When it comes to choosing formula, recipe, food, ERP software, Microsoft Dynamics AX is one of the most complex, powerful, agile yet simple business management solutions you can find. AX provides manufacturers with integrated functionality, allowing them to efficiently plan and control production and distribution, manage accounting, invoicing, and procurement operations, meet evolving customer demands, and comply with regulatory requirements. (See how Merrick Pet Care has used Dynamics AX to grow into the second largest specialty pet food manufacturing company in the U.S. - Yes, we are bragging!)
Focusing on process-oriented activities, Dynamics AX enables manufacturing companies to:
- Get real-time access to information based on standard user roles (e.g. Production Manager, Purchasing, Operations Manager, CFO, etc.) – Gaining in-depth insights into the dynamics of your stock, including by-product and co-product variations, packaging codes and inventory statuses, and centralizing product management across your company is possible thanks to the process manufacturing functionality included in AX. A manufacturer using Dynamics AX can easily manage different areas, ranging from bills of materials (BOMs), formulas, recipes, ingredient combinations, advanced inventory control and tracking dimensions to plant floor capacity, production output, and distribution routes.
- Develop products based on multi-dimensional inventory structures – With this formula, recipe, food, ERP software system, you can define multiple inventory dimensions, including catch weight and dual units of measure, and calculate ingredients costs per product according to item variations and packaging. You can also configure products based on multi-level recipe, formula and packaging options, and specify and filter orders by co-products, by-products, BOMs, formulas, recipes, etc.
- Dynamically track and adjust formulas – AX allows manufacturers to efficiently handle all the variables included in products that follow custom formulas and recipes – and of course discrete items and manufacturing. Flexibly consume or produce products in dual units of measure with constant or varying consumption. Dynamically calculate ingredient consumption even for items consumed non‐linearly in single or dual units of measure. You can track, reserve, and order inventory items based on current and scheduled work orders, analyze attributes and costs for products, correlate recipes and formulas with BOMs, and define all the resources required based on new product configurations.
- Manufacture identical or similar products – In Dynamics AX, you can save an unlimited number of recipes and formulas along with product attributes to create new items or manufacture product variations whenever necessary. You can use the same raw materials, opt for different combinations, and adjust formulas based on new ingredient inputs to obtain identical or similar items with different costs. Additionally, you can define new outputs based on different resources, such as raw materials, labor, quality assurance variables, etc.
- Plan and monitor productivity yields – Establishing and tracking actual yields against established standards can help identify inefficiencies and implement relevant corrective actions to increase productivity. For instance, a yield percentage of 95 percent indicates a 5-percent loss, which can be due to spillage, evaporation, spoilage, etc.
- Improve operational efficiency – Dynamics AX is one of the few formula, recipe, food, ERP software systems that enable make-to-order manufacturing, according to strict customer specifications. Produce to customer specifications by ensuring discretionary picking of ingredients based on certain attributes. Facilitating finished goods inventory picking based on the attributes of the final product and certain protocols (e.g. first in/first out, or FIFO, or first expired/first out, or FEFO), AX can help minimize loss and improve efficiency. The system also allows manufacturers to generate standard pick lists with raw materials and quantities/volumes, which can be used to automatically adjust other ingredient quantities/volumes; restrict the use of specific resources (e.g. putting on hold newly arrived inventory so that existing items are consumed before spoilage occurs; however, new inventory items remain visible for future planning); produce items against established batch sizes to reduce return rates; and calculate lead times accurately, based on ingredient shelf life, to ensure that products are distributed with adequate remaining shelf life.
- Monitor quality and compliance – Integrated quality control capabilities ensure compliance with company-specific quality standards and legal requirements. Dynamics AX allows users to generate quality orders and define tests for ingredients/products according to preset specifications. When nonconforming items are identified, the user can create nonconformance orders that include the problem, source of the problem, and explanations; block certain operations to prevent nonconforming items from being used; develop and implement specific corrective actions; calculate the labor and costs associated; and interconnect all nonconformance orders to identify the root cause(s) leading to quality problems.
Dynamics AX is a highly versatile, adaptable formula, recipe, food, chemical, ERP software that provides all the tools a manufacturer needs to quickly respond to changes in production and market conditions, seize new opportunities for growth, and achieve operational excellence. Furthermore, it supports a wide range of mixed-mode operations, enabling both discrete and process applications to coexist in a manufacturing environment.
If you have any questions about Dynamics AX, call or email our dedicated sales team at 800.331.8382 - sales@clientsfirst-tx.com. At Clients First Business Solutions, our experts are committed to helping you reap the benefits of your business software investment for many years to come.