Business Central for Manufacturing
Business Central Premium gives UK manufacturers production orders, bills of materials, routings and capacity planning in the same system as finance, inventory and sales. We implement it around how your shop floor and finance team actually work.
Our Business Central Services
TrueVantage is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner for UK small and mid-market businesses. We implement Business Central, help you choose the right licences and support it after go-live.
How Business Central fits Manufacturing businesses
Common challenges in manufacturing
- Costing you can’t trust. Material, labour and overhead tracked in separate spreadsheets, so true margins only appear after month-end.
- Planning by hand. Production and purchasing schedules rebuilt from stock reports instead of real demand.
- Disconnected stock. Raw materials, work in progress and finished goods counted in different places.
- Traceability gaps. Lot and serial numbers recorded on paper, which slows down recalls and customer queries.
Business Central capabilities that fit
- Production orders and routings. Plan, release and post production orders against routings, work centres and machine centres.
- Production BOMs. Multi-level bills of materials with version management for engineering changes.
- Supply planning. Planning worksheets suggest production and purchase orders from sales demand, forecasts and stock levels.
- Capacity planning. Load work centres and machine centres, including finite loading where capacity is tight.
- Assembly. Assembly orders for light assembly and kitting.
- Item tracking. Lot and serial numbers from receipt, through production, to shipment.
- Costing. Standard, average or FIFO costing, with production costs posted through to the general ledger.
- Warehouse. Bins, put-aways and picks, including picking components for production.
Production orders, production BOMs, routings and capacity planning need the Premium licence; assembly orders are available on Essentials. Our Business Central licences page compares the two with Microsoft’s current UK prices.
Integrations we typically scope
- Power BI for production, margin and stock reporting
- Shop-floor data capture and barcode scanning apps from AppSource
- Quality management or product configurator apps where standard features stop
- CAD or PLM systems that hold engineering BOMs
- EDI with major customers and suppliers
- Microsoft 365, so planners and buyers can work from Outlook, Excel and Teams
Not every business needs all of these. We agree what’s in scope during discovery; for a first estimate, try our Business Central cost calculator, and see how we run a Business Central implementation. After go-live, Business Central managed support keeps the system in step as your business changes.
Why Choose TrueVantage?
Dual-Platform Expertise
One of very few UK consultancies certified in both NetSuite and Business Central. We recommend the right platform for your business, not the one we happen to sell.
Senior-Led Projects
Every project is led by a senior UK consultant with finance and ERP experience.
Designed With Your Finance Team
Our team includes finance- and accounting-experienced consultants, so your chart of accounts, dimensions, approvals and reporting are designed around how you close the month, not bolted on afterwards.
Support After Go-Live
We don't hand over and walk away. After go-live, Business Central managed support covers user help, fixes, improvements and Microsoft's twice-yearly updates.
Not Sure Business Central Is Right for You?
TrueVantage is also a certified NetSuite partner. Our vendor-neutral approach means we'll recommend the platform that genuinely fits your business — even if that means NetSuite is the better choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do manufacturers need Business Central Premium?
Yes, if you run production orders, routings, work centres or production BOMs, because those are Premium features. If you only assemble kits or bundles, Essentials includes assembly orders and may be enough.
Can Business Central handle make-to-order and make-to-stock?
Yes. Planning can create production orders linked to specific sales orders, or from stock levels and forecasts, and you can set the approach item by item.
How does Business Central track production costs?
Each item uses a costing method such as standard, average or FIFO. Materials and capacity consumed on production orders post to inventory and the general ledger, so you can compare expected and actual cost by order.
Can we keep our existing shop-floor or quality tools?
Often, yes. We review what you use today and either integrate it, replace it with an AppSource app, or use standard Business Central features, depending on what fits best.
How long does a manufacturing implementation take?
It depends on the number of items, the complexity of your BOMs and routings, your sites and your integrations. We confirm a plan with you once discovery is complete.
Talk to us about Business Central for your business
Book a free, no-obligation call. We'll talk through how you work today, which Business Central licences and modules you'd need, and what an implementation would involve for your manufacturing business.
Book Your Free Consultation