Everything there is to know about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and its manufacturing module

Having a manufacturing mill can be tiring. Between the orders and the inventory, sometimes installation at your client’s place, and management of your finances     , there is not a lot of time left in a day to have a global vision.

This is often where it hurts, it is essential to take into account the finite loading of your inventory and the time of production of a customized order so you can have flawless workflow. However, getting to this kind of management often requires a lot of effort, especially if you are alone to steer the ship.

So, if you want to reach level of management, you will need an ally, a true one: an external eye and someone who always knows everything. Not easy to find you think? I get you. This is why enterprises of today are unthinkable without technology. Because it can do this and so much more.

Business Central is a little bit like this ally. It’ll support you throughout all your decisions armed with data in real time and a global vision. It is the best friend of entrepreneurs because it allows them to automate redundant tasks and condense all their activities under the same interface. Most importantly: it has a manufacturing module to help entrepreneurs who are looking for a powerful solution to simplify their daily life.

So, what is Business Central?

Well, we often hear about how ERP and CRM are adapted for the needs of international companies, but we have to say that the SMB have the same right to get competitive tools to get to their goals. In fact, as an ERP, Business Central is there to support the companies in their daily life with powerful modules. With its all-in-one formula, neither the manufacturing nor the finances will have any secrets.

Business Central is more than an accounting software or a manufacturing manager, it automates and secures your production while allowing you to keep an eye on your entire company.

And the manufacturing module in all of that? What is so special about it?

In fact, it is first and foremost the ‘’all-in-one’’ aspect of Business Central that is interesting here because it allows your manufacturing module to be completely integrated in your other processes like customer service, accounting, marketing or inventory. That way, you will have an integrated and coherent approach to your management so you can have a complete and global vision of your work.

The interest of a tool like this is to be able to tackle all of your daily tasks while always having access to the latest data. By offering an environment with all your modules at the same place, it is easy to organize them in relation to one another and get a fair analysis of your company’s state.

So, you can see that what makes Business Central so interesting is that besides being a software that gives you a complete overview of your activities, its manufacturing module is absolutely incredible. Whether it is to automate some actions or to make sure that you employ an agile method in your operations, Business Central is there for you.

So how about the functions of the module?

Obviously, if I am talking to you that intensely about the manufacturing module in Business Central, it is because this is a true essential. Why? Just see by yourself here.

Production orders

First, this important trait of the manufacturing module of Business Central will allow you to manage and even create your production orders from the same unique interface. Besides following the progress closely, you will have one-click access to all the elements of your order, whether it is inventory, workforce, customer service, installation or guarantees. Interesting, no?

Agile manufacturing

We often hear about the agile method when we talk about manufacturing. Well, here it is already integrated in the software so you can put the agile manufacturing into action, the inventory planning and even the capacity planning. It’s never been so easy to be so efficient!

Version management

You know that in manufacturing we lose focus , and the different production invoices, numerous changes, materials and itinerary don’t make any sense anymore. Here, it will be impossible to get confused since you can create and manage different versions of your invoice while following them closely!

Inventory planning

Since you create products, you need material to do so. However, it is sometimes difficult to plan according to the demand forecast. It is easier to do it while you have a planning master with you. The production module of Business Central will help you plan your needs on demand! Incredible, really.

Demand forecasting

What is that? It is in fact data that allows your system to plan orders while considering the prediction of the demand. So, you can create production and purchase orders while knowing that you have an available inventory and the parameters of your needs will be taken into account.

Capacity planning

Here, you can create a system calendar according to a level of details and parameters that you will have chosen. That simple!

Machine centers

In Business Central, the machine centers exist in the manufacturing module to help you manage the capacity of your machinery and your production resources because, without them, you won’t be able to manufacture! As you can see, everything is related in your ERP and all your data will be used to make better decisions in relation to other elements in your enterprise.

Capacity management

You know how difficult it can be to manage resources that have a limited capacity. In Business Central and its manufacturing module, you will be able to take into account the constraint of the capacity and avoid attributing more work than what the resources can produce with the capacity management function in your manufacturing.

How to get the manufacturing module of Business Central

Unfortunately, to gain access to some functions or some modules of Microsoft Dynamics 365 users sometimes need a specific plan, or to spend a little extra each month. However, if you are in the manufacturing industry, you will definitely need an ERP a little bit more robust to follow you in your project.

Indeed, with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central it is possible to get it under two different plans: Essentials or Premium. In the first case, you will get everything that Microsoft Dynamics 365 considers essential to the smooth running of your company (which means a lot!). You will find most of the modules in it like finance, customer service, project management, supply chain, human resources and warehouse.

However, in the second plan, Premium, you will get two more modules that make all the difference. You will find the service and manufacturing management besides all the other apps included in the Essential plan.

These two modules will extend the power of your Business Central to other sectors of activity because they will allow you to, amongst other things, manage production orders and plan capacity.

A purchase that requires a little bit more thought

So, if you want to purchase Business Central and its manufacturing module, you will need a little more patience because it cannot be bought in store or with a simple phone call. In fact, it is necessary to find a Microsoft partner (or to become one) to get the Dynamics 365 products.

Why? Because the software has to be adapted to your needs so you can extract the full power of it. You will have to be guided by an expert throughout its implementation and its customization in your organization. The partner will then be able to explain to you the impact of the software and its place in your enterprise.

In fact, it is a full team that will help you get accustomed to the Business Central and its manufacture module so you can get all the benefits from it. It is essential that this team understand you so they can help you with your specific needs. Make the right choice!

You can see here how it is essential to have an ally with you when you operate a manufacturing company! Since you create and sell a product from A to Z, you NEED this external view that has all the data to make informed decisions. Don’t look anymore, Business Central will definitely provide this!