Taking steps to better serve enterprises operating globally, Microsoft yesterday announced initial availability of the latest release of its Dynamics AX ERP suite, which, the company said, makes it easier for manufacturers to manage multi-site operations.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 allows users to manage multiple legal entities on a single, central instance of the ERP suite. The release recognizes multiple sites, such as warehouses or production facilities, and introduces the notion of time zones, allowing organizations with warehouses or distribution centers in different regions of the world, for example, to be more accurate when performing such tasks as demand and supply planning, said Kees Hertogh, director of product management for Dynamics AX, in an interview with Managing Automation.
Such features, Hertogh said, are increasingly important even to mid-size manufacturers that are pressed to improve the efficiency of global operations. Many organizations, he said, initially moved some operations offshore primarily to take advantage of lower labor costs. Now, however, those global operations are facing increased competition from local manufacturers, so they need to improve and standardize business processes. “This applies to the mid-market as well as large enterprises,” Hertogh said.
The new multi-site support doesn’t mean Microsoft will target larger enterprises with the AX product, he said. The company and its resellers still define the market for AX as companies with 200 to 7,500 employees.