Dynamics AX – Solving Manufacturers Changing Needs

Posted on: June 26, 2012 | By: SuperUser Account | Microsoft Dynamics AX/365

For many manufacturing organizations, the architecture that’s still in use today, and still actively sold by many vendors, originated in the 1980s. Its complex and inflexible―unable to provide the power and agility that today’s manufacturing organizations need to change, grow, and thrive. Let’s take a closer look at these systems and the problems they present.

Application code and parameters are intertwined, tangled—like spaghetti. There’s no simple, affordable way to customize or integrate the software.
Duplicated data structures complicate the task of focusing on what’s critical―extracting, transforming, and presenting accurate data in the most appropriate format to enhance performance and ease of use for the user.
Middleware and batch processes are often used as necessary workarounds to overcome the lack of integration and interoperability across implementations and business processes.
Key work-related functionality sits in separate applications, so users have to access multiple programs to complete daily tasks. In addition, when upgrading these systems, the customer, not the vendor, faces the challenge of solving integration problems.
Business intelligence is an afterthought for many customers. They’ve continued doing business the way they’ve always done business because, despite the complexity of their processes, they are still getting acceptable results. So the need for deeper insight into the business is not always given investment priority. BI is not addressed at the time of the initial implementation but in a later phase. Unfortunately, the implementation is not set up with BI in mind, requiring changes or compromises after the fact.
The user experience is task-oriented, not role- or process-oriented, and there is little or no opportunity to customize or optimize the user experience.
Organizations are not set up to cope with today’s changing business climate. They need new solutions to keep pace with current and future trends.

Organizations need new systems that will work for them—not against them! Here are our thoughts on what today’s manufacturer needs are:

Business applications that are an asset in the face of change, not a liability. Integrated, easy-to-use applications.
Simplicity and agility without a sacrifice of power. Familiar, intuitive user experiences, shared data that reduces/eliminates duplicated data structures.
Complete, manufacturing-specific solutions, not inflexible software that requires expensive customization. No more spaghetti code, no more cumbersome, costly middleware.
Powerful embedded analytics and business intelligence, not data overload. Business Intelligence moves front and center, no longer an afterthought.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 meets these needs by introducing a generation shift in the way we think about the ERP model.

For additional information please feel free to reach out to us at info@loganconsulting.com or (312) 345-8817.

All the best!

Logan Consulting
www.loganconsulting.com