Roland Europe Group Streamlined their Warehouse and Financial Operations with Microsoft Dynamics 365

The Challenge

The primary goal was to capture all warehouse transactions accurately and relay this information to the financial administration system. This integration was crucial for several reasons:

• Ownership Transition: Roland Japan Corporation's acquisition required precise records of all warehouse movements and their financial implications.
• Complex Invoicing Needs: Supporting the invoicing requirements of various European sales units requires a robust and dynamic system.
• Belgian Fiscal Representation: Compliance with Belgian VAT regulations necessitate meticulously recording sales and purchases in a Belgian VAT statement.

The Solution

Microsoft Dynamics Nav was chosen to address these needs due to its powerful capabilities in financial management and seamless integration with other systems. Here’s how the solution was implemented:

• Warehouse Management System (WMS) Integration: Several web services were employed to link the WMS with Dynamics Nav, ensuring that every item movement in the warehouse was recorded in real-time.
• Automated Invoicing: Actions performed by warehouse employees now automatically trigger sales invoices to European sales units, significantly streamlining the invoicing process.
• Complete Stock Reconciliation: The implemented solution ensures that physical stock levels in the warehouse always match the financial records in Dynamics Nav, eliminating discrepancies and enhancing accuracy.

Unique Challenges

One of the unique challenges was managing Belgian fiscal representation. This required meticulously recording all sales and purchases for Belgian VAT compliance despite the accounting being handled by a UK-based team. This cross-border regulatory requirement added a layer of complexity to the project.

Collaboration and Integration

Aligning the efforts of various teams was critical to the project’s success. The internal Roland development team, the external consultants from People Network, and GMI worked in unison to achieve the project goals—the seamless integration of Dynamics Nav with other Microsoft products, such as SharePoint and enhanced operational efficiency. For example, setting up a SharePoint platform allowed users to manage metadata easily through drag-and-drop functionality, leveraging Dynamics Nav’s dynamic snap feature.

Key benefits

The implementation of Microsoft Dynamics Nav brought several advantages:

• Accurate and Timely Financial Reporting: Ensuring that financial records are always up to date with physical inventory movements.
• Streamlined Invoicing Process: Automating invoicing actions based on warehouse activities reduced manual effort and errors.
• Compliance with Belgian VAT Requirements: Accurate and compliant fiscal reporting was achieved, catering to UK and Belgian regulations.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Effective teamwork between Roland’s internal teams and external partners resulted in a successful global project execution.

Conclusion

The successful deployment of Microsoft Dynamics Nav at Roland Europe Group is a testament to the power of collaboration and the capabilities of integrated systems. The project addressed the immediate challenges of the ownership transition and set the foundation for more efficient and compliant operations. Roland Europe Group’s partnership with People Network and GMI proved invaluable, showcasing how combined expertise can drive large-scale projects to successful completion.

Roland Europe Group plans to continue leveraging these partnerships for future Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementations, and it is confident in the robust and flexible solutions that Dynamics Nav and its collaborative efforts provide.