ManufacturingFlow 365
Process manufacturing inside Business Central: formulas, co-products, lots and costing.
Standard Business Central expects each production order line to make one finished item. ManufacturingFlow 365 adds the process-plant concepts that are missing: formulas in percent, several outputs from one batch, lot control and the costing that goes with them. It was designed from 63 identified process-manufacturing needs.
Plan and make
Formulas
Ingredients as a percentage of the batch.
- Scale to a batch size or a vessel, adjust for yield, and adjust consumption for ingredient potency.
- Approved substitutes, change requests and cost simulation are included.
- Allergens and nutrition roll up through the formula.
Planning
Vessels, changeovers and campaigns.
- Vessels and batch sizes, changeover and allergen rules, campaigns and downtime.
- Cleaning verification, OEE and forecast balance.
Batch operations
Beyond one in, one out.
- Disassembly with grades, such as carcass to cuts or crude oil to fractions.
- Blending, reprocessing of off-spec product and packing from bulk.
- An electronic batch record and audit trail.
Shop-floor dispensing
Right lot, right strength.
- Suggest lots, check potency and convert litres.
- Feed dispensed quantities from shop-floor systems such as MESFlow 365.
Outputs and cost
Co-products and by-products
Define the outputs, then cost them.
- Define the outputs of a formula and post them against the order.
- Allocate joint cost four ways: fixed percentage, relative sales value, net realisable value or physical measure.
- Waste is recorded as an output with its own cost.
Costing
Variances with owners.
- Separate price, mix, usage and yield variances.
- Actual-cost allocation of joint cost, process drivers such as steam or water, stage costs and a net standard cost.
- A cost sheet for every batch.
Catch weight
Actual next to nominal.
- Carry the actual weight of each unit next to its nominal weight on journals and documents.
Control
Lots and traceability
Trace a lot either way.
- Lot attributes such as potency, moisture and fat, and lot status from quarantine to released.
- Expiry derived from the earliest-expiring ingredient.
- Genealogy forwards and backwards through blends, rework and co-products, and a recall workflow that lists affected lots and customers.
Quality
Deviations, allergens and signatures.
- Deviations and corrective actions, an allergen matrix and e-signatures.
- An optional bridge to Microsoft's Quality Management app that applies finished inspections to lots.
How a batch flows through ManufacturingFlow 365
From the formula to the cost sheet, with every output and every lot accounted for.
- Formulator Set the formula Ingredients as a percentage of the batch, scaled to a batch size or a vessel.
- Planner Plan the vessel Vessels, changeover and allergen rules and campaigns are applied.
- Operator Dispense Lots are suggested, potency is checked and litres are converted.
- Dynamics 365 Post the outputs Main product, co-products, by-products and waste are posted against the order.
- Finance Allocate the joint cost By fixed percentage, relative sales value, net realisable value or physical measure.
- Quality Release the lot Lot status moves from quarantine to released, with deviations and e-signatures recorded. Control point
- Quality Trace or recall Genealogy runs forwards and backwards, and a recall lists affected lots and customers.
| Capability | Standard Dynamics 365 | With this ISV |
|---|---|---|
| Outputs | One finished item per production order line | Main product, co-products, by-products and waste on one order |
| Joint cost | Spread by habit | Fixed percentage, relative sales value, net realisable value or physical measure |
| Formulas | Quantities, not percentages | Percentage formulas, batch scaling, yield and potency adjustment, approved substitutes |
| Lots | Traced by hand | Lot status, expiry from the earliest ingredient, genealogy both ways, recall workflow |
| Costing | One variance bucket | Separate price, mix, usage and yield variances and a cost sheet for every batch |
| Platform | - | Business Central online, version 29 |
Delivery and support
ManufacturingFlow 365 is implemented by Software Dynamics on Business Central online, version 29, and supported through the Client Portal under a support tier. It is currently run in a test sandbox on demo data, and each machine driver is commissioned and tested on your equipment before go-live.
Frequently asked questions
Does it replace Business Central manufacturing?
No. It extends production orders, BOMs, lots and costing.
Do we need Microsoft's Quality Management app?
No. If it is installed, ManufacturingFlow 365 can read its finished inspections and apply them to lots. If it is not, nothing breaks.
Which Business Central version?
Business Central online, version 29.
Can we try it with sample data?
Yes. One action creates dairy, tablet formula, crude oil, planning, catch weight and lot scenarios in a sandbox, and another removes them.
Is it available in other languages?
The app is in English.
How do we start?
With a 45-minute consultation, then a discovery and fit-gap workshop on your own processes. You receive a written fit-gap and a phased plan before a programme is agreed.