Legacy ERP solutions from Microsoft can continue to work efficiently for many years. But as new technologies evolve, it can be difficult to maintain integrations with add-on applications that enhance the capabilities of the ERP system. If your platform connects to multiple third-party apps to run your operations, you likely need to create custom workflows to keep things working properly—especially when your system reaches end-of-support status.
This was the challenge facing Crimson Wine Group, which features a vine-to-bottle portfolio that includes seven vineyards and wineries. The company previously relied on a legacy version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV customized for the wine industry. One of the most critical solutions the ERP platform needed to integrate with was a third-party AP workflow tool. Other key integrations involved tools for bulk wine management, budgeting, forecasting, and workflow automation.
An Opportunity to Take Advantage of the Cloud
To improve the integrations, Crimson Wine Group first considered upgrading to the newest on-premises version of Dynamics NAV. But the management team also considered this a good opportunity to move the ERP system to the cloud to take advantage of new functionality that’s released regularly—rather than waiting three years for another on-premises upgrade.
To seize on this opportunity to move to the cloud and solve the integration challenge, Crimson Wine Group turned to the Amican Group, which specializes in ERP deployments for the wine industry. Amican recommended that Crimson Wine Group deploy the 365WineTrade ERP solution from Western Computer.
Running on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud, Western Computer developed 365WineTrade specifically for the wine and spirits industry. The solution enables wineries and distributors to automate and connect all aspects of their businesses, including the management of supply chains, distribution logistics, finances, purchasing, sales, inventory, and direct-to-consumer sales.
An Easy Transition for End-Users
Because Crimson Wine Group migrated from Dynamics NAV to another solution built on the Dynamics platform, there was very little to change from a workflow perspective, and the transition was easy for end users. The migration of the ERP system from on-premises to the cloud has improved user access for the hybrid and remote workforce. Employees can easily access the ERP data that’s transacted and stored in the cloud—no matter which winery they work at as well as from home offices and on the road.
With 365WineTrade running in the cloud, Crimson Wine Group has a constantly updated system and does not need to invest in deploying and supporting hardware. The company has also streamlined finished goods processes with the ability to perpetually manage inventory and costing.
The Smoothest ERP Implementation
In addition to the seamless integration with the third-party add-on applications, Crimson Wine Group has automated bank reconciliations and payment journals. Managers can also generate reports to analyze accounting data more easily, and the solution enables adding new customer payment and reservation capabilities to the company’s e-commerce platform.
“We were at an impasse with our data integrations on the legacy system and were facing a cliff,” says Kimberly Benson, the Vice President of Finance for the Crimson Wine Group. “365WineTrade allows those integrations to persist and streamlines workflow approvals, which improves our business efficiencies and transparency. Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in five ERP implementations, and the deployment of 365WineTrade was by far the smoothest.”
To learn more about how Crimson Wine Group improved operational efficiencies and accelerated new feature roll-outs by deploying 365WineTrade, check out the complete success story. And to find out how Western Computer can deliver the same benefits to your company, contact us today.
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