Volt Technologies

In today’s fast-paced business world, managing inventory accurately and efficiently can be a real challenge for small to mid-sized organizations. But with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, managing inventory and supply chain processes has never been easier. This popular ERP solution offers robust Warehouse Management capabilities that can help take your inventory management to the next level.

Dynamics 365 Business Central: The popular ERP solution for inventory management

One of the key reasons why Dynamics 365 Business Central is so popular is its advanced enterprise technology. This technology manages financials, supply chain, sales, purchasing, and warehouse functionality, making it an ideal solution for businesses of all sizes. Moreover, Dynamics 365 Business Central is a scalable solution that can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, allowing you to choose a deployment option that suits your business needs.

With Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can leverage technology such as ADCS and Warehouse Management to manage the movement of inventory and control your supply chain more efficiently. The Warehouse Management capabilities include Bin Setup, Inventory Pick and Put Away, Warehouse Receipt, Warehouse Shipment, Internal Picks and Put-Aways, and Warehouse Management Systems. By setting up and maintaining bins and defining the layout of your warehouse and the dimensions of your racks, columns, and shelves, you can provide input for planning by defining characteristics for bins.

By using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central’s Warehouse Management capabilities, you can streamline your inventory management and supply chain processes, improve accuracy and efficiency, and boost your bottom line. And if your organization requires more advanced warehousing functionality beyond what Dynamics 365 Business Central offers, there are proven advanced add-on solutions made specifically for Microsoft Business Central (and Dynamics NAV) that you can find on the Microsoft Business Application Store, Microsoft AppSource.

Partnering with Volt Technologies to optimize Warehouse Management in Dynamics 365 Business Central

To get the most out of Dynamics 365 Business Central’s Warehouse Management capabilities, it’s essential to partner with a trusted technology provider like Volt Technologies. Our team of experts can help you implement and optimize Warehouse Management in Dynamics 365 Business Central to meet your unique business needs. By working with Volt Technologies, you can streamline your inventory management, control your supply chain more effectively, and gain a competitive edge in the market.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a powerful solution to help manage your inventory and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Volt Technologies can be an ideal choice. By leveraging the Warehouse Management capabilities of Dynamics 365 Business Central, you can take your inventory management to the next level, improve accuracy and efficiency, and boost your bottom line. Contact Volt Technologies today to learn more about how we can help you take your business to the next level

Are you facing new challenges or discovering gaps in your supply chain? This blog explores several supply chain pain points we’ve seen in the market, along with strategies used to address them.  

Maximizing supply chain efficiency is crucial for businesses in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing market. The pandemic has brought new challenges to the forefront, including tight cash flow and social distancing measures, which have led to a smaller and less efficient workforce. Businesses must find ways to adapt and improve their supply chain resilience in order to survive and thrive.

By leveraging the tools found within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, businesses are empowered to make better business decisions and improve overall end-to-end visibility in their supply chain. Let’s take a closer look at a few common pain points and solutions for how to address and tackle each point: 

Pain Point: Combined cash flow constraints and social distancing measures have resulted in a reduction in the workforce size and overall productivity. 

Solution: Business Central gives you the ability to enable better business decision-making by centralizing your data on a single platform, delivering a single source of truth supported through advanced analytics and insights. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that can help businesses make better decisions by creating a single source of data. Comprehensive accounting software makes it easier to run and scale your business (Here are the top 3 signs that your business has outgrown QuickBooks) Additionally, Business Central’s advanced analytics and insights can help businesses identify trends and patterns, allowing them to make more informed decisions.

Pain Point: With the increasing complexity of the market, achieving end-to-end visibility and accurately forecasting demand has become an urgent need for businesses to stay competitive.

Solution: Achieving end-to-end visibility and forecasting demand is crucial for businesses to be successful. Business Central can help businesses improve their demand forecasting by integrating sales and purchasing with logistics, inventory, production, warehouse, and transportation management. This allows businesses to have a better understanding of their entire supply chain and make more informed decisions. Additionally, by integrating across geographies and time zones, businesses can improve their ability to forecast demand and make adjustments as needed.

Pain Point: The inability to anticipate and prevent capacity strain is leading to a significant increase in asset downtime and hindering overall operational efficiency. 

Solution: Increase uptime, throughput, and quality by proactively managing shop floor and equipment operations with a real-time view of your entire production and stock using IoT. Proactively managing shop floor and equipment operations is crucial for businesses to avoid asset downtime. Business Central can help businesses increase uptime, throughput, and quality by providing a real-time view of their entire production and stock. This can be achieved by utilizing IoT, which can provide real-time data and allow businesses to make adjustments as needed. Additionally, by proactively managing shop floor and equipment operations, businesses can reduce downtime and improve overall efficiency.

Pain Point: In the current market, implementing agile planning and distribution strategies to uncover cost savings has become essential for the survival and sustainability of a business.

Solution: Optimize fulfilment and reduce costs by synchronizing logistics across sites, warehouses, and transportation modes. Finding cost savings is crucial for businesses to survive in today’s market. Business Central can help businesses optimize fulfilment and reduce costs by synchronizing logistics across sites, warehouses, and transportation modes. This allows businesses to have a better understanding of their entire supply chain and make more informed decisions. Additionally, by synchronizing logistics, businesses can reduce costs and improve overall efficiency.

Businesses can significantly improve their supply chain resilience by utilizing the tools and resources within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. With this new normal, businesses are shifting their focus from “just-in-time” to “just-in-case” supply chain management. With Business Central, businesses can centralize their data on a single platform, integrate sales and purchasing with logistics, inventory, production, warehouse, and transportation management, proactively manage shop floor and equipment operations, and synchronize logistics across sites, warehouses, and transportation modes. This will enable them to make better decisions, improve demand forecasting, increase uptime, throughput, and quality, and reduce costs.

If any of these pain points feel particularly relevant to your business, we’re here to help! We have a team of experts who can guide you through the process of implementing Business Central and help you achieve your desired supply chain efficiency. 

As small to mid-sized businesses look to implement new ERP systems, the role of the Project Manager in the implementation cycle becomes increasingly important. At Volt Technologies, we understand the importance of having a Project Manager who not only has the technical expertise to guide a project to success but also the ability to connect with the clients on a strategic and cultural level.  

Here are a few of our project management best practices: 

1. Understand the client’s needs: both strategic & cultural

A Project Manager must have a thorough understanding of the client’s needs in order to lead a successful project. This includes not only understanding the strategic goals and objectives of the project but also the cultural context in which it will be executed. We know each organization is unique, this knowledge is crucial in order to effectively communicate with the client, make decisions that align with their priorities, and ultimately deliver a project that meets their needs and expectations. 

This means not only understanding the technical requirements of the project but also the business goals and processes the new ERP system will need to support. Additionally, a Project Manager must understand the internal dynamics of the organization and be able to effectively communicate and work with all stakeholders involved in the project. 

2. Identify & work in coordination with key stakeholders

In order to successfully implement a new ERP system, a project manager must also be able to identify and work closely with key stakeholders who will be involved in the change management process. This means not only communicating with upper management but also with the teams who will be using the new system on a day-to-day basis.

A Project Manager must be able to act as a trusted advisor to these stakeholders, helping them understand the benefits of the new system and how it will improve their work processes.

3. verify the project goals & mitigate potential risk factors

To ensure the successful implementation of a new ERP system, a Project Manager must also be able to verify the overall project goals, current processes, and potential risk factors. Practically, this is accomplished through thorough assessments of the current system and identifying any areas that may need to be improved or changed. 

Additionally, a Project Manager must also be able to identify and mitigate any potential risks that may arise during the implementation process. At Volt, we accomplish this during our onsite diagnostics phase where we come alongside your organization and conduct a full audit of your systems, processes, and culture. We have found that the key to project success lies in a thorough discovery and scoping phase. To learn more, check out our video on the Top 3 Reason Why ERP Implementations Fail. 

4. Actively Steer Projects & Facilitate in-house discussions

Once the project is underway, a Project Manager must actively steer the project and facilitate in-house discussions and development efforts. This includes managing the internal team, providing opportunities for user testing and training, and ultimately ensuring the successful turnover to the client. A Project Manager must also be able to communicate effectively with the client and internal teams, keeping them informed of the project’s progress and addressing any concerns that may arise.

At Volt Technologies, our Project Managers hold the map to the implementation process. They understand the client’s needs and are able to guide the project to success. They have the technical expertise and ability to connect with clients on a strategic and cultural level. Our Project Managers act as trusted advisors to key stakeholders and always inform the clients and internal teams of where we are, where we’re going, and how we are going to get there. With our team of expert Project Managers, you can trust that your ERP implementation project will be completed on time and on budget.

An Overview of Dynamics 365 Business Central Licensing and Pricing

Featuring differences between licenses and plans

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the fastest-growing cloud-based ERP on the market today and enables small & mid-sized companies to manage their operations efficiently and profitably.  Dynamics 365 Business Central contains a library of solutions that empower businesses to perform their finance, sales, purchasing, project, inventory, manufacturing, and warehouse operations all on a single platform.  If you want to move forward with a subscription to Dynamics 365 Business Central, the first thing you need to know is the cost associated with licensing. Microsoft offers three types of licenses for Dynamics 365 Business Central starting from as low as $8 monthly per user. Here below is an overview of all licensing plans along with their associated pricing.

Dynamics 365 Business Central Packages Types

Business Central Essentials (Full User)

$70 Monthly Per User

Business Central Premium (Full User)

$100 Monthly Per User

Team Members

$8 Monthly Per User

Business Central Essentials
(Full User)

If you choose Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials, you will get an array of capabilities including:

• Finance Management: Dynamics 365 Business Central has a standard configuration for various financial processes including budgets, basic general ledger, fixed assets, cash flow forecasts, and multiple currencies
• Sales and Marketing: You can use this feature to store, obtain and use several types of data in the sales flow. This feature includes sales forecasts, schedule activities, follow-up actions, marketplace analysis, development of a marketing plan, and conducting the campaign.
• Purchasing and Payables: Business Central allows you to configure tasks related to the registration of new customers. Moreover, you can keep track of purchase invoicing, discounts, return orders, alternative order addresses, alternative vendors, and vendor catalogues.
• Inventory Management: Dynamics 365 Business Central ensures the smooth flow of your business by providing a comprehensive list of products in your inventory. You can use features like item categories, attributes, multiple locations, location transfers, cross-references, item budgets, and cycle counting to catalogue every product in your organization.
• Supply Chain Management: Supply chain management inside of Business Central helps businesses control the flow of goods and services. It includes everything from logistics, manufacturing, and distribution and enables insights into powerful strategic decisions.
• Project Management: Dynamics 365 Business Central has project management tasks for scheduling resources, configuring jobs, budget management, capacity management, and timesheets.
• Warehouse Management: Warehouse activities include tasks of bin setups, creating bin contents, locations to use bins, setting up warehouse employees, adjusting or classifying inventory, and restructuring a warehouse.

Business Central Premium
(Full User)

Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium offers everything available in the Essential license with the added benefit of both manufacturing and service management.

Service Management: With the premium license you can enjoy additional features including service contract management, planning, and dispatching, service order, and price management.

Manufacturing: This feature allows you to keep a record of your inventory movement during the manufacturing process. It includes many features including standard cost worksheets, machine centres, production orders, and assembly management.  

Team Members

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Members license is specifically designed for basic-level functionality. It is designed for users who need only basic functionality. Team members\' licenses include the following features:

• Read all the data in Business Central
• Update existing Data to modify customer records
• Approve or reject assigned tasks
• Create, modify, or delete quotes, personal information
• Create or modify timesheets.
• User PowerApps for Dynamics 365

The default setup for a Team Members looks like this:

How to Buy Dynamics 365 Business Central License?

Dynamics 365 Business Central License can only be purchased from Microsoft partners. Contact us at Volt Technologies to get a quote today.