Case Studies
Here you can find examples of successful implementations of our solutions for various clients of ICS.
Over the years ICS team has amassed a wealth of experience in ERP implementations and customizations for numerous customers in the manufacturing, distribution, retail and wholesale industries. It is exactly through the collaboration with these end-user companies that our range of Dynamics add-on solutions was created. Our solutions expand the standard functionality of Dynamics ERP systems to solve some key challenges that businesses in these verticals face in their supply chain operations and offer them new tools for automating transportation and warehouse processes.
Below is a selection of case studies tailored to different industries where our solutions have already delivered exceptional results for our clients. Discover how ICS solutions have helped various companies to make management of their supply chains more efficient, productive, and less time-consuming.
► CASE 1: Automating Transfer Planning To/From External Warehouses
The Challenge
A large manufacturing company, which is a market leader with 50+ years of history, decided to use an external 3PL operator in the supply chain for materials. The company decided to move materials to the external warehouse and transfer only the necessary materials to the production site when they are required for production. When implementing this approach, the client faced restrictions of its Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management system related to the planning of transfers between the warehouses.
The standard functionality doesn’t allow:
- to plan transfers in two directions (to the external warehouse and from the external warehouse);
- to calculate the surpluses automatically;
- to calculate the missing materials automatically;
- to show on-hand of the external warehouse as available materials for production;
- to control the load levels in own warehouses.
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The Solution |
[ICS] Supply Chain Execution Package Main Features: | |
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| The company was choosing between implementing an external Planning system and an add-on ISV solution for its Dynamics system. Already familiar with ICS work in this field, the company contacted our team to learn more about [ICS] Supply Chain Execution Package and see if it could be a good fit for their requirements. The Package is an ISV solution that was developed specifically to automate planning of transfers between warehouses and especially for transfer planning to and from external (or logistics center) warehouses. In a series of tailored demo presentations ICS specialists created scenarios where the Package was successfully used to solve challenges specific to this company’s business. As a result, the company decided to move forward with the ICS solution. |
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The Result
After agreeing the final requirements, [ICS] Supply Chain Execution Package was quickly implemented by our team. Being an ISV solution, the Package is installed directly into the D365 SCM environment without the need for additional integrations. All required configurations were performed by the ICS team, and key users received the necessary training.
As a result of the implementation, the company can now enjoy the following benefits:
- Simplified workflows to interact with the external warehouse.
- Reduced scheduling time to get a quick planned transfer from the main warehouse to the external warehouse.
- Reduced time for calculating the needed quantity of materials in the company’s warehouses.
- Accurate planning of the needed quantities of materials, which excludes both shortages and surpluses of materials in the company’s warehouses.
Having implemented the solution, the company was able to significantly improve the planning of transfers between the external and their own warehouses. The installed solution can be further developed by the ICS team if some additional functionality is required in the future.
Example screenshots of the new functionalities are presented below:
► CASE 2: Automating Last Mile Transportation in D365 SCM with ICS Solution
The Challenge
A mid-size manufacturing company, whose goods are regularly shipped to end customers from its main warehouse and several distribution centers, decided to open a new sales channel by offering its products to small wholesale buyers. However, the business soon encountered a problem with planning last mile tours in its Dynamics 365 SCM system.
The standard functionality of the TMS module, which is primarily intended for automating multimodal transportation, did not allow setting up the necessary processes for last mile transportation and required more actions from users in the system. As a result, the company started looking for ways to expand the functionality of the TMS module to automate last mile transportation processes and to include the following desired features:
- Automatic route planning with the ability to take into account different factors (e.g. the number of loading docks, customers’ operating hours, unloading time at the delivery address, etc.) and the possibility of manual adjustment;
- Zoning of customer service areas;
- Postponement of the shipment date to another day;
- Order consolidation;
- Automatic sending of notifications to warehouse and transportation staff;
- Transfer of the generated route to the driver’s mobile application;
- Automatic selection of suitable vehicles.
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The Solution |
[ICS] Transportation Package Main Features: | |
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| The company did not want to implement a full-fledged external TMS system and was searching for an ISV solution to speed up the implementation period. One of the main advantages of ISV solutions is that they are installed directly into the D365SCM environment without the need for additional integrations, as is the case with external systems. During the selection process, the company came across the Transportation Package from ICS. This ISV solution was developed specifically to automate transportation in supply chains across two main tiers of transportation – last mile delivery and line-haul delivery – and perfectly matched the company’s needs. |
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The Result
After agreeing and analyzing the requirements, the Transportation Package was quickly implemented by the ICS team, and key users received the necessary training. The required master data was created using the solution’s tools.
As a result of the implementation, the manufacturing company can now enjoy the following functionality:
- Customer delivery addresses are distributed according to delivery geozones. Regular routes are created to deliver orders to regular customers.
- Loads are calculated based on the planned number of pallets. It is also possible to consolidate goods from different customers into one mixed pallet.
- Last mile transportation loads/tours are planned according to regular routes and delivery geofences.
- If there is a shortage of vehicles, it is possible to change planned loads, and delivery dates can be rescheduled for unplanned orders.
- For planned loads, carriers can be assigned with or without vehicles’ details.
- The solution generates an optimal transportation route and sends it to the driver’s phone.
After implementing the solution, the company was able to significantly improve the planning of last mile delivery tours, reduce the number of orders not delivered on time, and reduce overall transportation costs. The installed solution can be further developed by the ICS team if some additional functionality is required in the future.
Example screenshots of the new functionalities are presented below:
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