Enabling Technology
Challenge
This consistently high level of execution is not easy. OMT-Veyhl relies upon a responsive, full-featured ERP system to make it all come together. To manage that system, Director of Technology Rik Fleming has established an all-star development team in-house.
The company first implemented Microsoft Dynamics NAV roughly three years ago with another partner. However, after meeting Innovia Consulting at the Dynamics Community Summit in 2018, they decided to reevaluate their needs.
Innovia conducted a fit analysis with OMT-Veyhl to determine exactly what the company needed for its ERP system. One of the most significant opportunities identified was for Rik’s internal team to receive more development training on Microsoft Dynamics so they could address more support items in-house, instead of relying on a partner for day-to-day issues. They wanted to move toward only consulting with a partner on major or strategic concerns.
In addition to a focus on training Rik’s developers, Innovia’s fit analysis identified several gaps between what OMT-Veyhl wanted from their software and where it was at the time.
- Shipping needed a significant upgrade. Skids of products were being delayed frequently, causing Rik’s team a lot of headaches to get them moving again.
- The existing reporting capabilities were not meeting the company leadership’s expectations. OMT-Veyhl prides itself on being data-driven, so the team wanted the best data possible in an accessible format.
- To stay ahead of the technology curve, the company wanted to upgrade its system to Business Central, but it needed the right partner.
After meeting with Innovia’s senior leadership team and weighing their options, OMT-Veyhl decided that a partnership with Innovia would be the best way to meet its goals and equip its team to support users in the future.
Solution
An Innovia project team led by Project Manager Gino Pack took on OMT-Veyhl’s upgrade project. They knew from the start that they needed to be in close communication with Rik’s team on each step so they would be as ready as possible to offer support on their own in the future.
Perhaps because of this focus on training the team, Gino noted afterward that OMT-Veyhl was one of the easiest projects he has worked on from a timing and communication perspective. “If every go-live is like OMT-Veyhl’s, I’ll be a very happy project manager.”
OMT-Veyhl’s system was upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, going live in December 2019. This upgrade involved a significant reworking of customizations that worked in the older NAV install but either did not work in Business Central or were superseded by new features. The upgrade was a great opportunity to reevaluate all the modifications that had been done previously to determine if they were still necessary. In many cases, they were not.
As far as ISV solutions, OMT-Veyhl continued using Lanham Associates for its supply chain solutions. To help modernize the company’s reporting capabilities, Innovia also helped them implement Jet Reports and Power BI.
To bring everything Microsoft together, Innovia became OMT-Veyhl’s Cloud Solutions Provider and offered them their Microsoft Office licensing at a significant discount compared to the company’s previous provider.
Results Achieved
Today, OMT-Veyhl is live with its new Business Central system. Because the company took the time to train people in advance and prepare for the switch, it has been a relatively smooth transition.
For shipping, the delays they experienced previously sending skids out are gone. They are operating far more efficiently, and in fact, estimate that labor costs associated with their products have been reduced by 30%.
On the reporting front, today they can go to any production center and easily find all the orders that are due for the day, view all sales entered, see how much is shipped each day, and more.
Finally, because Rik’s team worked so closely with Innovia and completed much of the work and support on their own as a result, the entire project came in under budget. Not only that, but OMT-Veyhl will save in the long run because it can support users without incurring billable hours.
Moving Forward with Confidence
When asked about Innovia’s level of support both in implementing the upgrade and helping with any issue that has come up since, Rik could not be more pleased. “Whenever you call, you get a solution quickly or get in touch with the right person that can help.”
Better still, Rik notes that he gets fewer panicked phone calls these days. He adds,
“My life is so much easier. Because I run all the technology for the business from the internet to phone to software solutions, to know I have a team in Innovia that I can call on 24/7 if something comes up that we can’t solve ourselves means I can sleep a lot sounder at night.”
