D365 Advanced WMS: How Industries Are Achieving Operational Excellence

In the modern fast-paced North American supply chain market, organizations in all sectors are using the powerful Warehouse Management features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 to optimize operations, enhance inventory visibility and cut costs. Distributors, manufacturers and retailers are replacing legacy systems or best-of-breed with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain (larger enterprises) or Business Central (mid-market) with integrated Warehouse Management (WMS) modules.

Case studies in the real world demonstrate that inventory accuracy, order cycle times, compliance and traceability, and overall efficiency have increased dramatically. The following are examples of how manufacturing, pharmaceutical, retail, and distribution companies have used the advanced WMS of D365 to attain operational excellence.

Manufacturing Sector: Streamlined Production and Inventory Controls

The production scheduling, raw-material handling, and finished-goods warehousing are complex in manufacturing companies and require strict inventory control and traceability. As an example, Golden State Foods (GSF) is a large U.S. food-processing and distribution company that modernized its liquid-products division by upgrading a 25-year-old ERP to Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management.

The sophisticated warehouse management functions were implemented by GSF to manage receiving, put-away, material picking to production, and shipping of finished goods in several plants. Every raw material, in-process batch and finished products are currently barcode-scanned and tracked in real time.

Barcode labels that are GS1-compliant and mobile scanning provide supervisors with real-time insight into inventory and quality-test outcomes. Due to this, GSF has greatly expedited its compliance reporting: audits and inspection reports that previously required days of manual work are now created on-the-fly.

The live data on inventory and quality-test data of all facilities can be viewed by production managers, which allows them to make more accurate forecasts and schedule batches. Indeed, GSF has been able to shift its production planning cycle from seven days to five days, which has led to the minimization of overtime and enhanced work-life balance among employees.

Through the combination of quality inspections, lot tracing, and warehousing within a single system, GSF enhanced the safety of its products and regulatory compliance without incurring manual overhead.

In addition to food, discrete manufacturers also report the same gain. At a North American machinery company, the integration of disparate inventory, scheduling, and WMS systems into Dynamics 365 resulted in an increase in productivity of about 40 percent and a 25 percent increase in revenue in only the first year (due to automation of picking, improved inventory accuracy, and improved material flow).

Overall, the manufacturers who have implemented the advanced WMS of D365 report significant improvements: the end-to-end processes are automated, eliminating inaccurate spreadsheets and manual picking lists; planners can detect bottlenecks in real-time with the help of dashboards and Power BI; and traceability is built in, which guarantees the industry regulation compliance (food, pharmaceuticals, or aerospace parts).

Key Benefits in Manufacturing From D365 advanced WMS Include:

Inventory accuracy: Real-time tracking and cycle counting with barcode scanners eliminate mismatches between reported and actual stock. Planners can trust on-hand data for production scheduling.
Faster fulfillment: Automated put-away and pick strategies (e.g. wave picking, zone picking) reduce order cycle times. In one plant, same-day picking became possible where it used to take days.
Quality and compliance: Integrated lot/batch tracking and quality test results mean auditors and customers get full traceability reports instantly. One food manufacturer noted that chemical and micro-test results could be accessed in hours instead of days.
Cost control: Eliminating manual paperwork and redundant stock checks frees staff to focus on value-added tasks. GSF, for example, virtually eliminated overtime by shifting to a five-day production workweek, saving labor costs and boosting morale.

Warehouse digitization gives manufacturers a single pane of glass view of all locations. The shop-floor managers will be able to make data-driven decisions (such as where to produce a particular SKU or how to change production mix) since Dynamics 365 will give them consolidated visibility into inventory levels, demand forecasts, and work orders. These gains are directly reflected in the increase of on-time delivery, decrease of scrap, and carrying costs.

Pharmaceutical and Logistics: High-Speed, Compliant Distribution

The life-sciences and healthcare industry is not only about efficiency but also about strict compliance. A good example of D365 in pharmaceutical logistics is DCS (Direct Customer Solutions). DCS is a pharma products-specific US distributor and 3PL. DCS installed Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management with advanced warehouse management, as well as automated conveyors and robotics, to build the first high-capacity smart warehouse in the country to handle pharmaceuticals. The outcomes were revolutionary.

During the initial year of go-live, DCS realized breakthrough throughput and speed gains: the volume of small-parcel shipping increased by 300 percent, and the time to fulfill large orders decreased by 90 percent, or 48 hours to 4 hours. The two days of picking and packing that was a norm can now be accomplished in the morning and shipped the same day.

The total capacity of order processing increased 11 times (75 orders per hour as opposed to 150 orders per day previously) by automating 18 validation checks on shipments, and barcode scanning with conveyors. These productivity improvements enabled DCS to reduce its floor employees in the old warehouse, which had 90 workers, to only 15 employees per shift in the new facility, a tremendous reduction in headcount and cost, and to do away with overtime altogether.

In addition to speed, the new system increased accuracy and compliance by a large margin in DCS. Each product, pallet and case is tracked in real time with lot and expiry information. Clients (hospitals, pharmacies, manufacturers) are now able to access a secure online portal that is connected with D365, and they can view near real-time inventory, expiration dates, and order status. Whereas phone calls and emails would take up to two days, it is now instantaneous. Such openness allows customers to schedule inventory restocks and promotions based on the shelf life of products.

Financial processes were also standardized and centralized in DCS. The finance team saved time to analyze by closing books in 4 days as opposed to 14 days. Maintenance tasks are also an added value to warehouse and accounting personnel who are now redeployed to strategic work. According to the VP of IT of DCS, this ERP will be used throughout the life of this facility. It is cloud-based and we are always up to date, and I can now extract more out of my team.”

Key Benefits in Pharma and Logistics Included:

Massive capacity jump: The new warehouse processed 300% more parcels and cut large-order lead times by ~90%. Orders that once took two days are shipped same-day.
Inventory accuracy and traceability: Barcode scanning and conveyor automation ensure 100% scan rates. Every case is traceable end-to-end, supporting FDA-mandated lot tracking.
Cost savings: Labor costs fell dramatically (fewer staff needed, no overtime). High automation also reduced damage and waste.
Regulatory compliance: Automated data capture and built-in validation checks simplify compliance reporting (e.g. FDA, DEA). Generating audit reports became nearly instantaneous.
Customer service: Clients get faster answers via the portal and improved fill rates. The advanced WMS enabled DCS’s customers to increase order accuracy and reduce lead times (some metrics above 100% improvement).

This pharmaceutical logistics use case demonstrates how D365 Supply Chain Management with advanced warehousing can drive the whole distribution network off a single source of truth – both regulatory compliance and previously unseen throughput.

Retail and Distribution: Unified Inventory and Faster Fulfillment

Distributors and retailers are experiencing unpredictable demand and omnichannel fulfillment. The integrated commerce, supply chain, and warehouse management features in Microsoft Dynamics 365 have assisted numerous retailers and wholesalers in North America to eradicate fragmentation and what has been referred to as inventory guesswork.

A case in point is Murdoch Ranch & Home Supply, a local chain of farm-and-ranch stores in the Western U.S. Murdoch had 40 stores and several DCs that ran on an old legacy system that did not provide consistent data. Murdoch has centralized data in all stores, back-office and online channels after migrating to Dynamics 365 (Finance, Commerce/Commerce, and Supply Chain Management with advanced warehousing).

The effect was instant: overnight, buyers and managers were able to look at real inventory on demand of more than 300,000 SKUs. Rather than using store counts that are fragmented or reports that are delayed, employees now receive real-time on-hand inventory, sales patterns, and replenishment notifications in Dynamics 365. This single source of visibility leads to more precise purchase orders and forecasting by region – no stockouts, no overstocking.

Finance and reporting were also boosted at Murdoch. The month-end closings that used to take a long time because of the inventory reconciliation now take much less time and are more accurate, as all transactions (in-store sales, transfers between locations, returns, promotions) are processed in the same system. Any product can be looked up by the store teams in a matter of seconds on their handheld devices and a sale or a return can be processed, and the impact on inventory is visible in real time. The outcome is improved customer service and omnichannel fulfillment (e.g., ship-from-store on online orders).

Key Benefits in Retail and Distribution Include:

Accurate, real-time inventory: Centralized data means managers know exactly what’s in stock at any location. One retailer cited that inventory visibility improved from “guesswork” to precise, actionable information.
Faster store openings/expansions: New store rollouts (Murdoch’s opened 4 new stores concurrent with the D365 cutover) became seamless because all inventory and pricing configurations were centrally managed.
Improved forecasting: With live sales and stock data, buyers can spot trends and adjust promotions. Integration with cloud forecasting tools (Power BI) further tunes replenishment.
Reduced manual work: Eliminating multiple stand-alone systems cuts down on data entry errors. Staff can now get daily P&L and sales reports without juggling spreadsheets.

Similar gains are reported by other retailers and wholesalers in North America. As an example, beverage and grocery distributors who use Dynamics 365 have reduced order cycle times by 50 percent and increased on-time delivery rates by astronomical levels after activating advanced warehouse capabilities such as wave picking and route optimization. Even small local distributors report that switching out homegrown inventory tools with D365 Business Central and a WMS add-on results in “inventory accuracy in the low 80s to the mid-90s percent,” as industry observers report.

Achieving Operational Excellence: The Bottom-Line Results

Across these industries, a few common themes emerge. Companies implementing Dynamics 365 advanced WMS have seen:

Sharp increases in throughput. Automated picking and put-away processes dramatically speed up order fulfillment. For example, a life-sciences distributor tripled its shipping volume in one year.
Shorter order cycle times. Tasks that took days (large-order picking, audit reporting) are often completed same-day or in hours. One manufacturer reduced production downtime by synchronizing material availability in real time.
Higher inventory accuracy. Cycle counting and barcoded transactions ensure perpetual inventory is within a few percentage points of book values. This accuracy supports leaner safety stocks and reduced write-offs.
Enhanced compliance and traceability. Integrated lot/serial number tracking and quality data enable rapid response to recalls or audits. Food and pharma companies report that compliance reporting time was cut by 50–90%.
Lower operating costs. By eliminating redundant processes (spreadsheets, manual scans) and reducing workforce overtime, companies often recoup implementation costs within months. Leaner warehouse footprints are possible when operations run more efficiently.

In short, leading North American organizations are leveraging Dynamics 365’s WMS capabilities as a force multiplier – turning complex, data-siloed warehouses into streamlined centers of excellence.

Know more: Streamline Your Warehouse with Efficient Cycle Counting in MetaWMS

Modern WMS Solutions for Dynamics 365 (MetaWMS)

In order to maintain and build on these advantages, numerous companies complement Dynamics 365 with specialized modern WMS solutions developed on the platform. As an example, MetaWMS (by MetaOption) is an advanced warehouse management system that runs in the cloud and is natively integrated with Dynamics 365 Business Central. MetaWMS offers powerful functions such as multi-site bin management, license plate (pallet) tracking, and 1D/2D barcode scanning of all warehouse operations. It facilitates mobile scanning and label printing, automated put-away and picking instructions, cycle counting, FIFO/FEFO (expiry) logic, and integration with the large shipping carriers. In reality, MetaWMS provides warehouse employees with the same real-time view of inventory as the back office, but on rugged handhelds.

Implementing MetaWMS to Business Central, companies will receive n number of benefits:

The staff of the warehouse will spend less time searching and processing orders, as the system will indicate the right bins and check every scan.
The process of counting inventory is quicker and more precise (even in multi-warehouse environments) since MetaWMS automates cycle count activities.
Important metrics such as available inventory, work in progress, and labor performance can be accessed on demand and managers can reallocate resources or processes instantly.
All this is converted to lower handling costs and increased service levels.

To supply chain executives looking to implement advanced WMS on Dynamics 365, a solution such as MetaWMS presents an attractive route to operational excellence. It can enable your organization to achieve the performance gains described in these case studies, including increased inventory accuracy, reduced cycle times, improved compliance, and cost savings by building on the native capabilities of Business Central with advanced warehouse features.

To know more about the integration of MetaWMS with Dynamics 365 Business Central and how it facilitates the productivity of the warehouse, you can contact the MetaWMS team. Their specialists are able to demonstrate how your business can be placed in a better position to be more efficient and grow in the current competitive market using modern, fully integrated warehouse software.