How Supply Chain Can Bring Sustainability With Dynamics 365 for Manufacturing

Dynamics 365 for Manufacturing module of supply chain is today's modern ERP solution to bring sustainability across the ever-changing landscape of the manufacturing industry.

• If your manufacturing business is small or for that matter a mid-sized organization, Dynamics 365 Business Central includes all standard configurations. To prepare production bills of materials (BOMs) and routings to define how end items are produced and prepare machine or work centers to perform the required operations.
• But, if you are a manufacturing enterprise with complexities to drive, Dynamics 365 for manufacturing module of Supply Chain Management will be the business management solution key for you!

The challenge is from digital advancements to consumer demands of net-zero carbon products, manufacturing industries find sustainability a critical constraint in their daily operations.

Now, to achieve end-to-end sustainable manufacturing, it is imperative to understand the type of business and the manufacturing process that is involved. Manufacturing process can be a complex activity that involves a range of machinery, tools, and equipment with many levels of automation using computers, robots, and cloud-based technology.

Thereby, a company decides which production method to choose based on factors such as consumer demand, sales forecasts, the assembly technique, materials involved, and what resources are available.

Sounds complex and appears like a dilemma? Don’t worry.

Let us explore how Dynamics 365 implementation can ease these complexities at every level with its innovative adaptability. Before unveiling the secret to drive new opportunities with substantial economic growth, let us delve into the major challenging factors affecting it first.

Get in touch with your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner like Dynamics Square for more information regarding the pricing and licensing of D365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 for sales, and Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.

Challenges Faced by Manufacturing Industries

The manufacturing industry typically involves process-centric operations. Moreover, there is a continual need for customer engagement to build a positive customer experience for the business to excel.

Be it any type of manufacturer — from process to discrete, batch to repetitive—all can benefit from overhauling their daily operations with Dynamics 365 for manufacturing. Let us run down the challenges that you as manufacturing businesses face in doing so,

1. Employee Recruitment

The shortage of skilled workers in manufacturing industries is leading to higher turnover rates and increased competition for top talent. This, in turn, is driving up costs for companies and hindering their ability to meet production demands.

Dynamics 365 Human Resources helps you to manage recruiting requests. It also helps you seamlessly transition job candidates to employees. Moreover, offering competitive benefits packages, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities for professional development can also be managed effortlessly under benefits management, task management, and employee development sections of the HR infrastructure.

2. Rising Prices

The rising price of raw resources is a big additional difficulty. Inflation trend in commodity prices in recent years is anticipated to continue. Examples of these commodities include steel, aluminum, and oil.

Manufacturers are under pressure as a result, and they are battling to keep costs down without sacrificing the quality of their goods. Consumer prices rise because of rising raw material costs, making it harder for producers to sell their products.

3. Supply Chain Disruptions

Since the COVID-19 epidemic began, supply chain disruptions have impacted practically all sectors of the global economy. Due to the pandemic's aftereffects, natural calamities, and geopolitical unrest, many businesses now face more supply chain unpredictability.

Longer lead times, greater costs, and lower product quality as a result are affecting businesses' production schedules, customer happiness, and overall profitability.

4. High Customer Expectations

Customers are demanding not only more convenient items but also more individualized experiences. This increases the pressure on producers to provide high-quality, customized goods more quickly and inexpensively.

Customers are also growing more socially and environmentally sensitive, therefore businesses must implement sustainable practices and place a premium on social responsibility.

Making the necessary technological investments is necessary to meet these expectations, and failing to do so could hurt manufacturing enterprises' market share, reputation, and revenues.

5. Data Security

In 2023, data security will continue to be a major issue for the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing companies are gathering and keeping enormous amounts of sensitive data due to an increased dependence on technology and digitalization.

This makes the sector a popular target for cyberattacks because it comprises everything from consumer information to trade secrets.

Financial fines for data breaches and regulatory pressure to secure personal data are other issues that businesses must deal with. Companies must invest in cybersecurity tools like firewalls, encryption, and threat detection systems as well as create and implement data security policies to mitigate these risks. Data security violations can have negative financial, legal, and reputational effects.

6. Sustainability

Pressure to implement sustainable practices is another problem affecting the industrial sector. Consumers are seeking items that are created in a more sustainable way because, as we previously indicated, they are looking for ways to be more ecologically friendly.

As a result, manufacturers must enact stricter rules to lower their carbon emissions and waste production. There is an increase in investment in renewable energy and more effective production techniques, both of which raise the price of manufacturing.

7. Technology

Automation and other cutting-edge technology are also posing more difficulties and competition for the manufacturing sector. Robotic technology is constantly developing, enabling producers to produce items quickly and effectively.

While this is excellent news for consumers, it also makes it more challenging for manufacturers to compete in their sector if their rivals can stay up with the most cutting-edge innovations.

As was already said, more sophisticated technology can also lead to additional risks like data breaches and cyberattacks. As manufacturers you will need to keep coming up with strategies for data security while still utilizing this new technology.

How to Minimize Disruptions in Manufacturing with Dynamics 365 Implementation?

Dynamics 365 for manufacturing helps to unify different operations, no matter what the nature of manufacturing process is. Whether it is a local industrial machinery shop or a 3D printing process, you can achieve complete visibility of the process and engage with your customers, breaking down the complex silos between front and back-end processes.

Concisely, it is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management that is the ultimate solution designed to cater to industries to streamline their manufacturing procedures.

Get in touch with your Dynamics 365 Partner like Dynamics Square for more information regarding the pricing and licensing of Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (formerly known as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations)

Let us explore the wide range of features and capabilities of the Manufacturing module within Dynamics 365 that enables industries to perform their production operations flawlessly.

1. Production Planning and Scheduling

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management offers powerful master production scheduling (MPS), material requirements planning (MRP), and capacity planning tools for production planning and scheduling.

To ensure effective production processes and prompt order fulfillment, the module gives users the ability to create and manage production orders, optimize resource allocation, and monitor work center capacities.

2. Bill of Materials (BOM) and Routing Management

The module provides sophisticated BOM and route management features, enabling businesses to specify and maintain intricate product structures, business processes, and work center needs.

Users can establish routings for each activity, monitor modifications, and create multi-level BOMs to ensure precise cost and production planning.

3. Shop Floor Control

Shop floor control functions, such as work order management, work center scheduling, and real-time production monitoring, are offered by Dynamics 365 for manufacturing. Users can manage production exceptions, track production progress, and keep an eye on machine utilization, increasing shop floor visibility and efficiency.

4. Lean Manufacturing

The module supports Kanban, continuous improvement, and value stream mapping, among other lean manufacturing ideas and processes. Lean manufacturing techniques can be used by users to save waste, better production flow, and boost overall manufacturing effectiveness.

5. Quality Management

Organizations may ensure product quality, compliance, and safety by using the extensive quality management tools provided by Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management.

To enable compliance with industry-specific standards and client requirements, users can establish quality tests, inspections, and sample plans, track quality data, and generate quality reports.

6. Production Costing and Analysis

Standard cost, real cost, and activity-based costing are just a few of the different costing methodologies that the module offers. To ensure accurate costing and increased profitability, users can manage and evaluate production costs, keep an eye on cost fluctuations, and find ways to cut expenses.

7. Integration with IoT and AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and Internet of Things (IoT) integration to give real-time insights, forecasts, and suggestions.

This makes it possible for businesses to keep an eye on the functioning of their equipment, improve maintenance plans, and boost overall operational effectiveness.

8. Collaboration and Communication

Engineers, operators, and managers who are part of the production team can collaborate and communicate easily thanks to the module. To keep everyone informed and involved, it interacts with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and other collaboration platforms.

9. Reporting and Analytics

Dynamics 365 for manufacturing delivers strong reporting and analytics features that give manufacturers immediate access to information about their operations. To track production parameters including productivity, throughput, and quality, users can construct custom reports, dashboards, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

The analytical capabilities are improved through integration with Power BI, enabling dynamic data visualization and sophisticated reporting.

10. Compliance and Risk Management

The module offers features and capabilities to assist businesses in managing risks, adhering to industry-specific standards, and ensuring the quality of their products. It helps firms maintain regulatory compliance and reduce production disruptions by supporting traceability, quality control, and audit trails.

11. Integration and Extensibility

The Dynamics 365 for Manufacturing module integrates with other Dynamics 365 modules (like Dynamics 365 Finance, Sales, and Customer Service), Microsoft products (like Office 365 and Azure), and third-party applications without any issues.

This gives users a unified experience across multiple business applications and increases the organization's overall productivity.

12. Scalability and Performance

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, which is built on the Microsoft Azure Cloud platform, gives businesses the scalability and performance they want to manage high volumes of production data and transactions.

The module offers a flexible and affordable solution for managing manufacturing processes and is simple to scale up or down as business requirements change.

13. Mobility and Accessibility

Users of Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management can access the system from any place and device thanks to its responsive, mobile-friendly user interface. The users can manage production processes, access reports, and work with stakeholders while on the go. The native mobile apps and a web-based interface assures continuity and increases productivity.

14. Environmental and Sustainability Management

The module assists businesses in tracking their energy use, trash production, and emissions in support of environmental and sustainability programs. Users may analyze how their industrial processes affect the environment and put policies in place to cut emissions, save resources, and limit waste.

15. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Integration

PLM solutions can be integrated with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, allowing businesses to manage product information, engineering changes, and product development processes on a single platform.

The market time is shortened, and product quality is increased because of this integration, which guarantees smooth communication between the design, engineering, and production teams.

To Summarize

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a comprehensive set of predictive business applications with AI-driven insights. It takes care of CRM and ERP functionalities of your manufacturing industry seamlessly allowing integration with your existing system along with power BI.

Now you can proactively respond to changes and advancements by combining your business data, supply chain data, and public data like maps and weather forecasts in a system infused with artificial intelligence and machine learning. This will help you reduce wastage of time and resources.

Putting in place a comprehensive system that serves as a "single source of truth" can aid in producing more precise schedules, forecasts, and budgets, which in turn power a firm that is more productive.

Email us at harsh.nager@dynamicssquare.com or call us at +1 281 899 0865, if you are a manufacturing industry on the lookout for Dynamics 365 implementation.