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Reshaping a commercial apparel company through Microsoft Dynamics ERP

For over a century, Affinity Apparel has been a leader in the uniform manufacturing industry. After relying on a third party for ERP deployment, sluggish technology, frequent system crashes, and a crumbling tech infrastructure nearly destroyed their hard work and reputation. They turned to Fusion Alliance for help.
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Reshaping a commercial apparel company through Microsoft Dynamics Ax

Challenges

Excessive downtime
Affinity began experiencing system crashes almost immediately after implementing Microsoft Dynamics ERP and ecommerce. Simply printing an invoice or finalizing an order could take several minutes. Analysis showed that AX downtime averaged around 2.5 hours each day, severely impacting company productivity. 
Ecommerce processing failures 
Online sales accounted for a large portion of Affinity Apparel’s revenue, but with a failing ecommerce platform, order fulfillment was nearly impossible. Transaction processing slowed down considerably, and many orders got lost within Dynamics AX.  
Loss of customer loyalty 
Affinity Apparel spent decades building their reputation for excellent customer service and high-quality uniforms, but reliance on tech is essential in modern commerce. Their failing ERP and ecommerce platform led to missing orders, processing delays, and fractured customer service which then triggered a loss of customer confidence.  

Solutions 

 

At first glance, it seemed that Affinity’s problems stemmed from a third-party implementing Microsofy Dynamics ERP and ecommerce platform in the cloud, but this was before Dynamics had a cloud-based option. While this was certainly a problem, an in-depth assessment also revealed inefficient custom code, failures in critical architecture, and a lack of scalability.  

Fusion partnered with Affinity to not only fix these problems but ensure they were positioned for further success. 

Project goal

Stabilize the existing infrastructure 

The first step was to perform a technology rescue to stabilize the environment to get daily operations running smoothly.  
Our solution
  • Repaired critical architecture and increase capacities 
  • Fixed and improved upon the existing code to increase efficiency within the system 
  • Migrated Dynamics AX ERP to a new datacenter to instantly improve performance
  • Reconfigured architecture to adhere to Microsoft best practices for interoperability of devices in Affinity’s warehouses and fulfillment centers 
Project Goal

Increase efficiency across the company  

Affinity initially implemented Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP to increase efficiency and streamline operations. We looked at options that would not only meet these goals but also support a scalable system with the flexibility needed for growth.  
Our solution
  • Eliminated customizations in the original implementation that caused transactions and orders to get lost in the system 
  • Improved transportation management system to eliminate unnecessary costs and gaps in shipping.  
  • Updated warehouse management system to improve how orders are processed and prepared for shipping.
Project Goal

Improve customer experiences and rebuild confidence 

Fixing the tech issues and improving operational efficiency would help speed fulfillment and rebuild any lost customer confidence, but we also looked for ways to improve customer experience to also attract and convert new customers.  
Our solution
  • Deployed customized websites focused on UX to create a more engaging experience 
  • Increased website capabilities to handle increased traffic, offer more functionality, and ensure a seamless buying process for customers. 

 

Results

“With Fusion as a trusted partner for our implementation, we have been able to stabilize our architecture, optimize our AX warehouse module, and enhance our website capabilities to move from an extended implementation to growing our business.”
10x
improved system performance
250%
increase in units shipped
75
days without Dynamics AX-related outages

Impact

Performing a technology rescue was essential to achieve a stable business platform, and once this was complete, Affinity Apparel was in an excellent position for improved operations throughout the company. These increased efficiencies reduced costs and improved their ability to scale for increased growth without increased labor.  

 

System performance 

 

Migrating Affinity’s Dynamics AX ERP system to a new Azure datacenter and fixing misconfigurations within the system improved system performance by a factor of 10. Batch processes were reduced from 40+ hours to less than 10 hours while other performance factors increased individual productivity exponentially.  

 

A stable, scalable system 

 

 Microsoft Dynamics AX is a powerful tool for businesses focused on streamlining operations, increasing efficiency, and delivering seamless customer experiences, but only when its implemented properly. With Fusion’s experience in development and cloud technologies plus adherence to Microsoft best practices secured the stability and reliability of Affinity’s systems and put them back on the path to meeting their goals for continued and increasing leadership in the uniform industry.  

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