Case Study Dutch-Shape

Dutch-Shape’s missing functionality in their engineering-to-order environment

As a leading tooling supplier for large, complex aerostructure parts (especially composite), Dutch-Shape specializes in designing, manufacturing, and delivering tooling to customers in aerospace, defence, marine, transportation, and specialist equipment industries.

In partnership with AXIANS, Dutch-Shape had been using Microsoft Dynamics NAV since 2012 and they had also introduced two new aspects—the project and financial administration—in their ERP system.

Since Dutch-Shape was involved in engineer-to-order-based manufacturing, they were also looking for the third aspect, manufacturing to have a robust ERP environment. AXIANS, with the help of the I-make tool, was already offering the manufacturing functionality in NAV to the company. However, it was inadequate to control their manufacturing aspect effectively. Therefore they started looking for a solution that could offer complete support to their manufacturing aspect in an engineering-to-order environment.

Software and Service

Industrial Equipment Manufacturing

Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Country or Region

The Netherlands

Industry

Aerospace/Aviation, Defence

Company size

± 200 employees

“NAVISION has a standard production module, but that’s mostly oriented to serial manufacturing, which wasn’t relevant to us. To-Increase enabled us to have our engineer-to-order based manufacturing into NAV”.

Guus Engelen, CEO at Dutch-Shape

Zeroing in on To-Increase IEM

AXIANS, Dutch-Shape’s implementation partner, clearly understood the challenge that the company was facing, and recommended the To-Increase Industrial Equipment Manufacturing solution. They were well aware of the capabilities of To-Increase’s IEM solution and knew that it could be the right answer to the company’s quest for missing manufacturing functionality in their ERP system.

Dutch-Shape evaluated IEM’s suitability in solving their challenges and finalized to implement it in their ERP along with AXIANS.

To-Increase IEM’s Advanced Job Management adds manufacturing

To-Increase’s IEM solution consists of 4 modules: Advanced Job Management, Resource Management, Manufacturing Integration, and Service Integration.

Dutch-Shape’s main focus was to have a potent ERP environment and manufacturing was a crucial aspect to ensure that. When they analyzed the IEM solution, they figured IEM’s Advanced Job Management (AJM) module was the perfect fit for their engineer-to-order-based manufacturing.

Dutch-Shape was less involved in modular manufacturing and was more of a typical engineer-to-order business that manufactures customized products for various customers. Therefore, they had a challenge with organizing their specific working fields with Advanced Job Management. However, To-Increase’s AJM was a valuable addition to AXIAN’s I-Make tool, and NAV functionality, which together improved visibility into three crucial areas of ERP—manufacturing, project, and financial administration.

“Before, we were not able to control the manufacturing at all in our ERP. We had two of the three aspects, and now we have all three as we added the third aspect, manufacturing, to project and financial administration.”

- Guus Engelen,

CEO at Dutch-Shape

Download the Dutch-Shape case study

To-Increase IEM solution’s Advanced Job Management module helps Dutch-Shape add the manufacturing aspect to their ERP and improve overall capabilities.

Download Case Study