I don't know about you, but I'm not superstitious. Furthermore, although I thought the cat crossing the street was a catchy image for this blog, trust me. I will not talk to you about black cats, broken mirrors, or sidewalk cats. I will talk to you about how you can avoid choosing the wrong ERP partner for your software implementation. Because in my long experience in this business – the business of ERP software – I have often heard from my customers about bad experiences they endured when they inadvertently chose the wrong partner to implement their ERP software system.
Let's get right to the point…
Too Big
This is an example of the fish-pond analogy. Ask yourself: Do you want to be a small fish in a big pond? If you're a small or midmarket company, choosing a very large ERP implementation partner could be the wrong choice. Realistically, you will not get the same mindshare as a bigger company. Your implementation is simply not going to be prioritized over more lucrative implementations. Of course, these ERP partners might claim to treat all of their clients equally, but when push comes to shove, that's probably not the reality.
Too Small
Using that same analogy, you should ask yourself: Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond? Probably not, and I'll tell you why. If, for the sake of argument, the small ERP implementation partner that you're evaluating employs, say, 3-4 full-time ERP implementation specialists. One leaves the company, and a second comes down with COVID, leaving only 1 or 2 people to pick up the slack. If your implementation is one of the bigger ones this partner is currently working on, you may receive preferential treatment. But do you really want to test that theory?
ERP Partner Lacks Good Listening Skills
Some ERP partners like to hear themselves talk. They monopolize the conversation in an effort to show you how much they know and how successful they are. But where are you in that equation?
Are they listening to you?
A good ERP implementation partner should be putting you first, finding out what your company is all about, what your requirements are, what gaps in functionality you're looking to fill, what your experience with previous implementations has been like, and what you want your relationship with them to be. They should not jump in and cut you off whenever you speak. They should be taking notes. This is known as "active listening,"* and a good ERP implementation partner should be practicing it.
Poor Response Time
This is a reasonably straightforward pitfall to avoid when choosing an ERP implementation partner who will serve you well. In a nutshell, if the ERP partner or partners you're evaluating are not responsive at this early stage, there is no reason to believe that they will be once you've inked your John Hancock on the dotted line of an implementation contract. Flee before that happens!
Quick Start Time
This is another easy sign that you're barking up the wrong tree. When you're ready to implement a new ERP software system, and you're speaking with several partners as you attempt to choose a good one, you likely ask the question: When will you be able to start the job? If the partner tells you that they can begin immediately, you should see that as a red flag. It means that they don't have a lot of work, and while there might be several reasons, none are good.
In Conclusion
We have now covered what we set out to do in this blog. We have delved into the "5 Signs that You're Choosing the Wrong Partner for Your ERP Implementation" in some detail. However, the flip side is:
Now read "5 Signs You're Choosing the Right Partner for Your ERP Implementation!"
About Us
Liberty Grove Software is a renowned Microsoft Partner specializing in sales, implementation, service, support, training, and upgrades of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central/NAV ERP solutions.
For more than 25 years, we have helped hundreds of small to mid-sized customers as well as Microsoft ERP Partners implement, train, customize, and upgrade their Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions.
We are one of only a handful of Microsoft-recognized Business Central/NAV Upgrade Service Centers in the world. With hundreds of successful Business Central/NAV implementations and upgrades completed, you've come to the right place if you're looking for the right-sized partner to execute your ERP software implementation.
Take the next step…
Contact Liberty Grove Software by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com.
*Active listening is the practice of preparing to listen, observing what verbal and non-verbal messages are being sent, and then providing appropriate feedback for the sake of showing attentiveness to the message being presented.
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Food & Beverage: How to Choose the "Right" ERP Implementation Partner
Before there was Food & Beverage ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, there was plain old accounting software that was used only by the CFO and other members of the accounting team, such as AP (Accounts Payable) clerks and AR (Accounts Receivable) clerks. And this accounting software was not integrated into any other programs that a company might have been running.
Great Plains Software, introduced in 1983, was one of the first – if not THE first – accounting software programs on the market. It was a vast improvement over the old-fashioned ledgers that accountants had used before that. It was one of the most popular – if not THE most popular – accounting software systems.
But it didn’t take long for innovators like Microsoft to realize the potential that computers had to offer. In 2001 Microsoft purchased Great Plains Software for $1.1 million! And it didn’t take much longer for Microsoft to turn the relatively simple Great Plains accounting software into a more comprehensive integrated ERP solution called Microsoft Dynamics GP, which is still a very popular, albeit on-premises, solution.
Along Came the Cloud
Then, along came the cloud, and that is where most ERP software systems now reside. In addition to fully functional financial management, today’s ERP systems, like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, include incredible functionality for manufacturers, distributors, and field service companies.
And yet…
With all of those great features and all of that great functionality, these programs still do not address the highly unique needs of companies in the Food & Beverage Industry. Outside the Food & Beverage sector, companies do not have to deal with catch weights, ingredient labeling, recipe changes, changing customer tastes, proper refrigeration, or spoilage. Or the FDA!
Thank Heaven for DynamicsFoodERP!
Finally! An ERP software solution that is purpose-built for the Food & Beverage Industry. Finally! A single unified solution for the unique needs of the Food & Beverage Industry. It is ever so aptly known as DynamicsFoodERP. And if your company is in the Food & Beverage sector, DynamicsFoodERP is the solution you have been waiting for.
Just think about it. When you’re managing products with a limited shelf life, it is critical to have software that can:
- Manage expiration dates
- Control picking dates
- Implement an agile production schedule
- Trace all products
- Where products were produced
- When products were produced
- By whom products were produced
- Comply with ever-changing regulations
- Enforce quality control
- Manage containers
- Manage catch-weights
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (pun intended). There’s just so much more to tell you about the power of DynamicsFoodERP, the problems it solves for you, how it works, ease of use, and peace of mind. Here are a few links to articles where you can read more:
Food & Beverage: How to Choose the “Right” ERP Implementation Partner - Liberty Grove Software
Why Is BI (Business Intelligence) Critical for Your Food Industry Business? - Liberty Grove Software
OR… Just contact Liberty Grove Software by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com.
Let’s look at it this way. When it comes to implementing, maintaining, and supporting your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, there are good partners, better partners, and the best ever partners.
Now let’s say that your company is in the Food & Beverage industry. Any good partner can handle a basic, vanilla ERP software implementation. But that’s not you. Your requirements are far from vanilla.
A better partner might have a superficial understanding of the Food & Beverage industry. And maybe that could be enough for you. Or maybe not.
The best-ever partner will have an in-depth understanding of the Food & Beverage industry as well as the requisite credentials in ERP software implementation. In other words, the best ever partner for you will have depth and breadth in both your industry and in ERP software.
Liberty Grove Software is the “right” ERP implementation partner for companies in the Food & Beverage sector because we have depth and breadth in both the Food and Beverage sector and ERP software implementations. Liberty Grove is the best ever partner for you.
What Exactly Does Liberty Grove Bring to the Table?
As a company in the Food & Beverage sector, you need a partner like Liberty Grove to survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape. In addition to the usual issues that Food & Beverage manufacturers and distributors face, we know, for example, that you are now dealing with staffing shortages and unprecedented supply chain disruptions.
Obviously, we do not have a silver bullet for your staffing issues. Nor can we claim to have a solution that will magically bring the current supply chain disruptions to an end. There are obstacles that are simply beyond our control and beyond yours, too. However, you can identify and stave off some of these disruptions with our software.
And here is what else we can do.
With our DyamicsFoodERP software solution, we can absolutely make sure that you have the very best technology and functionality available to operate smoothly and squeeze every penny of profit out of your operations. Because Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP powers DynamicsFoodERP. And, DynamicsFoodERP was purpose-made for the Food & Beverage industry.
And then, there’s the Liberty Grove team, with the experience that makes all the difference.
Working with the best technology available, we deliver a simplified, fully integrated Cloud ERP solution purpose-made to solve Food & Beverage industry challenges. With years of distribution and manufacturing experience, the Liberty Grove team has superior skills to ensure that your products get to your customers safely and securely while meeting complex supply chain requirements and complying with increasingly demanding regulatory requirements.
Liberty Grove Understands Your Challenges and DynamicsFoodERP Delivers the Best Results
Partners who don’t specialize in ERP systems for companies in the Food & Beverage industry do not and cannot grasp all the nuances required for an ERP solution that truly meets the customer’s needs. Liberty Grove does specialize in solutions for Food & Beverage enterprises, not just at a high level but also at the subsector level.
Here is just three examples, Food & Beverage industry subsector by subsector:
Confectionary/Snacks - To stay relevant, snack food manufacturers and confectioners must continually adapt to the changing taste of consumers. DynamicsFoodERP is agile, so you can adapt processes to produce what customers want to buy.
Meat & Poultry - The Meat & Poultry subsector must satisfy many different customers, each with its own needs for packaging, weight, and processes meat and poultry. DynamicsFoodERP enables you to meet those demands and comply with strict regulations for tracking and tracing.
Cheese & Dairy - The Cheese & Dairy subsector deals with variables such as the quantities of cheese decreasing during storage and rising prices as the cheese ages. DynamicsFoodERP from Liberty Grove provides real-time information so your sales team can sell and deliver what customers order.
Talk to the Food & Beverage Industry Experts at Liberty Grove
We are here to assist you as you weigh your options and search for the very best partner with Food & Beverage industry expertise. Just contact Liberty Grove Software. Call 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.
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Why Is BI (Business Intelligence) Critical for Your Food Industry Business?
We have started this blog with a question because we know you have questions about BI (Business Intelligence). And we’re going to continue with a few more questions that might help you understand the power of BI. Here goes…
Question #1: What is BI?
Answer: Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the procedural and technical infrastructure that collects, stores, and analyzes the data produced by a company’s activities.
Question #2: Why Is BI (Business Intelligence) Critical for Your Food Industry Business?
Answer: The simple answer is that BI takes your food industry business to the next level.
Question #3: How do modern BI tools, such as Microsoft Power BI take you to that next level?
Answer: BI will take your food industry business to the next level by parsing all the data generated by a business and presenting that data in easy-to-digest reports, performance measures, and trends that inform management decisions.
Question #4: What are the critical elements of a modern BI program?
Answer: Here’s the “short” list:
· Business planning
· Data mining
· Analysis
· Strategy
· Measurement
· Benchmarking
· Reporting
· Data management
· Data warehousing
· Process analysis
· Descriptive analytics
We could go on, but won’t because we have already given you a LOT to chew on, mull over, and formulate questions that we would be more than happy to answer. Contact us with your BI questions.
Questions are important because we live in the Information Age. But all of the information that bombards us through the IoT (Internet of Things), the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), sensors, and countless other sources, is only worthwhile if we can parse it and ultimately use it to our advantage in an organized way.
That’s what Microsoft Power BI does for us, along with the other tools that are incorporated in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform and integrated into your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP.
Let’s Take a Look at the Microsoft Power Platform
The Microsoft Power Platform is a toolset designed for non-technical business people to:
- build stunning dashboards
- create low-code apps
- set up relevant workflows
- allow chatbots to handle routine inquiries
- gain insights
- close financials faster
Incorporating BI into your ERP does not necessarily change how your organization functions. Instead, it will adapt to your current system and exponentially increases its output. By integrating the Microsoft Power Platform into your ERP, you are moving up to the next level where you can create a competitive edge by simplifying the way you work, saving time, and saving money.
Read more about the components of the Microsoft Power Platform, which are:
There are countless scenarios for every type of business where BI tools can provide much-needed insight. Companies in the Food & Beverage Industry are perhaps top among them. With 25 years of expertise in the Food & Beverage Industry, Liberty Grove Software is ideally positioned to help your food or beverage company reap the benefits of BI.
To find out more…
Request an Executive Briefing or Request a Private Demo or just contact Liberty Grove Software by calling us at 630-858-7388 or emailing us at nav@libertygrove.com.
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How Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Support the Food & Beverage Industry
As any Importer can tell you, supply chain issues have become an absolute nightmare. Soaring shipping costs. Skyrocketing land freight costs. Production delays. Shipment delays. Port congestion. Wasn’t it back in September when we heard the so-called industry analysts predicting that rates would start coming down toward the end of the year? And yet… here we are in May, and still, there has been no relief, nor is there any reliable relief on the horizon. Nothing you can take to the bank.
What Happens When Supply Chains are Broken?
Let’s say there is a Food & Beverage item being produced for you in Thailand. And let’s say it’s a product with a 6-month shelf life. And let’s say that the supplier bottled the product in mid-January with the expectation that it would go straight to their warehouse where it would be packaged immediately, loaded into a container, which would then travel overland to the port where it would be loaded onto a freighter, and shipped by the end of that month. It would then arrive six weeks later at a U.S. port, where it would be immediately unloaded. That container would then immediately travel overland to your U.S. warehouse, from where all your distributors’ orders would be promptly fulfilled. And there would still be four months of shelf life left.
That’s how it should work.
But the universe had other plans for your shipment, and those plans were not good. If even one of those dates were pushed out for reasons totally beyond the bottler’s control and totally beyond your control, a domino effect would kick in. There would be broken links in your supply chain. And if you were lucky, by the time you received that shipment, the product might still have two months of shelf life left before it would have to be destroyed, at a significant cost to you. Meanwhile, your distributors would be clamoring for product.
Causes of Broken Supply Chain Links
What could have happened to your supply chain, a chain that had been, at least 90% of the time, working perfectly well? Here are a few answers:
- The bottler in Thailand was forced to shut down due to the pandemic.
- The raw materials and ingredients arrived too late at the bottler.
- The packaging was delayed.
- The original overland freight date was pushed out because there weren’t enough drivers.
- The truck with your container couldn’t be unloaded at the port because there weren’t enough dock workers.
- The freighter sat outside the port for weeks because there weren’t enough dock workers.
Broken Supply Chain Links Cost Money!
Any single one of the above would already spell a disaster, and the cost to you would be enormous. But if there were more than one delay at more than one point on your supply, it would likely be impossible for you to raise your prices enough to cover those costs. In many cases, we are seeing:
- Overland rates up 20%
- Overseas rates are up 300%, and that’s not an exaggeration!
- Raw material costs up to 10%
- Warehouse rates up another 5%
You would be lucky if you could break even. But you’re not in business to break even, are you? You’re in business to make a profit. But because of all those issues that are beyond your control, you’re faced with some tough decisions. You could:
- Raise your prices and potentially lose customers
- Don’t raise your prices and potentially break even
- Don’t raise your prices and potentially show a loss for the year
- Wait it out in the hope that these supply chain issues will be resolved before it’s too late
- Deplete the equity in your company to cover some of those losses
- Diversify your product lines in the hope that with more products to sell, the higher volume will cover some of your losses
You’re between a rock and a hard place. Your only solace is the knowledge that…
Your Competitors Are in the Same Boat (pun intended)
What can you do to get into a better boat? You can’t change the forces that are beyond your control. But you can improve the outlook for your business by lowering your internal costs and transitioning to a cost-effective cloud-based ERP software system that streamlines your operations, increases productivity, and monitors your supply chain every step of the way.
That cloud-based ERP software solution is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Business Central is the perfect solution for manufacturers, distributors, and companies in the Food & Beverage sector, industries where Liberty Grove Software has decades of experience that we bring to bear for your success in good times and in troubled times.
Take the next step toward connecting your supply chains…
Contact Liberty Grove Software by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com.
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The Top Key Benefits to Migrating Your ERP to the Cloud
I would like to think that I could tell you absolutely everything you need to know about an upgrade for your on-premise ERP. But that might be unrealistic. It’s kind of like “everything bagels,” which could be made with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes, garlic flakes, sunflower seeds, caraway seeds, pretzel salt, and black pepper, but more often are topped with only a few of these items. Yet, they are still called “everything bagels.”
In our quest to tell you everything. Let’s start with…
What You Need to Know About Your Microsoft Dynamics NAV On-premises ERP Upgrade Options
Here’s some of the background that you need to know.
- On April 2, 2018, Microsoft announced that Dynamics NAV is now Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- In effect, this meant that Dynamics NAV 2018 would be the last NAV release. And it was.
- Mainstream support for NAV 2018 will end on January 10, 2023. Only eight months away!
- Extended support for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 will end on January 11, 2028.
- Microsoft also announced that sales of NAV 2018 would end on April 1, 2019. And it did.
You could logically conclude that you have already lost Microsoft mainstream support if you are currently running any Dynamics NAV version earlier than 2018. And you would be right.
However… Liberty Grove Software Still Supports ALL Versions of NAV
In fact, we are your headquarters for both Microsoft Dynamics NAV support and Microsoft Dynamics NAV upgrades. With decades of hands-on experience, we have provided hundreds of NAV customers, like you, with the support they need to continue to run their businesses flawlessly, on any NAV version, with the fantastic, incredible, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Liberty Grove team by your side.
In short, we are dedicated to the idea that choosing to remain on NAV should be your prerogative. Therefore… Upgrade Option #1 = Do not upgrade
Upgrade Option #2 = Upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premise
It’s a bit of a best-kept secret. Most people think of Business Central is a cloud ERP solution. However, Business Central is also available on-premise. This may sound rather obvious, but it’s worth noting that the on-premise version of Business Central is the exact same software as the cloud version, except that it isn’t hosted in the cloud.
(Rumor has it that Microsoft intended Business Central to be a cloud solution only but then yielded to the hue and cry for an on-premises version.)
Whether you choose the on-premise or the cloud version of Business Central, as a former NAV user, you are in an exceptionally strong position for upgrading to and adapting to Business Central because Business Central was actually built on a NAV foundation.
Upgrade Option #3 = Upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in the Cloud
As long as you’re upgrading, this might be the moment to think about moving your ERP to the cloud, where everything is hassle-free – automatic updates, patches, and the like. No more on-premise server room to maintain. No more “forklift upgrade.” World-class Microsoft security and threat protection. The freedom to work from anywhere, anytime, on any device. Affordable, predictable costs and no upfront hardware costs.
Plus, all the benefits of Business Central, such as:
- Innovative role-based workspaces for efficiency
- Real-time data for up-to-the-minute insights
- Data-driven decisions with BI (Business Intelligence) dashboards and reports
- Easily extend Business Central for unique and specific industry requirements
- Accelerated sales process so you can deliver on promises
- Integrated Supply Chain Management (SCM) so your customers get everything they ordered when and where needed
- Warehouse Management (WMS) so you know what you can sell and deliver
- Manufacturing features and functionality so you can produce what is needed
- Shop floor routing
- BOMs that can be deeper than the deep blue sea
- Flexible Inventory Management (IM)
Who could ask for anything more?
What ERP Upgrade Right for You?
We are here to assist you as you weigh your options. Just contact Liberty Grove Software.
Call 630-858-7388 or email us at nav@libertygrove.com.
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The Top Key Benefits to Migrating Your ERP to the Cloud
You can’t escape it. The unprecedented amount of data bombards you day and night, day in and day out. It’s a never-ending stream. Before establishing a practical shop floor data collection system, you must determine what data is essential for your business and what data is unimportant, merely a distraction.
Whether it’s data generated internally, data manually entered into your system, data from sensors, or data from the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), take a breath and decide what to keep and what to discard. Only then can you set up a shop floor data collection system that makes sense. Only then will your data collection system become practical.
The Benefits of a Practical Shop Floor Data Collection System: Your Data Tells a Story!
A practical shop floor data collection program will digitally transform your factory, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that will improve productivity based on real-time information, machine monitoring, and benchmark analysis.
You will gain real-time visibility with apps that collect data from the people, machines, and sensors throughout your operations. You will be able to optimize production by identifying and solving bottlenecks in real-time.
You will be able to calculate cycle time and first-pass yield data for a complete picture of your operation’s productivity. You will be able to minimize downtime by properly balancing work across stations.
You will uncover opportunities to improve operations along your production line. You will be able to build triggers and time-saving workflows by incorporating events and measurements recorded by devices and sensors. You will have the traceability you need for accountability.
You will be able to resolve issues and be proactive based on data, not guesswork.
Say Good-Bye to Manual Tracking
At Liberty Grove Software, the solution we recommend and offer our manufacturing clients is Shop Floor Insight, a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) add-on for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that significantly reduces the labor costs and errors associated with manual data entry. Shop Floor Insight allows employees to use barcode scanners or touch screens to speed up shop data input for time, material, quality, etc.
The numerous benefits of a shop floor data collection system include, but are by no means limited to, the following twelve:
- Eliminate manual time entry with barcode scanning for Production Orders, Jobs, Service Orders, and Fixed Assets
- Capture operational data on the shop floor, including consumption, output, scrap, and quality
- Record and report on non-productive and rework time for better insight into lost productivity
- Record time and attendance based on employee shifts with exception reporting
- Quickly approve time with exception-based supervisor approvals
- Automatically calculate overtime and shift differentials for integration with payroll systems
- Streamline shop floor data capture
- Enhance data capture and management
- Significantly reduce rework
- Analyze job progression and costing
- Maintain a detailed production history
- Immediate notification to supervisors/chain of command
Shop Floor Insight ROI (Return on Investment)
Shop Floor Insight pays for itself in as little as three months. By automating your shop floor data collection, you will increase data accuracy, reduce unnecessary overhead costs, and improve the efficiency of your staff by enabling them to focus on value-added tasks to drive business performance.
The Shop Floor Insight ROI calculator will help you estimate the key financial benefits of the solution:
- How much overhead time can be saved by automating your shop floor data collection
- Savings gained from increased quality
- The increase in sales driven by improved efficiency and quality
- The payback period for Shop Floor Insight
Take the next steps…
Contact Liberty Grove Software by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com.
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The Top Key Benefits to Migrating Your ERP to the Cloud
Every industry has unique needs. But it’s perhaps not hard to imagine that companies in the Food & Beverage Industry might have more unique requirements than most other enterprises. Food & Beverage companies grapple with issues ranging from transportation logistics to FDA compliance, from expiration dates to recalls, supply chain disruptions to price changes, and lots of competition.
The team at understands the stress these companies are under. We know because our clients are Food & Beverage companies, and we’ve been serving their technology needs for decades.
We understand that companies in the Food & Beverage Industry need all the help they can get to survive and thrive. That’s why we want to tell you all about…
How Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Supports the Food & Beverage Industry
We offer one unified solution that meets all the unique needs of the Food & Beverage Industry. DynamicsFoodERP from Liberty Grove allows small to medium Food & Beverage distributors and manufacturers to stay ahead of rapidly changing regulations, identify and head off potential supply chain disruptions, and much more. Powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud ERP’s rock-solid technology, Food & Beverage companies can simplify operations to compete better.
With DynamicsFoodERP, you will be able to make better business decisions, work on the go securely, and close financials faster. You will reap the benefits of modern Microsoft technology that frees your organization from outdated software. And you will have real-time data about your operations so you can proactively adjust to the digital road ahead and stay ahead of the competition.
Here are just a few of the highlights:
- Freedom to work from anywhere, anytime, on any device
- Deployment in the cloud or on-premise
- Role-based workspaces that create efficiencies
- Real-time data for up-to-the-minute business insights
- BI (Business Intelligence) dashboards and reports
- Easily adaptable to industry requirements
- Intelligent automation to streamline business processes
- Accelerated sales process
- Warehouse management so you know exactly what you can sell and deliver
- Integrated Supply Chain Management (SCM) that mitigates the risks associated with supply chain disruptions
- Enhance manufacturing capabilities
One solution. One provider. Peace of mind.
All you need to do is to take the next step. Contact by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com.
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The Very Best ERP for Food Glorious Food!
Does your business grow with your ERP, or does your ERP extend with your business? It’s very much a “chicken and egg” problem. In the final analysis, it probably doesn’t matter. Chickens and eggs exist simultaneously on the farm. And it’s most likely that business growth and the expansion of your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system simply go hand in hand.
If you are planning to expand your business, it would be most prudent for you to make sure your current ERP system will be able to handle the increased load. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV are highly flexible, elastic, and configurable. So, it always stands ready to expand. It is, for example, effortless to add new users to the system as needed.
Beyond that, there is a multitude of add-ons available for Business Central and NAV that have been purpose-built by ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) to integrate with your Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics NAV ERP. As you plan ahead for growth, talk to the team at so that we can identify any new integrations that would support your company’s growth.
Let’s look at several examples.
Transportation Management
As you plan for growth, you may realize that the way it was handled until now will not be ideal for the expansion you’re predicting. You will need more transportation management automation. That’s why we partner with Dynamics TMS, a modern, advanced transportation management solution that can be fully integrated with Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Business Central.
Payables and Receivables
Even something as basic as AP (Accounts Payable) and AR (Accounts Receivable) can be streamlined to meet your growing needs better. That’s why we partner with Continia, an ISV that provides innovative solutions for AP and AR, including expense management, AP matching, approval workflows, and document management.
Business Process Solutions
Expansion often triggers the need for rethinking and streamlining your business processes. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Anveo. Anveo has created enhancements to Dynamics for mobile apps, web portals, Power Apps, and EDI. They are experts in business process solutions that integrate into NAV and Business Central.
There are more than a dozen ISVs that Liberty Grove works with on a regular basis. All of them have been vetted by Microsoft and by us. We have long and trusted relationships with these ISVs. We know the quality of their work.
For new Business Central implementations, we can recommend and implement the best ISV solutions to meet your requirements perfectly.
For existing NAV customers who are currently using add-on solutions in their legacy version of Microsoft Dynamics and who want to upgrade to Business Central, we offer skilled resources with the know-how to bring these applications forward successfully.
For other VARS (Value Added Resellers) looking for extra resources to implement or support ISV solutions, Liberty Grove can provide the additional assistance needed.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform
In addition to ISV solutions that extend and enhance your Microsoft Dynamics ERP, there is another set of tools that can make a huge difference in your ability to grow your business. The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform is a toolset that enables non-technical business people to build stunning dashboards, create low code apps, set up relevant workflows, and allow chatbots to handle routine inquiries. The Power Platform includes:
- Power BI for uncovering insights and spotting trends in time to react quickly
- Power Apps for low code/no-code solutions that enable you to create apps that simplify the way you work
- Power Automate is critical for your ultimatedigital transformation. Power Automate can add robotic processes to replace mundane, repetitive tasks. Just set it and forget it.
- Power Virtual Agents allow you to build chatbots that are on the job 24/7. Chatbots will interface with your customers or your employees, answering repetitive questions and handing them off to human agents when appropriate.
Does it sound like science fiction? It is not. And the Liberty Grove team is available to support your Power Platform adventures as needed.
Ready to grow? Take the next step…
Contact by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com.
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The Top Key Benefits to Migrating Your ERP to the Cloud
From April 3rd to April 6th, hundreds of top Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partners, including , will converge on the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida, for the annual Directions North America conference. It’s an event driven by Partners for Partners. And it is designed to help organizations like Liberty Grove better serve clients like you by building new business contacts, sharing best practices, and discovering valuable tools for execution and success.
We participate every year with those goals in mind. We share our expertise with the other attendees. We always come away with great ideas for continuing to serve our clients with the newest and best tools that Microsoft offers, built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
By the time it’s over, we will have attended scores of sessions presented by Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ISVs (Independent Software Vendors), and other Business Central partners. We will also have presided over two sessions ourselves.
Liberty Grove brings decades of expertise to the table, and we’re honored to have been chosen to present two sessions at Microsoft Directions this year. The descriptions are below:
Directions Session #1: Extending BC to the Plant Floor - Our Experience with PowerApps (Andrew Good)
Learn from our experiences with shop floor data collection. Our clients have leveraged handhelds and shop floor PCs to capture and validate data in real-time. See how simple Apps can answer questions on the fly.
Directions Session #2: How to Architect your Data for Powerful Business Intelligence (Brad Hearn)
Business Central’s data architecture is built for the purpose of daily operational business support. You can plug Power BI into your Business Central table(s) for basic reporting. But if your system has years of operational data, architecting the data for analysis and reporting will make your Analysts much happier and enable more powerful insights into your information.
The Presentation will explain the concepts and design of a Star Schema database for analysis and reporting. You will learn about Fact tables to hold your essential measures and the associated Dimension tables to allow you to slice and dice your data quickly.
See you soon in Orlando!
You can contact by calling 630-858-7388 or emailing nav@libertygrove.com.
