Microsoft Dynamics SL—Customer stories

2 page Case Study

Engineering Firm Boosts Productivity Management with Integrated System

TWP Projects in South Africa needed a single integrated system for project management and accounting, including a tool to integrate employee timesheets with invoices. The company replaced its Softline Pastel and open-source systems with Microsoft Dynamics® SL business management software. Now, it has an integrated view of operations and revenue streams, which is boosting its ability to maximise profits and eliminating the risk of billing time incorrectly.

4-page Case Study

Scientific Firm Grows Government Business More Than 100 Percent with Accounting System

RJ Lee Group tackles technically challenging problems with a team of more than 250 material and forensic scientists, chemists, physicists, and computer scientists. When the company started winning larger contracts with complex reporting requirements, it decided to implement Microsoft Dynamics® SL to improve its project accounting. RJ Lee Group used the solution to efficiently meet a wide variety of state and federal government-contracting rules, including those subject to Defense Contract Audit Agency audits. As a result, RJ Lee Group has grown its business with the government so dramatically that the company is poised to earn half its revenue from contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy. In addition, the company reduced administrative workload and increased visibility into operations so that it can respond to business trends as they develop.

4-page Case Study

Defense Contractor Helps Save Lives and Sees 100 Percent ROI with ERP Solution

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.

4-page Case Study

ERP Solution Gives Engineering Firm Strategic Insight into Project Costs and Profits

Founded in 1979, David Evans and Associates provides engineering, design, and construction management services for large commercial, residential, and public sector building projects. For years, the company used separate systems for project management and accounting. The lack of integration among its various systems required employees to manually reconcile account information, which extended monthly close times and made it impossible to gain real-time insight into the company’s profitability. As David Evans expanded into new markets, executives recognized the need for a fully integrated enterprise resource planning system. After a thorough evaluation process, company leaders selected Microsoft Dynamics® SL based largely on its renowned flexibility and ease of use. Now, the company has an integrated view of operations and benefits from improved profitability and increased productivity.

2 page Case Study

Electrical Engineering Firm Improves Cash Flow, Data Access, and Client Services

Gillespie, Prudhon & Associates (GP&A), a telecommunications engineering firm, was burdened with accounting systems requiring manual work. As a result, job cost tracking was difficult, invoices were delayed, and data clients required was hard to obtain. Synergy Business Solutions helped GP&A adopt Microsoft Dynamics SL and Business Portal. Invoices now are sent earlier, clients receive comprehensive accounting information, and GP&A can analyze projects more efficiently.

4-page Case Study

Design/Build Firm Improves Project Management with Simplified Access to Analytics

KDA Holdings, a design/build firm based in Georgia, needed to better track profit margins on its projects, but was limited by its Sage Timberline software. Managers at KDA could not easily analyze information in Timberline because of the slow performance of the database, a reliance on outside consultants to create sophisticated reports, and the accounting system’s inflexibility. To improve operations, KDA worked with Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner SIS to switch to Microsoft Dynamics® SL. With the new solution, KDA managers and executives have real-time insight into their business and can better evaluate project information, leading to more efficient operations and project management. Since switching to Microsoft Dynamics SL, the company has improved average profit margins on its projects by 3 percent, simplified data access, and streamlined accounting.

2 page Case Study

Construction Company Boosts Productivity, Communications with Mobile Solution

Lee Company, a construction company based in Franklin, Tennessee, needed better communication while its staff worked at job sites. With Windows® Essential Business Server 2008, and Windows Mobile® phones, staff have easy access to mobile messaging. Lee Company also plans to give Windows Mobile phones installed with line-of-business solutions to field technicians and sales staff. It expects to improve business knowledge and productivity, and boost revenue.

4-page Case Study

Defense Contractor Improves Reporting, Efficiency While Ensuring Contract Compliance

CALIBRE is a government contractor with U.S.$100 million in annual revenue, primarily from contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). CALIBRE previously used Deltek GCS Premier to meet DoD contracting requirements, but the system limited the ability of company executives and managers to access critical operating data. To improve visibility into project and financial information, CALIBRE standardized its operations on Microsoft® technology and implemented Microsoft Dynamics® SL. The company tasked its consulting partner, RSM McGladrey, with creating the reports in Microsoft Dynamics SL it would need for project reporting and DoD compliance. Today, CALIBRE project managers obtain accurate and timely performance reporting on demand from a management report portal. CALIBRE also has a robust billing system and audit and compliance reports that it needs to succeed in its industry.

4-page Case Study

Better Project Accounting a Strategic Asset for Construction Firm

Construction firm Alpha Development wanted to integrate project management and accounting systems to more accurately reflect its business operations. To accomplish this goal, the company switched from Sage Office Timberline project accounting software to Microsoft Dynamics® SL with help from Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Synergy Business Solutions. The integrated project management and accounting software works with familiar applications in the Microsoft Office system so employees can more easily transfer information between applications. Microsoft Dynamics SL also links field and office operations so Alpha Development can more accurately track project costs with a greater level of detail. With more up-to-date reports that reflect the nuances of its business, Alpha Development managers can make better decisions when bidding on projects and managing labor, materials, and equipment.

4-page Case Study

Engineering Firm Doubles Revenue, Limits Overhead with Project Management Solution

Based in Houston, Texas, Commonwealth Engineering and Construction provides engineering and construction management services for the refining and chemical process industries. With the goals of driving operational efficiencies and enabling cost-effective growth, the company chose to centralize project management and accounting. Commonwealth turned to Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner New Vision Consulting Group to deploy Microsoft Dynamics® SL. Now, the company enjoys standardized project management and enhanced business intelligence and reporting, which improves company accountability and visibility into project data. In addition, easy access to detailed business information has helped Commonwealth provide better service to customers and avoid adding additional overhead during a period in which the company more than doubled its revenue.