You’re running a manufacturing operation. Production schedules change hourly. Material shortages pop up without warning. The board wants real-time data you can’t provide.
Sound familiar?
Most manufacturing managers juggle multiple systems. Your ERP handles finance. A separate tool tracks production. Spreadsheets fill the gaps. The result? You spend more time chasing information than acting on it.
Business Central changes this.
What Business Central Brings to Manufacturing
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central connects your entire operation in one platform. Production planning sits alongside inventory management, quality control, and financial reporting.
You get complete visibility. From raw materials arriving at your dock to finished goods shipping to customers.
Key capabilities include:
- Production order management
- Bill of materials tracking
- Capacity planning
- Shop floor control
- Quality assurance workflows
- Real-time inventory levels
- Cost tracking by job or batch
Shop Floor Visibility You Can Actually Use
Walk onto your shop floor right now. Can you instantly see which orders are running behind? Which machines need maintenance? Where bottlenecks are forming?
Business Central puts this data at your fingertips.
The system tracks work in progress across all production lines. You see actual output versus planned output. Machine utilisation rates. Labour hours by order. Material consumption in real time.
Your team can update job status from tablets on the floor. No paperwork delays. No data entry backlogs.
When a machine breaks down at 2pm, the system automatically adjusts downstream schedules. You spot the impact before it becomes a crisis.
Connecting Production to the Rest of Your Business
Your production decisions affect everything. Sales promises depend on your capacity. Purchasing needs your material forecasts. Finance needs accurate cost data for pricing.
Business Central links these functions.
Create a sales order and the system checks your production capacity automatically. It flags potential delays before you confirm the delivery date.
Material requirements planning runs against your production schedule. Purchase orders generate based on actual needs, not guesswork.
Job costing happens in real time. You know if an order is profitable before it leaves your facility.
The Data Your Leadership Team Actually Wants
Board meetings change when you have Business Central.
They ask about gross margins by product line. You pull the report in seconds.
They want to know utilisation rates for your new equipment. The dashboard already shows it.
They question a variance in material costs. You drill down to specific purchase orders and production batches.
Standard reports include:
- Production performance metrics
- Capacity analysis
- Cost variance reports
- Quality control statistics
- Inventory turnover rates
- On-time delivery percentages
You spend meetings discussing strategy instead of explaining why you don’t have the numbers.
Real Impact on Daily Operations
Consider material shortages. In a disconnected system, you might not know until production stops.
Business Central flags potential shortages days in advance. The purchasing team sees the alert. They can expedite orders or identify alternatives before the line goes down.
Quality issues work the same way. Log a defect and the system traces back to the specific batch, supplier, and production run. You contain the problem fast.
Getting Your Team On Board
New systems scare people. Your production supervisors have run things their way for years.
Business Central doesn’t require them to abandon what works. The system adapts to your processes, not the other way around.
Start small. Pick one production line or product family. Get it running smoothly. Let your team see the benefits.
They’ll appreciate spending less time on paperwork. More time solving actual problems.
Integration with What You Already Use
You probably have systems you want to keep. CAD software. Quality management tools. Warehouse automation.
Business Central connects to them through standard APIs. Your investment in existing technology doesn’t disappear.
Many manufacturers link Business Central to:
- MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems)
- PLM (Product Lifecycle Management)
- SCADA systems
- Third-party quality tools
- Logistics platforms
The data flows both ways. Updates in one system reflect across all platforms.
Planning Your Implementation
How long does this take? Smaller manufacturers can go live in 3-4 months. Complex operations might need 6-9 months.
The timeline depends on your current state. Clean data? Documented processes? You’ll move faster.
Messy spreadsheets and tribal knowledge? Expect more prep work.
Key steps include:
- Map your current processes
- Clean your master data
- Configure the system
- Test with real production scenarios
- Train your team
- Run parallel for a period
- Go live
Don’t try to revolutionise everything at once. Focus on getting core functions right first.
What Success Looks Like
Six months after going live, you should see measurable changes.
Production schedules you can trust. Fewer expedited orders. Better on-time delivery rates.
Your team spends less time searching for information. More time improving processes.
Leadership meetings focus on growth opportunities instead of explaining what went wrong last month.
Is Business Central perfect? No system is. But it gives you the foundation to run your manufacturing operation like the modern business it needs to be.
Your competitors are already making this move. Can you afford to fall behind?
Final Thoughts
The gap between your shop floor and your boardroom costs you money every day.
Production data sits in one place. Financial reports in another. Your team wastes hours reconciling the two. Decisions get delayed because you can’t trust the numbers.
Business Central closes that gap.
You get one system. One source of truth. One place where production realities meet financial planning.
The question isn’t whether you need better visibility. You already know you do. The question is how much longer you’ll operate without it.
Every day you wait, your competitors get further ahead. They’re quoting faster. Delivering on time. Managing costs tighter.
Your manufacturing operation deserves better than disconnected spreadsheets and gut feeling decisions.
Business Central gives you the tools to compete. The rest is up to you.
Ready to see what complete visibility looks like? Get in touch with Tecvia to discuss how Business Central can transform your manufacturing operation.
FAQs
How much does Business Central cost for a manufacturing company?
Pricing depends on your user count and required modules. Most manufacturing implementations start around £50-70 per user per month for essential licenses. You’ll also need to budget for implementation costs, which vary based on complexity. Tecvia can provide a detailed quote based on your specific needs.
Can Business Central handle make-to-order and make-to-stock production?
Yes. The system supports both production methods within the same environment. You can run make-to-order for custom products and make-to-stock for standard items. The planning engine adjusts automatically based on how you configure each product.
Most likely. Business Central integrates with standard manufacturing equipment through APIs and IoT connections. If you’re running specialised machinery or legacy systems, custom integration work might be needed. The platform is built to connect, not replace, your existing hardware investments.
How long before our team becomes comfortable using the system?
Basic functions take most users 2-3 weeks to grasp. Full proficiency develops over 2-3 months. The interface follows Microsoft’s design language, so if your team uses Office 365, the learning curve is gentler. Proper training and support during rollout make a big difference.
What happens to our historical production data?
You can migrate historical data during implementation. Most companies bring over 12-24 months of production history, bills of materials, and routing information. Older data can stay in your legacy system for reference. The migration approach depends on your data quality and reporting needs.
Do we need to shut down production during implementation?
No. Most manufacturers run their old system and Business Central in parallel for 2-4 weeks. You test the new system with real production orders while keeping your existing operation running. Cutover typically happens during a planned downtime or slower production period.
Can we access Business Central from mobile devices on the shop floor?
Yes. Business Central has mobile apps for iOS and Android. Your team can update production status, record time, report issues, and check inventory from tablets or phones. The mobile interface is designed for quick data entry in manufacturing environments.
What kind of ongoing support will we need?
Expect questions during the first few months as your team learns the system. After that, most manufacturers need support for system updates, new user training, and occasional process changes. Tecvia offers support packages tailored to your requirements.
How does Business Central handle quality control and compliance tracking?
The system includes quality management features for inspections, testing, and certification tracking. You can set up quality checks at different production stages, record test results, and maintain compliance documentation. For highly regulated industries, you might need additional modules or integrations.
Can Business Central grow with our business?
Yes. The platform scales from small manufacturers to large multi-site operations. You can add users, modules, and functionality as you grow. Cloud deployment means you’re not limited by server capacity. Many companies start with basic manufacturing features and expand over time.
