Alpla updated ERP to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013

In the Russian division of Alpla production company implementation of the ERP system based on the solution Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 is complete. As the partner in implementation the West Concept company was attracted. The Austrian company Alpla performs production and deliveries of plastic packaging and integral packaging sets. In the Russian market five production associations of the company function.

Within the project transition from version 3.6 to the version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 is executed, in a system tax accounting and budgeting are implemented. Accounting processes on the following modules are transferred to a new ERP system: Finance / RAS, Purchase management, Sales management, Management of a warehouse, Fixed assets.

According to integrator, business process automation in the new accounting system allowed the company to improve planning mechanisms, to provide an information access about sales and the history of interaction of the buyer and the seller, to implement a possibility of sharing of the ERP system with Windows Mobile.

In April, 2011 it was reported that earlier the ALPLA company used the ERP system based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV regarding financial, managerial, tax and commodity accounting, but the module of production accounting was presented in the simplified form. Development of the enterprise demanded expansion of functionality of the existing system.

Advantages of development of the existing system over implementation of the third-party solution are obvious. The problem of integration of systems disappears as all account is kept in uniform base. The West Concept holding acted as the contractor on the first stage of implementation Microsoft Dynamics NAV therefore the customer did not consider other contractors for execution of works on expansion of a system. Specialists of West Concept holding showed the high level of professionalism and capability to solve uncommon problems when implementing the previous stage of implementation of a corporate information system. Besides, the group of implementation of West Concept is already familiar with specifics of activity of ALPLA company, with nuances of maintaining financial activities.

Determination of functional structure of the solution was carried out on the basis of the description of business processes, requirements of company management of ALPLA to controllability degree by the enterprise, to completeness and informational content of the prepared reporting.

The implemented production management system provides the solution of the main objectives of accounting at manufacturing enterprise. Regarding production management possibilities of formation of multilevel specifications, creations of orders, accounting of transactions of release and consumption of raw materials and semi-finished products on the basis of the production plan, formation of limit and intaking cards, calculation of the production plan on the basis of the guaranteed cycle of production, formation of material cost value are implemented. Regarding management of supply – functions of formation of the purchase plan and creation of orders of raw materials taking into account the current remaining balance, client orders, safe stock balance, etc. Sales management assumes a possibility of formation of production orders proceeding from purchase plans of clients. In a system the functionality of control of loading of warehousing capacit is also implemented.

Regarding financial accounting the functionality of selection of invoices for document packages on the export VAT was added to the existing system.

Heads of divisions and key users of a system, with assistance of representatives of the top management of the company were a part of a project team from ALPLA. Presumably, about 60 users will work in an operating mode in a system.

According to standards of West Concept holding process of start of a system surely includes training in functionality of a system of key users, elimination of notes to system operation, providing the Customer with the user instructions and also setup of roles of access that it was done and in this case.

At the moment a system is at a stage of commercial operation. Implementation of the automated control system for production allowed ALPLA company to reduce considerably labor costs at the expense of an exception of manual execution of operations and data transfer of other systems. Let's provide the list of some functions which automation within the project led to reduction of labor costs:

• calculation of actual cost of the turned-out products and defects;
• existence in the system of relevant stock balance;
• production planning and purchases in a single system;
• maintaining specifications;
• the analysis of loading of warehousing capacit in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV system.

Project Development

West Concept developer integrator created a personal account for clients of ALPLA company on the platform of the new product Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013, the press service of integrator reported on April 5, 2013. The project became the first experience of implementation of the new version of this system in Russia.

Implementation

Transition to the new version of a product was carried out on five production sites working round the clock. At the same time all business processes of the company went in the normal mode, there were no failures in production, sales and settlement with clients. In a project deliverable mechanisms of planning and accounting in the company are improved, the information access about sales and the history of interaction of the buyer and the seller is organized, manual transactions are automated that led to reduction of errors of input. There was transparent management reporting.

The company management of ALPLA made the decision on creation of a personal account that strategic clients of the company could keep track of the online status of the orders. The web client is an innovation as a part of a product and allows to be connected and work with a system on the Internet.

"Information on that how many products should be delivered in the next one-two weeks according to production orders is provided in a personal account, – Alexey Batyukov, the architect of decisions of department of implementation of NAV, West Concept noted. – The client can keep track of product quantity which is on the way to production, thus, building more detailed and long-term planning of orders. Besides, the client specifies that product quantity which is necessary for it for the next five weeks in a personal account. The specialist in planning of ALPLA in return approves the order, or specifies the possible reason of postponement of production in the comment".