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Mastering Manufacturing in Business Central: Variance Reporting and Key Metrics

 Manufacturing is all about efficiency—making the right products, on time, and within budget. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, reporting capabilities play a critical role in helping manufacturers understand their performance. Whether you're tracking costs, analyzing variances, or drilling into production orders, Business Central off...

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Mastering Manufacturing in Business Central: How Standard and FIFO Costing Work in Practice

In our last blog, we explored the theory behind different costing methods in Business Central—especially Standard Costing and FIFO (Actual Costing). But what does this look like when you put it into practice? In this post, we'll summarize key takeaways from our live demo in Part VII of the Business Central Manufacturing Series. The demo compares ho...

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Mastering Manufacturing in Business Central: Understanding Standard vs. Actual Costs in Business Central

Understanding Standard vs. Actual Costs in Business Central When it comes to manufacturing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, one of the most important and most misunderstood topics is costing. It's not just a behind-the-scenes accounting detail. Your costing method affects inventory valuation, profitability, and how you make decisions on ...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Understanding Subcontracting

When it comes to modern manufacturing, efficiency often means knowing when to outsource. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, subcontracting allows you to do just that—outsource specific production steps to a vendor while still maintaining full control over your inventory and processes. In this first blog of our subcontracting series, we'll ...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Reporting and Analytics for Capacity Planning

Introduction In manufacturing, real-time visibility into production capacity is crucial for decision-making and optimizing workflow. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central empowers manufacturers with powerful reporting and analytics tools to track production loads, identify bottlenecks, and make informed adjustments. With the right insights, manuf...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Adjusting Schedules and Capacity Optimization

Introduction In manufacturing, the ability to dynamically adjust production schedules is crucial for maintaining efficiency and meeting demand. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central enables manufacturers to optimize capacity by adjusting production schedules in real time, ensuring that resources are utilized effectively and bottlenecks are minimi...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Scheduling and Managing Production Loads

Introduction Efficient production scheduling is essential for manufacturers aiming to meet demand without overburdening their resources. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, scheduling is tightly integrated with capacity planning to ensure that production loads are distributed effectively across work centers and machine centers. This allows ...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Understanding Capacity Planning

 Introduction Capacity planning is a critical component for manufacturers looking to optimize production efficiency and resource utilization. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, capacity planning enables manufacturers to manage the workload on the production floor by aligning resources, work centers, and machine centers to meet manufac...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Scaling MRP with Order Tracking and Action Messages

Implementing MRP in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a game-changer for manufacturers looking to automate, streamline, and scale their production planning. But once you move beyond basic configuration, how do you handle hundreds—or even thousands—of items with confidence? This blog explores how Business Central empowers planners to work a...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Make to Stock Planning in Action

In our last blog, we explored how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central's MRP engine responds in a Make to Order environment. Now we'll flip the script and look at what happens when a business operates under a Make to Stock (MTS) model. This planning approach is ideal for businesses that produce goods ahead of customer demand, either based on for...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Configuring Reordering Policies

In our last blog, we explored the differences between Make to Order (MTO) and Make to Stock (MTS) in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Now, let's dive deeper into the mechanics of how Business Central plans production and purchasing using Reordering Policies. This post walks through each policy type, how to set them up, and how they affect y...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central - Demand Forecasting in Business Central: How Data-Driven Planning Improves Inventory Management

Accurate demand forecasting is crucial for manufacturers and distributors to maintain optimal inventory levels, prevent stock shortages, and avoid overstocking. Without a structured forecasting process, businesses risk misaligning inventory with actual demand, leading to inefficiencies in production and order fulfillment. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 ...

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Mastering Manufacturing in Business Central - From Excel to Business Central: Transforming Your Inventory Planning Process

For many small and mid-sized manufacturers, inventory planning starts in Excel spreadsheets. While Excel offers flexibility, it lacks automation, real-time data integration, and error prevention, making it difficult to scale as business operations grow. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides a modern, automated inventory planning system t...

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Mastering Manufacturing in Business Central - Optimizing Inventory Planning in Business Central: Choosing the Right Reordering Policies

For manufacturers and distributors, inventory planning is a delicate balance. Holding too much stock ties up capital and increases storage costs, while too little stock results in missed sales and production delays. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers multiple reordering policies that help businesses optimize their inventory replenishmen...

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Mastering Forecasting and Planning in Business Central: A Guide for Manufacturers

Accurate demand forecasting and inventory planning are critical for manufacturing success. Without proper planning, businesses may overstock materials, leading to cash flow issues, or run out of essential components, delaying production and causing missed deadlines. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central helps manufacturers automate inventory mana...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Manufacturing Reporting with Power BI

Data-Driven Decisions for Better Manufacturing In modern manufacturing, data isn't just a byproduct—it's a critical asset. With Power BI, manufacturers can turn the wealth of data in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central into actionable insights, driving efficiency and profitability. Unlocking Key Insights with Power BI Dashboards Power BI's intu...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Production Order Execution and Costing

Turning Plans into Reality The execution of a production order is where all the planning, scheduling, and preparation come together. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, production orders are not just records—they're living documents that guide, track, and evaluate the manufacturing process from start to finish. From Planning to Release: The...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Streamlining Work Centers and Capacity Planning

Optimizing Resources for Maximum Efficiency One of the most overlooked aspects of manufacturing is the effective use of resources. Whether it's machines, labour, or materials, inefficiencies can cost both time and money. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, work centers and capacity planning tools help manufacturers allocate resources effect...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Mastering Components: Items, BOM, and Routings in Business Central

Building the Foundation of Manufacturing Behind every great manufacturing operation lies a solid foundation of well-structured components, bills of material (BOM), and routings. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, these elements work together to ensure every production process is efficient and cost-effective. Items and Their Role in Manufac...

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Mastering Manufacturing with Business Central: Introduction to Manufacturing Orders in Business Central

Welcome to the World of Manufacturing Orders Manufacturing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a game-changer for organizations looking to streamline production processes. In this post, we kick off our deep dive into manufacturing orders, unraveling the tools and workflows that simplify even the most complex operations. This is the second...

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