Case Studies

The Challenge

Despite a solid foundation, CASAS faced challenges due to aging technology. The company’s existing Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) were outdated and covered only about 50% of their operational needs.

Frequent system failures and the need for regular reboots hampered efficiency, and there were multiple functional gaps that prevented the company from operating at its full potential—and would eventually get in the way of growth and other goals, like expanding into new areas like freight-forwarding and 4PL.

"When we look at markets like 4PL and 3PL, they're much bigger than just customs brokerage plus the logistics that goes along with it. We'd like to be in those markets," said John Sage, Director of IT at CASAS. "Also, we believe that not only can we expand the volume of what we handle, but we can also attract more business by being very efficient at the docks.“

Another challenge CASAS needed to address was the fact that their legacy systems were highly customized, which made updates nearly impossible and forced manual, paper-based workarounds. This and the inability to integrate with other key systems created a disconnect between different areas of operation, requiring operators to switch between systems when handling various types of receipts and shipments.

To overcome these challenges and support its expansion goals, CASAS needed a robust warehouse management solution that was designed specifically for logistics service providers. The company was running Dynamics 365 Business Central for accounting and ERP but could not use the product’s WMS functionality.

The key requirements for this new solution included:

Technology Integration: Ideally, the solution would be embedded within Dynamics 365 Business Central or be tightly integrated, ensuring seamless operations across functional areas.

Support for Expansion: The system needed to support freight-forwarding, 4PL, and 3PL operations as CASAS aimed to grow its service offerings.

Logistics-Focused Design: The solution needed to recognize inventory as customer-owned rather than CASAS-owned, ensuring proper financial reporting.

Comprehensive Billing: Every touch and every transaction needs to be captured and billed, reflecting the true cost of operations.

Advanced Capabilities: The solution had to facilitate multiple types of cross-docking and be aware of US Customs regulations, enabling fully automated billing and reporting.

Security was also very important for CASAS. The company is under an enhanced compliance framework from US customs called Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT), which essentially means they must ensure there are no guns, money, or drugs in the shipments that go through their warehouse. This requires significant physical security, surveillance, and cybersecurity. John and his team launched a “deep dive” discovery process in the warehouse, talking first to forklift operators and then working their way up from there, documenting every warehouse workflow. From that, he and his team developed a matrix of 126 requirements, features, pain points, and functional gaps and used it to drive their selection process.

The Solution

CASAS began its search by evaluating 18 potential WMS solutions. These solutions were assessed based on their ability to meet the specific needs of a logistics service provider and their compatibility with Dynamics. After a rigorous evaluation process, the list was narrowed down to six finalists.

Each of these finalists was tested against the 126-point selection matrix to ensure they met the comprehensive requirements laid out by CASAS. Ultimately, only Boltrics’ 3PL Dynamics, a solution built on the Business Central platform, fully satisfied CASAS’ needs. 3PL Dynamics offered a range of essential features, including inventory management, real-time tracking, comprehensive invoicing, and additional modules for ocean freight, air freight, and EDI integration.

The Boltrics/Business Central combination also met CASAS’ security requirements. “We not only meet but exceed the CTPAT standards, which on the Microsoft side, means a zero-trust environment,” said John. “Boltrics and Business Central fit perfectly into that environment.“

To ensure successful deployment and ongoing support, Boltrics recommended ArcherPoint, a Dynamics partner, to implement the solution. CASAS selected ArcherPoint based on that recommendation, along with their extensive experience with Business Central and the Microsoft platform, a deep understanding of the logistics industry, and an excellent reputation with customers.

3PL Dynamics was initially deployed as a pilot project in Boltric's Europe Azure environment. ArcherPoint assisted in the migration of this pilot into CASAS' Azure US tenant, integrating it with the existing Business Central environment. This migration was key to ensuring that CASAS could integrate efficiently with the solutions and security in their Azure environment while maintaining the benefits of 3PL Dynamics.

The Results

Since the deployment of the new WMS solution, CASAS has seen significant improvements in operational efficiency. The system has streamlined processes, particularly in warehouse management and inventory tracking, and has provided CASAS’ customers with live visibility into their inventory through a dedicated portal.

The new system is supporting CASAS’ growth, with the company projecting 30% growth in revenue as a result of their modernization efforts. According to John, CASAS has been “very impressed” with ArcherPoint’s performance—so much so that they signed on for a 3PL Dynamics support plan.

What's Next

Looking ahead, CASAS plans to continue taking stock of their logistics operations to identify other opportunities for improvement. For example, John and the warehouse team are currently looking into the yard and transportation management modules, but they will focus first on dock automation. Currently, the loading and unloading processes are time-consuming for the drivers and resource-consuming for the warehouse staff.

“3PL Dynamics will enable us to streamline our loading dock process. The entire workflow will be handled at the back of the truck, allowing faster turnaround at the dock”. All this will further enhance operational capabilities and support CASAS’ long-term vision of expanding into new and larger markets, building on the solid foundation laid by the new technology infrastructure.

Learn More

Learn more about CASAS International Brokerage