Manufacturing with Business Central
A streamlined solution for manufacturers looking for extensive production and supply chain management capabilities that replace manual processes with automated operations. The solution allows you to quickly respond to changing environmental requirements and provide customers with the necessary on time.
Integration
Comprehensive real-time process monitoring of orders, processes in the manufacturing plant, the equipment and labor involved in them, as well as warehouse inventory.
Automation
Linking production orders with sales orders, the closest possible lead time and efficient equipment utilization planning.
Productivity
Planning of production processes according to equipment capacity, availability of goods and raw materials, which significantly reduces production costs.
What manufacturing are represented by our customers who use Business Central?
Production of unique goods
Multi-stage production
Food production
Book production
Production of furniture and furniture raw material
Production of advertising materials
Production of construction products
Production of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products
Production of energy resources
Manufacturing challenges
Unified management
A modern resource management solution combines all processes, company departments involved in production and responsible persons in a single and easily monitored system.
Quick response and adaptation
Thanks to automation, detailed information on raw material, labor and time consumption allows efficient use of materials and the prevention of errors in production planning.
Actual information
Real-time data allows you to track what is being produced right now, what are the work centers involved in the process, what raw materials are used in production and what are the warehouse stocks.
Accuracy and error prevention
Efficient and well-thought-out production process without leftovers, ability to fulfill orders on time, create appropriate employee shifts and efficiently plan equipment utilization.
Benefits and advantages
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1. Integrated processes
- reduced raw material stocks and production process preparation
- increased production at no additional cost
- reduced the amount of time it took to enter information into multiple systems
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2. Complete resource planning
- automated production planning according to demand
- optimized use of raw materials
- productivity through automated operations
- the necessary statistics and forecasts are easily available
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3. Controlled costs
- evaluation of actual and planned work and costs
- avoiding delays and cost overruns
- reduced warehouse inventory costs
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4. Visibility and access to business-critical data
- tracking sales and production orders, their status
- quick response according to changes
- access to current real-time data
- consistency in all departments of the company
Manufacturing planning
Increase production capacity by entrusting the system to accurately plan the workload of work centers and raw materials according to production orders, without allowing equipment downtime or unproductive work in the production plant. A unique opportunity to perform automatic planning of production processes according to demand and to use available resources wisely by optimizing the use of raw materials.
Manufacturing orders
Production orders are at the heart of the manufacturing functionality. They are used to manage the production process, record the use of raw materials and the production of finished products. A valuable advantage of the system is the comparison of planned and actual production costs, which allows far-sighted decisions and strategic management of the company’s resources.
Manufacturing routes
A route is a sequenced list of production operations. Manufacturing companies use them to efficiently manage the production process and determine what materials are needed at a given stage of production. Once the production order is created, the route will be the one that precisely regulates the planned activities and prevents deviations from the norm.
Manufacturing work centers / machine centers
The system collects information about the availability and capacity of production work centers, taking into account the efficiency factor of the specific work center. Based on this information, the system creates a workload calendar for the work center. Accurate planning prevents equipment from being idle or overloaded.
Manufacturing cost specifications
The specification of production raw materials contains the components involved in the production of the finished product (if the product is a set of several individual products, such as a kit) or the raw materials required for the production of a specific product. The system calculates production costs based on this information. One of the advantages of the system, which allows the company to save, is the modeling of various possible cost scenarios.
Management of subcontractors
In many manufacturing companies, the performance of certain operations is entrusted to subcontractors. The system provides for the possibility of including the works of subcontractors in the production process. For example, one of the steps in the production route may be performed in an external work center if some equipment is unavailable or inoperative at the plant and outsourcing is required. In this way, the system ensures a continuous production process and information about the work performed by the subcontractor serves as a basis for mutual payments.
How does the manufacturer rate Business Central?
The previous accounting program increasingly required bringing in an IT specialist to make corrections or improvements. The latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central online is always available. There is no need to bring in a programmer to reprogram the old version. Our previous software was very old indeed. We used it really only for invoicing, we couldn't use it for data analysis like we do now with Business Central.
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Mārcis Sparāns
Owner of RARE darbnīca
Frequently asked questions about Manufacturing Management with Business Central
What types of manufacturers are Business Central suitable for?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can be used by different manufacturers. It will suit both mass producers and those who produce products in small batches, as well as those who work on individual orders. Business Central is perfect for discrete manufacturing, where the finished product is built by assembling various parts and, at least in theory, can be disassembled into components. Examples of discrete manufacturing are electronics, furniture, toys. BOM-bill of material in Business Central can consist of components or semi-finished products at several levels. Also, Business Central will cope well with process manufacturing where raw materials are changed during the production process and the finished product cannot be disassembled into its original components. Typical examples here are pharmaceuticals, food production, chemical industry. In process manufacturing, the term “recipe” is commonly used, but in essence it is just another name for raw material specification. However, there are some production scenarios that Business Central cannot handle in the standard version. They are related to assembly and situations where several final products are produced from one raw material. To ensure such processes, system adjustments are required.
Is ERP system Navision the same as Dynamics 365 Business Central?
Navision is not the same as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, but they are related. Navision is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system created by the Danish company Navision Software A/S and acquired by Microsoft in 2002, who later changed the name of the system to Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, on the other hand, is a cloud-based business management solution developed by Microsoft and based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV code. Business Central contains most of the features of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, but is designed to be more affordable to small and medium-sized businesses. In other words, Microsoft 365 Business Central can be considered the latest version of Dynamics NAV, but with additional cloud services features and capabilities that make it easier for smaller businesses to use. Thus, although not exactly the same product, there is a close relationship between Navision and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
How detailed can the cost of an item be reflected in the Dynamics 365 Business Central system, and can it also include equipment depreciation, employee time invested?
For each manufactured product, Business Central can set up a route that reflects the activities required to produce the product. For each step in this route, costs associated with it can be set, which include labor costs, equipment depreciation, and other direct and indirect costs related to production. Business Central provides a complete overview of manufacturing costs, empowering manufacturers to make informed pricing and production planning decisions.
Can a production manager plan equipment and employee workloads with Business Central?
Work Centers and Machine Centers are used in Business Central to plan the workload of employees and equipment. For each of them it is possible to set capacity, define shifts and calendars. In turn, each product is assigned a route that indicates the production operations, the work and machine centers involved in them, and the time planned for the execution of the operations. By combining this information, the system shows the workload overview for both equipment and employees.
How can I access up-to-date information related to production using Business Central?
In Business Central, each user can choose a role center that corresponds to their responsibilities in the company. The Production Role Center offers an overview of production orders at various stages, planned production operations, and production-related goods movement documents. Thus, the production manager gets a comprehensive picture of the situation in production just by opening the system. In addition, various reports are also available, and a large number of our customers use Power BI for further analysis of their data.
How big of factories is this ERP solution Business Central suitable for?
Business Central is successfully used by both large manufacturing companies with hundreds of employees and very small manufacturers. A significant advantage of the system is its flexibility. The company can use the functions that are necessary at the given stage of the company’s development and adapt them to the production processes of its company with the help of settings.
Will I be able to change something in this Business Central system in the future, adding additional functionality to it that would improve production processes?
Definitely. The functionality of Business Central is extensive, and as the company grows and develops, it can begin to use more and more of the program’s capabilities. In addition to the functionality available as standard in Business Central, Microsoft Appsource includes solutions developed by Microsoft partners from around the world. If you can’t find what you need there either, ELVA will help you develop a solution specifically for your company’s needs.
Is it possible to change the number of Business Central users if the production department expands?
Additional users, both in production and in any other department, can be connected to Business Central at any time. If the company’s production is seasonal, the number of users can be increased in the months when it is needed and reduced again after the end of the season, thus avoiding unnecessary costs.
How much does a production Dynamics 365 Business Central system cost and how long does it take to implement?
Depending on the number of users, company requirements, the complexity of production processes and the need to integrate Business Central with other systems and equipment, implementation costs for manufacturing companies vary widely. The same applies to the time required for implementation. In order to find the most suitable solution for your company and to calculate the corresponding implementation costs, as well as to prepare an implementation plan, ELVA offers to carry out diagnostics.