Excessive inventory, unexpected shortages, lack of space, wasted space…the challenges of managing a warehouse are aplenty. There are so many moving parts involved in managing a warehouse, the only way to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and productivity, is through automation. A warehouse management system (WMS) allows you to automate and avoid the more common warehouse management… Continue reading Automate to Avoid Common Warehouse Management Problems
Category: Manufacturing
Why Manufacturing Companies Need ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, despite its name, is not just for enterprise-sized companies. Almost all businesses, regardless of size, can benefit from an ERP solution. This is true for manufacturing companies in particular as an ERP can be the competitive edge in an increasingly competitive industry. Many ERP systems enable manufacturing companies to share… Continue reading Why Manufacturing Companies Need ERP
New and Changed Item Setups for MRP Planning in Dynamics NAV 2013
The MRP planning functionality beginning with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 has some changes from the previous versions of NAV to be aware of when setting up items for MRP planning. If we look at the Planning Tab of an Item Card, we can see the following new fields: Dampener Period Dampener Quantity Lot Accumulation Period… Continue reading New and Changed Item Setups for MRP Planning in Dynamics NAV 2013
A Brief Definition of Time in Microsoft Dynamics NAV Manufacturing
In order to set up Routings in Dynamics NAV and understand their Cost Accounting effects, one needs to know how time is defined. In a Routing there are ‘Value Added Times’ and times just for scheduling purposes. Value Added Times Setup Time – The time to set up a machine or to get ready to… Continue reading A Brief Definition of Time in Microsoft Dynamics NAV Manufacturing
Item Substitutions in Microsoft Dynamics NAV
There are times in a manufacturing company where substitute items that are not on the Bill of Material are OK to use if the preferred item is not available. Often this substitution has to be approved by an engineer and is usually in the form of a ‘Usage Variance’. If substitutions are a common event,… Continue reading Item Substitutions in Microsoft Dynamics NAV
What IoT Means for Manufacturers
Internet of Things (IoT) as an industry is projected to grow from 5 billion devices installed in 2015 to 24 billion in 2020. By the end of 2017, 76% of manufacturers will be involved in the industry growth and foresee launching industrial IoT applications and use of smart devices. IoT can be a huge game… Continue reading What IoT Means for Manufacturers
Manufacturing Process Software
Negative Consumption to Account for By-Product Production It is quite common in Process Manufacturing for a By-Product to be produced at the same time the primary product is produced. A good way to handle that in Dynamics NAV is to set up an item for the By-Product and give it a costing method of Standard.… Continue reading Manufacturing Process Software
Understanding the Order Reordering Policy in Microsoft Dynamics NAV
We are given the following choices for Item Reordering Policy in Dynamics NAV. The choice affects how the Planning Worksheet (MRP) plans for replenishment of the item. Blank Fixed Order Quantity Maximum Quantity Order Lot-for-Lot Figure 1 – List of choices defining how the Planning Worksheet (MRP) plans for replenishment of an item If we… Continue reading Understanding the Order Reordering Policy in Microsoft Dynamics NAV
Microsoft Dynamics NAV Manufacturing Balance Sheets
We frequently encounter clients with an unexpected Manufacturing WIP Balance. In some cases, the WIP balance is below zero. In the screen shot below, we can see that the WIP account has a negative balance, which in the real world we know cannot be true. Figure 1 – WIP account shows a negative balance, reflecting… Continue reading Microsoft Dynamics NAV Manufacturing Balance Sheets
The Cost of Legacy Systems or “If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It”
As the technologically based world of today becomes increasingly more invested in IT, manufacturers’ costs in this area continue to rise. One of the largest segments of this investment is the cost of maintaining legacy systems. For those manufacturers who have not yet made the transition to a state-of-the-art ERP system, you may be burning… Continue reading The Cost of Legacy Systems or “If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It”