How a 40-Year-Old Manufacturing Company Modernized with Encore and Dynamics 365 Business Central

Encore Business Solutions helped Omega Industries move from their manual processes to a more efficient and transparent system in Dynamics 365 Business Central. Omega, a leading supplier of mainline railroad crossings in the USA, had been stuck for 5 years with a stalled implementation of a custom (non-Microsoft) manufacturing solution.

By starting with our discovery and analysis processes, Encore identified Omega’s strategic needs and recommended a phased approach to transition Omega to Business Central. After their first 9 months with us, Omega is live on Business Central with GL/AP/AR functionality and looking forward to implementing further modules to cover their full business processes.

Here’s what Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries, had to say about the experience:

The Client: Omega Industries

Omega Industries, Inc. is a leading supplier of mainline railroad crossings in the United States, renowned for its exceptional customer service and high-quality products. In addition to railroad crossings, the company also specializes in manufacturing dredging parts and various steel fabricated products.

A family-owned and operated business, it was founded over 40 years ago by Greek immigrant and steel fabricator Isidoros Garifalakis in a modest 500 square foot building. Driven by his vision, hard work, and dedication to customers, Isidoros, along with his family and a team of skilled employees, expanded the company to employ nearly 200 people across five states.

Manual Processes and Previous Implementation Challenges

Omega Industries had been operating with outdated processes and had not implemented many modern business systems. These old processes led to inefficiencies and a lack of transparency, causing significant communication issues. Employees struggled to track purchases, inventory, and availability, resulting in wasted time and fragmented information. The need for a more efficient and transparent system became evident as the business grew.

The company initially attempted to implement an ERP system with another solution provider several years ago but faced significant challenges.

“Five years ago, Omega Industries first tried to implement an ERP solution with another solution provider. Neither that software company nor our internal team fully understood the necessary changes in management and business processes that were needed. As a result, the project stalled, which drained company resources and money for five years without making any real progress.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

Along with being deeply entrenched in manual processes and resistant to change, the company lacked in-house expertise in software implementation and did not have adequate external support either. The proprietary nature of this solution further complicated the process, making it difficult to find any external help or resources online.

When Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, was brought in to assess the situation, the company decided to abandon the failed implementation and seek a better alternative. The company was already using Microsoft 365, making Dynamics 365 Business Central a logical choice due to its integration with existing systems and familiarity among employees. They chose Encore as their implementation partner, having had positive experiences in the past with Encore as a support partner for Dynamics GP.

“We cautiously approached Encore, wondering if they would be the right partner to guide us through this transition. Through the demo and introduction process to Business Central, our confidence in them grew.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

Implementing Dynamics 365 Business Central with Encore

Instead of attempting a full-scale implementation at once, the company took an incremental approach, starting with finance operations in phase one, then moving to inventory for phase two, and finally manufacturing in phase three. Unlike with the previous solution provider, which expected the company to adapt to their software, Encore took the time to understand the company’s specific needs and tailored the solution accordingly. This personalized approach and understanding of the company’s challenges made Encore the preferred choice.

“Encore really understood our challenges. They laid out the process clearly so we knew what to expect and informed us of our responsibilities. They remained committed to their tasks, and I can’t praise our Encore project manager and developer enough for their professionalism and follow-through.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

In about nine months, the company achieved a complete phase one implementation covering the entire finance side of the operation. This success was particularly significant given the previous five-year struggle with the failed solution provider implementation.

Dynamics 365 Business Central is designed to be flexible and easy to use, allowing for configuration without the need for extensive customization. Users can personalize their experience easily, avoiding the pitfalls of creating overly complex systems and processes.

“Business Central is incredibly user-friendly. If you know how to use Excel and Word, you’ll find it easy to navigate. Since we already had Microsoft 365 licenses, it was a natural extension for us. Being a Microsoft product, there’s a wealth of support available online. You can easily find answers to your questions on forums and other resources.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

User Adoption and Overcoming Resistance

User adoption of Dynamics 365 Business Central at Omega Industries initially faced some resistance. Many employees, especially those hesitant about change, struggled at first with adopting a new way of working. However, with strong leadership from both Encore and internal project leaders, the resistance was gradually overcome.

“One of our initial challenges had nothing to do with the software itself. Proper change management initiatives weren’t in place, especially in an old-fashioned 40-year-old manufacturing company. Many people strongly resisted a change. Despite this resistance, with Encore leading the external project and me leading the internal project, we managed to push through. By the end, even our most ardent resistors were singing its praises.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

The training and support from Encore have been excellent, according to Maria. By the time the company went live with the implementation, the entire Omega Industries team was well-prepared. Encore kept the project open until the team felt confident, then transitioned to ongoing support. This support from Encore has been timely and effective in addressing any remaining issues. The diligent development, testing, and data migration ensured a smooth go-live experience, with minimal pain points.

Transitioning to a cloud-based solution was initially met with some hesitation as well, largely due to outdated perceptions about cloud security and management. However, over time, it became clear that cloud providers offer superior security and management compared to in-house solutions. Despite the initial concerns, moving to the cloud turned out to be one of the easier challenges to overcome.

“Moving to a cloud-based solution was surprisingly easier than expected. Initially, there was a lot of skepticism, people were hesitant about the cloud. Convincing people to use a website for our accounting software, without needing to download software or store a company file, required a shift in thinking. But ultimately, getting people to move to the cloud was one of the least challenging aspects of the project.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

Seeing Benefits with Dynamics 365 Business Central

Omega Industries has seen significant business benefits from implementing Business Central by automating tasks and simplifying processes. At least 30% of their time is saved by reducing manual work. Business Central streamlined finance management, eliminating the need for manual data entry in spreadsheets for tasks like journal entries, invoice entry, and sales order management. Previously, these tasks were managed in spreadsheets on a shared drive. Manual finance entries that took multiple hours a day to prepare and post now take minutes. This shift has saved considerable time and improved efficiency, making operations much quicker and more manageable.

“The transition to a cloud-based ERP saved us in a recent cyberattack. The only way we were able to continue to bill customers and pay vendors during the three-week outage was entirely thanks to Business Central!” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

Quarterly inventory and payroll entries took anywhere from 4 hours to 2 days to prepare, post, and review. The combination of a worksheet created to upload the information into Dynamics 365 Business Central and the ‘Edit in Excel’ function in D365 BC has made those entries nearly instantaneous for the team.

“Business Central is helping Omega Industries achieve its business goals by providing timely data at our fingertips. We have a few high-volume customers, and monitoring sales metrics was challenging before Business Central. Now, we can manage customer and vendor relationships more effectively by tracking relationship-based metrics.

As an accountant, my job is to provide timely information to decision-makers. If financials are provided a month after the quarter has closed, it’s not very useful. Business Central has made us more nimble in delivering information, allowing us to address business processes proactively and make timely decisions.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

The company’s experience with the interoperability of Business Central with other Microsoft 365 applications has been positive. This seamless integration has greatly enhanced productivity and efficiency.

“The interoperability of Business Central with other parts of Microsoft 365, like Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, and Copilot, has been excellent. Excel integration, in particular, has been transformative, allowing for efficient editing and uploading of entries, which has saved significant time and improved workflows. Overall, the integration has been smooth and beneficial for our operations.” – Maria Leonard, Corporate Controller, Omega Industries

Continued Growth and Partnership

By leveraging Dynamics 365 Business Central and partnering with Encore, Omega Industries was able to overcome significant challenges and achieve a successful ERP implementation, transforming their operations and setting the stage for future growth. They have signed on for the second phase for inventory and plan to proceed with the third for manufacturing. This continued partnership and willingness to invest further highlight their confidence in the solutions provided by Encore.

Read the Microsoft-featured case study showcasing Omega Industries’ journey toward innovation, efficiency, and growth through strategic technology adoption.

Project photo from Omega Industries