numerous ways to operate more efficiently, improve customer service, and compete more effectively. Already enjoying a majority of modules in the solution, the emissions solution provider eagerly anticipates taking advantage of future innovations to the solution as the scope of its business continues to expand.

Realize Greater Business Value
Approaching completion for moving the new solution into production, EMIT Technologies is already realizing numerous ways that it can use Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 to drive ongoing operational improvements and increase its return on investment. With self-service HR capabilities, the company will reduce the administrative burden of managing employee benefits and other information. And with enhanced reporting features and easier access to information through dashboards, Excel, Word, or integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the company is extending the reach of information to employees companywide, enabling a more effective and informed operation.

Improve Customer Service
For EMIT Technologies, every improvement it makes ultimately means better customer service. Specifically, Perkins has found the easy, reliable access to information and means to collaboratively act on that information very promising. “Collaborative functions in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 will help us to be more productive in dealing with logistics that impact quality and timely delivery,” he says.

Stay Ahead of the Competition
Taking advantage of the latest technology gives the company an advantage over its competitors. In addition, productivity gains from the new solution will help the company accomplish more without adding staff. The platform’s ability to easily scale up as EMIT Technologies grows instills confidence as the company plans for the future. “Our investment in Microsoft Dynamics GP has been essential to our success,” says Perkins. “Without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”