Getting Out of the ERP Comfort Zone and Into the Cloud

If you have an on-premises ERP system, you probably have not gone through an upgrade for at least a few years. That means your internal teams can’t leverage new features that allow them to work more efficiently.  

And that can slow things up when they’re trying to close on new business and provide services to your customers. Even for companies with an on-premises ERP solution working well, it may be time to move away from the “comfort zone” to modernize accounting and fulfillment processes—in the cloud. 

A distributor who recently took the leap to the cloud is MWS Wire Industries, based in California. The company delivers wire-sourcing solutions and offers the largest, most varied inventory of magnet wire and specialty wire found anywhere. 

In 2018, MWS Wire deployed Microsoft Dynamics NAV on-premises to replace an ERP system nearly 30 years old. With a veteran workforce accustomed to operating the distribution of wire products in a particular way, MWS Wire customized NAV to fit its unique needs. 

Five years later, the leadership team decided to move away from its comfort zone and into the cloud to take advantage of new technologies and current ERP best-practices. This would allow the company to operate more efficiently in delivering products to customers, accelerate cash flow, and set the stage for achieving a growth plan without adding headcount. 

To take on this challenge, MWS Wire turned to Western Computer, the partner who had also deployed the NAV solution. Western Computer recommended migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud, which came pre-configured with much of the customization MWS Wire required.  

With Business Central running in the cloud, it’s also easier to apply code changes when MWS Wire wants to add functionality down the road. They don’t need to touch the base software code. Custom code can sit on top of the base code so it’s much easier to make updates. 

While configuring Business Central, Western Computer helped handle the unique challenge of varying units of measure for the wire spools MWS Wire provides. Some customers and vendors prefer to price wire by length measurement units while others prefer weight units. And with operations in the U.S. and Europe, both English and metric measurement units come into play.  

No matter which format, MWS Wire can present product pricing that aligns with the preferences of customers and vendor partners. 

One of the immediate benefits MWS Wire realized by deploying Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud is automated payables, which helps keep supply chain vendors happy. MWS established a process that integrates Business Central with ExFlow and connects to an MWS Wire bank. MWS Wire now has a system that automatically receives invoices, runs an optical character recognition scan, and posts the invoices in a payment queue. 

Another process improvement in the works involves quality control. MWS Wire previously compiled wire quality test data by hand and then keyed it into the ERP system. When customers requested test reports, the quality control team then manually copied the data into a Word document to format. With Business Central, MWS Wire can compile the testing data right into the quality control module.  

In conjunction with this process, MWS Wire is working with a third-party software provider that uses Microsoft Power Automate to program a process to generate reports automatically. With one click, users can produce a report and email it to a vendor or customer. With these capabilities, MWS Wires will eliminate a lot of manual data entry. 

In the shipping department, MWS Wire implemented quantity tolerances to conform with industry standards of plus (over) or minus (under) 10% for shipments. If a customer orders 100 pounds of wire, and the shipper tries to send 150 pounds, MWS Wire will get an error message that stops them from making that mistake. MWS Wire can also set varying tolerances for individual customers. 

Looking ahead, MWS Wire will collaborate with Western Computer on Microsoft Power BI reporting and a Microsoft Dataverse solution to synchronize data outside of Business Central with other information from industry sources.  

“Our relationship with Western Computer—which has now lasted more than eight years—all comes down to trust. They provide expert guidance on solutions that fit our business model, whether that means hand-holding us with a third party, putting us in touch to work directly with a third party, or building something themselves that’s customized. We know that when Western Computer gives us a range of options and their feedback, we will make the right decision for our company.” 

Denis Goss 

Chief Financial Officer  
MWS Wire 

To learn more about how MWS Wire left its comfort zone and made the leap to the cloud by deploying Dynamics 365 Business Central Cloud, check out the complete customer spotlight. And to find out how Western Computer can deliver the same benefits to your company, contact us today.