D365 Client Success Story
Advanced Composite Producer Solves Critical System Issues, Saving Thousands of Hours Annually with ERP Upgrade
Industry: Manufacturing
Solution: Dynamics 365 Finance rescue, MCA Connect demand forecasting IP
Introduction
When software implementations don’t go as planned, deciding how to proceed can be a difficult task. Should the manufacturer replace the software and invest in a new solution or leave it intact and make the most of their investment? As one leading producer of advanced composite materials discovered, sometimes the answer is both.
Challenge
A carbon fiber composite materials producer serving the aerospace, rocket, and industrial industries attempted an ERP software implementation with another partner. However, the company struggled with bad data and an over-customized system after the implementation didn’t go as planned.
The result was slow transactions, inflated demand numbers, and a lack of visibility across sites. The issues were so severe the materials producer couldn’t pack or ship within the first 10 days of implementation and experienced 1-2 hours of weekly stoppage. In short, they needed a new solution and partner that understood their industry to implement it.
Beyond the ERP issues, the materials producer also faced serious forecasting limitations. Without a dedicated demand planning tool, forecasting was done manually by the sales team, often based on gut feelings or incomplete data. This led to frequent inaccuracies, excess inventory, and difficulty aligning production with actual demand. The complexity was compounded by the company’s need to forecast material sourcing by country of origin, which most tools couldn’t accommodate. Accurate forecasting was not just a goal; it was essential for reducing waste, improving slotting efficiency, and unlocking working capital. Yet with limited visibility and no automation, planning decisions were reactive, inconsistent, and costly.
Solution
Hybrid
After a recommendation from Microsoft, the composite materials producer partnered with MCA Connect. Following an upgrade assessment by our team, we determined a hybrid upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance was the best solution. Instead of replacing everything, the hybrid approach allowed the customer to leave well-functioning systems alone and reimplement in problem areas only.
The upgrade included three manufacturing sites and one sales site, but the pandemic forced our team to complete the entire project remotely. Despite that, the go-live went smoothly and the company could complete critical functions on the first day. Our Managed Services team also supported and optimized the new solution after going live.
In parallel, the company modernized its demand planning with MCA Connect’s Demand Genius™, ensuring the technology foundation supported smarter forecasting and stronger supply chain resilience.
Results
After the hybrid ERP upgrade and demand forecasting solution, the composite material producer:
Saved approximately 12,000 hours
annually by eliminating stoppage
Shifted away from an unworkable platform
to a new, scalable cloud solution
Standardized business processes
across the company
Expanded capabilities
with more out-of-box functionality
Added functionality
to export and push Excel data
Increased Dynamics 365 accessibility
on mobile devices
As part of the broader transformation, the manufacturer also overhauled its demand planning process, moving from manual, spreadsheet-based forecasting to a modern, AI-powered approach with MCA Connect Demand Genius™. Leveraging historical sales data, market trends, and critical factors like country of origin, the system now dynamically predicts product demand across global operations. Within eight months, the company saw a 64% improvement in forecast accuracy, a 54% decline in forecast error, and unlocked $32M in cost savings, alongside $14M in freed working capital and $1M in inventory reductions.
These enhancements not only improved supply chain resilience — with 30% less excess inventory and 25% fewer stockouts — but also freed up more than 12,000 hours annually for frontline teams to focus on strategic, revenue-generating activities.
About MCA Connect
MCA Connect modernizes supply chains end-to-end through transformative consulting, unified data for business insights, process optimization and automation, AI and advanced decision making, and business application implementation.
As Microsoft’s top manufacturing and distribution partner, we combine global reach, seasoned experts, leading-edge tech, and a focus on business strategy… all without the big-firm bureaucracy.
