Bond Consulting Services (BCS) has been working closely with a medical device manufacturer that sells products and services to patients, clinicians who service patients, and distributors of medical devices to streamline their manufacturing and inventory processes. BCS had previously implemented Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Business Central for the client, leveraging the BCS Power Connector for advanced integration between the two solutions.

Although the client was using Dynamics 365 Business Central to automate its accounting processes, they were managing their manufacturing operations with FactoyFour, an external manufacturing management tool. The client liked having real-time production tracking and execution abilities with FactoryFour, but they desired an integrated system in which they could also leverage manufacturing tools in their Business Central environment. The medical device manufacturer again reached out to the BCS Team to conduct the important integration with Dynamics 365 Business Central and FactoryFour.

Dynamics 365 Business Central & FactoryFour Manufacturing and Inventory Process:

1. Key Tables: Firstly, the BCS Team exposed many of the key tables and fields from the client’s Business Central environment through API, to enable FactoryFour to view and pull the information needed for their end of the manufacturing process. These tables included Production Orders, Items and locations, Item Ledger Entry, Item Journal, Consumption Journal, Output Journal, BOM and Routing.
2. Sales Orders: The manufacturing process would then begin with the client’s Sales Orders being received and processed in their Business Central solution.
3. Sales Order Receipt: Leveraging webhook, a method for customizing web applications, the Sales Order Receipt would be passed onto FactoryFour to trigger the Sales Order Work In Progress (WIP) status, the shipment tracking and invoice documentation which would be sent back into Business Central.
4. Inventory Stocks: Next, FactoryFour would access the Item Ledger Entry to check whether enough stock is available and communicate with the client on what items are needed for consumption.
5. Planning Engine: Leveraging the planning engine in Business Central, the client could then send the requested items for the Production and Purchase Order to the vendor to begin receiving the necessary stock.
6. Production Order: Once the stock items are received, the production process would be triggered and a Production Order would be created in their Business Central environment.
7. Production Order Receipt: The Production Order Number would be transferred to FactoryFour, again leveraging webhook, so FactoryFour could receive the Production Order Receipt and trigger the Production Order WIP status, including the Production Consumption and Production Output.
8. Production Consumption: The Production Consumption process would create a Consumption Journal that would automatically be sent back into Business Central for the client to analyze the components and packing materials needed to complete the shipment.
9. Production Output: The Production Output would create an Output Journal including the item serial tracking number and the time and quantity of output needed to complete the shipment, which would be sent back into Business Central.
10. Finished Order: Then, the client could update the cost, item tracking information, and finish the order in Business Central.
11. Posted Transaction: Once the items have been shipped and received by the customer, FactoryFour would be able to post the transaction and invoice which would automatically be transferred into Business Central for the payment.

A flow diagram of the Dynamics 365 Business Central and FactoryFour integration is included below as a visual of how the client’s manufacturing process is now being streamlined:

This integration has been successfully tested and is in the final stages before going live for the client. It will save the medical device manufacturer significant time, manual effort and costs by automating its manufacturing and inventory processes across the entirety of its business solutions. For instance, the client was initially using IntelliTrack, an inventory management software developer, to control its medical device inventory. However, this new integration eliminates the need for the IntelliTrack system by enabling Business Central to manage their inventory and automatically send their stock information to FactoryFour for processing and production. Additionally, FactoryFour was not able to capture the start and end times of production and the costs of each production order previously due to the separation of the systems. The integration now enables all the Production Orders, production times and production costs (including material costs and capacity costs) to be available in Business Central and viewable by FactoryFour to speed up the production and distribution time.

Thanks to the dedication and consultation efforts of the BCS and FactoryFour Teams, the client is thrilled with the new integration and is excited to begin using it to streamline their manufacturing and inventory management processes. This powerful integration can be leveraged by any organization that currently utilizes FactoryFour for its manufacturing operations and is sure to enhance your productivity and success in countless ways.

To learn more about the Dynamics 365 Business Central and FactoryFour integration, contact our BCS Team at (562) 988-3451 or schedule a free consultation.