”We have gained a system platform that enables us to handle much more without hiring additional administrative staff. We can streamline processes and workflows and, overall, have many opportunities for optimisation.”
Müller Gas Equipment
Industry: Production
Company size: Medium-sized
Solutions:
- Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
- Axcite Pocket
A major project successfully delivered
The steering committee at Müller Gas Equipment A/S - comprising Sales Manager Bo Müller Christensen, Technical Director Thyge Raabæk Dueholm, Finance Manager Joan Held, and Finance Officer Lea Brandt Teichert - served as the internal driving force behind the upgrade from Axapta 4.0 to Dynamics AX 2012 R2. They make no secret of the fact that the upgrade proved to be a much bigger undertaking than initially anticipated. However, the “ship” reached harbour safely thanks to close collaboration with dedicated consultants from Bredana, who have in-depth knowledge of the company’s business processes, as well as a strong mutual commitment to achieving the goal.
“Across production, planning, and quality, there are improvements throughout the new system compared to Axapta 4.0,” is the conclusion.
”Dynamics AX offers almost limitless opportunities to optimise processes and workflows, and in the further development of our use of the system, strengthening production management and introducing Lean production for volume products may come into focus.”
Joan Held Finance Manager, Müller Gas Equipment
Fewer manual processes
“Quality management is the very foundation that allows us to market our products, and we are experiencing significantly increased requirements from both customers and authorities. We must be able to document and verify down to the smallest detail. Everything is built into Dynamics AX. It is a large ‘web’ that the system keeps track of,” says Joan Held, adding:
“Dynamics AX is our ‘engine’. This is where we bring everything together so everyone sees the same information. The system governs the entire company, and we are moving more and more into it. We no longer have many manual processes.”
Dynamics AX provides a much better overview and has, among other things, strengthened and improved workflows in the design and engineering department, particularly in relation to the maintenance and approval of drawings and similar tasks.
Lea Brandt Teichert experiences several areas of her daily work where the new system is more user-friendly and Windows-inspired than its predecessor. She highlights the closer integration between Dynamics AX and Excel.
“Now that we have completed the first annual accounts in the new system, we can begin to look ahead and make better use of the system,” says Joan Held, continuing:
“Dynamics AX 2012 offers almost limitless opportunities to optimise processes and workflows, and in the continued development of our use of the system, strengthening production management and introducing Lean production for volume products may come into focus.”
“We have particularly seen a major improvement in our warehouse, where - using the Axcite Pocket barcode solution, which we began using in Axapta 4.0 and have further enhanced in Dynamics AX 2012 - we have optimised and improved workflows. Here, in practice, we can clearly see strengthened production management as well as inventory management.”
“The closer integration between Dynamics AX and Excel means that I can pull data directly into Excel from Dynamics AX. I primarily use this in connection with VAT reconciliations, where I transfer all VAT entries with visibility of the general ledger accounts.”
Lea Brandt Teichert Key User, Müller Gas Equipment
The business gets another boost with Dynamics AX
Müller Gas Equipment originally used XAL and later migrated to Axapta 4.0, the predecessor to Dynamics AX.
“We have always been extremely satisfied with AX, and Axapta 4.0 gave the business a significant boost. In fact, we managed to increase revenue from DKK 140 million to DKK 200 million without hiring additional administrative staff - thanks to the many automations and optimisations of workflows and processes that the system enabled,” they explain.
Axapta 4.0 therefore held a strong position within the company. Unfortunately, the system is no longer supported by Microsoft, making an upgrade necessary in order to continue operating smoothly with the associated payroll system, Lessor Payroll, among others.
“At Bredana’s recommendation, we chose to upgrade to Dynamics AX 2012 and planned to go live in the spring of 2012.”
By the summer of that year, however, it had become clear that upgrading to Dynamics AX 2012 was far more complex than both parties had anticipated. Combined with the decision to wait for Release 2, this meant that Dynamics AX 2012 did not go live until the summer of 2013.
By that time, both parties had invested significantly more effort and time than originally expected, due to the general challenges associated with upgrading to Dynamics AX 2012 - particularly the migration of master data.
“Bredana delivered an outstanding effort, and we had a fantastic collaboration with the consultants, who fought hard to resolve all issues. The consultants feel like part of the ‘family’ - and that gives us a sense of security,” says Joan Held.
Facts about Müller Gas Equipment
The company was founded in 1930 by brothers Arthur and Hubert Müller. Over the past 80 years, it has built extensive knowledge, expertise, and a level of quality that makes it one of the world’s most advanced and Scandinavia’s largest manufacturers of cylinder valves for industrial gases.
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