If you are looking for new Corporate ERP for the business, where Supply Chain Management processes automation is required, we would like to give you the highlights on Microsoft Dynamics GP, formerly popular under Great Plains Dynamics name.
Besides standard Financial set of modules,
such as General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Dynamics GP also has Distribution set with such important in Logistics modules as Sales Order Processing, Purchase Order Processing, Inventory Control. SCM is very broad in its possible scope of the expected functionality, so, let’s try to review the most popular aspects, related to Great Plains:
1. Warehouse Management System. Majority of popular self-contained WMS vendors have integration or connectors to move transactions to Dynamics GP SOP, POP and Inventory modules. On the other hand there are GP WMS add-ons, working directly out of SOP, POP and Inventory tables in Great Plains. You should do your homework to decide which route to take in selecting either external WMS and work all the way of its implementation, or simply add Warehouse Management extension for GP. We rather favor the second approach with extension, as you really save on all types of integrations (where you may face unexpected over budget consulting time). Warehouse Management System naturally opens Sales Order Processing Invoice for Barcode scanning (WMS order fulfillment), POP Purchase Receipt (WMS Inventory Replenishment) and Inventory Adjustment and Transfer (Warehouse Management Merchandize cycle count and move from one warehouse to another). Ideally your Warehouse Management System should automatically schedule for fulfillment the orders received via B2B ecommerce shopping cart channel, as well as Sales Orders and Purchase Orders, originated through Electronic Document Interchange (EDI)
2. SCM Manufacturing on Order or Picking and Packing. We recommend you to review two options. First one is Inventory Kit item, where you can specify all your components and via barcode scanning on the warehouse floor you can pick and pack the whole kit (good example would be assembling on order bicycle). If you think that kit is too primitive and you would like to have more attributes of Manufacturing, consider Bill of Materials module, where you can implement more sophisticated assembly on order. In BOM case you probably have more control in industry compliance, where you may need to proof the serial and lot number of the components in final assembly. And of course if you have really complex production requirements, you can implement Dynamics GP Manufacturing Suite of modules, where such advanced discrete manufacturing features as Capacity Planning, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing Order are available
3. SCM Delivery on Time. If you deliver merchandize to your franchisees, you might be in the situation to be required to respect their preferred truck delivery time frames. Alba Spectrum offers the solution, which is also ready for modifications, as the requirements might be very diversified
4. Supply Chain Management Custom Programming. If you are large organization or publicly traded corporation, you may expect certain level of modifications, requiring coding n such programming tools as Microsoft Dexterity, VBA/Modifier, eConnect, SQL stored procedures, Extender, Integration Manager with VBA event handling scripts
5. SCM and EDI. Electronic Document Interchange sometimes is considered as something very complex, where you have to purchase EDI integration tool, supporting all the EDI protocols and media (ftp, http post, email, and other EDI file interchange channels). Real life might be more simple, where you only have one EDI file standard and only one channel (typically ftp). If you recognize the case, we are happy to program EDI export file for you in SQL precise Select statement
6. Great Plains Logistics and Supply Chain Management implementation and support for older versions. We would like to stand out and make step to you in order to help you with archaic Great Plains Dynamics versions, especially in the situation, where you have no upgrade budget. However, if you are profit generating enterprise, we recommend you to consider the fact that older version is typically locked down to be deployed on older version of Windows Server (usually 32 bit version, it is hard to find this one in the Computer retail stores), older and no longer supported Microsoft SQL Server (2000, 7.0, 6.5), Pervasive SQL 2000/Btrieve or Ctree. As logistics and Supply Chain Management is not something available at five hundred dollars budget, it is probably wise to upgrade to current version Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010/11.0 or if you prefer to be a bit conservative (to avoid participating in “beta testing” – until couple of service packs are released) to version 10.0
1. How to get additional info or request Dynamics GP Logistics presentation. Please call us 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com We are available to serve you USA, Canada nationwide, and internationally. Local service in Chicago, Southern California, Western Michigan, Houston, TX
