MP-365 delivers Microsoft-powered manufacturing IT solutions that transform production enterprises. We help automotive, medical device, pharmaceutical, environmental, and food manufacturers build modern digital workplaces and robust back-office systems. Our experts specialize in modernizing legacy SharePoint intranets, deploying Dynamics 365 CRM, and implementing Power BI analytics and automation. By collapsing silos and uniting systems, we ensure high quality, secure operations and faster time-to-market.
Industry Challenges in Manufacturing
Manufacturers often face entrenched IT pain points:
- Disconnected systems: ERP, MES, CRM and other platforms frequently don’t integrate, leaving teams “operating in silos”. This fragmentation causes redundant data entry, bottlenecks between departments, and lack of visibility for decision-makers.
- Vendor/supplier bottlenecks: Without a dedicated portal, plant-to-vendor communications rely on email and spreadsheets. Purchase orders, technical specs and contracts move slowly and are prone to error.
- Lengthy CRM projects: Off-the-shelf CRMs often require heavy customization. The complexity of tailoring Dynamics 365 to manufacturing processes can lead to longer implementation times and higher costs. This delays ROI and frustrates sales and service teams.
- Integration difficulties: Legacy systems and manual processes struggle to share data. For example, disconnected CRM and finance systems force duplicate work and inhibit real-time reporting. Data remains locked in silos, hindering lean operations.
Poor visibility and findability: Managers lack real-time dashboards for production, sales and quality metrics. Studies show workers can spend up to 20% of their time just searching for internal information. In a typical Microsoft 365 environment, communications spread across Outlook, Teams, Viva (Yammer) and SharePoint, creating scattered archives and hidden knowledge. These challenges slow responses and erode competitiveness.
Tailored Microsoft Solutions for Manufacturers
MP-365 designs solutions to address these challenges using Microsoft technologies. Our offerings include:
- SharePoint & Intranet (Digital Workplace): We modernize or build SharePoint for manufacturing intranets that become a centralized digital workplace. With SharePoint Online, Teams and OneDrive integration, departments share documents, processes and news on a single platform. SharePoint is “designed to collapse silos” – our portals break down departmental walls and deliver mobile-friendly access to specs, policies and reports. We create branded intranet sites with social features (news, surveys, idea forums) to boost engagement. Using SharePoint as a foundation, we also build secure vendor/supplier portals: content and contracts reside in SharePoint, workflows run in Power Automate, Azure AD handles security, and Power BI provides analytics . The result is a digital workplace for manufacturers where employees and partners find information instantly and collaborate efficiently.
- Dynamics 365 CRM & Customer Engagement: Our Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM solutions unify sales, service and marketing. We configure Dynamics Sales, Customer Service and Field Service modules to match manufacturing needs (leads tracking, quotes, contract management). A CRM centralizes every customer order and interaction – you can “keep track of customers and their order history, identify new sales leads, streamline the sales process, and facilitate better support”. MP-365 accelerates CRM rollouts by using industry templates and best practices, avoiding the costly over-customization trap. We integrate CRM with ERP and finance systems so data flows seamlessly. In one example, a U.S. equipment manufacturer gained full pipeline visibility and executed targeted marketing by rapidly deploying Dynamics 365 CRM and linking it to their existing financial system. The payoff is more reliable forecasting, higher lead conversion, and unified customer service across plants.
- Power BI Dashboards & Process Automation: We develop Power BI dashboards to turn plant and business data into actionable insight. Executives can “move from data to decisions in hours, not months”, tracking KPIs like equipment utilization, yield and order backlog in real time. For instance, a factory dashboard can quickly highlight bottlenecks by analyzing cost, capacity and output data, enabling managers to correct production issues before delays occur. To reduce manual work, we build Power Automate (Flow) workflows throughout SharePoint and CRM. In one deployment, MP-365 implemented an automated document-approval workflow (via Power Automate) so that technical manuals and quality documents route automatically for review and sign-off. Overall, our Power Platform solutions eliminate repetitive tasks, enforce consistent processes (e.g. multi-step approvals), and feed live metrics into dashboards – boosting efficiency and quality across the board.
Enterprise Communication & Search: MP-365 strengthens communication with Microsoft Teams, Yammer (Viva Engage) and integrated search. We set up Teams channels and Yammer communities to share announcements and enable cross-location project groups. Crucially, we implement enterprise search and knowledge management to ensure employees find the right information fast. As one analysis notes, data scattered over multiple apps “hinder[s] the free flow of information,” forcing staff to hunt across systems. We apply metadata tagging, Microsoft Search and Delve to unify content from SharePoint, Teams and Outlook. Our solutions often include a centralized knowledge portal or AI-enhanced intranet so that, for example, an engineer can instantly find the latest safety specs or an FAQ maintained by subject-matter experts. This “findability framework” reduces wasted time and spreads expertise throughout the company.
Technology Stack
We leverage the full Microsoft stack tailored for manufacturing:
- Microsoft 365 / Office 365: SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Exchange/Outlook, OneDrive – the backbone of communication, document management and collaboration.
- Dynamics 365: Sales, Customer Service and Field Service modules; Power Apps for custom forms. These handle CRM, service cases, quotations, and integrate with ERP.
- Power Platform: Power BI for data visualization, Power Automate for workflow automation, Power Apps for light custom apps or portals.
- Azure Services: Azure Active Directory for security, Azure Logic Apps/Service Bus for integration, Azure DevOps for agile delivery, and optional IoT/ML services for Industry 4.0 scenarios.
Integration & Security: We connect on-premise and cloud systems via Microsoft’s secure integration stack (Data Gateway, API Management, etc.) and apply governance (Azure AD, Conditional Access) so data is both accessible and protected.
Case Examples
- Intranet & Collaboration (North American Manufacturer): A multi-site equipment manufacturer lacked a unified hub for documents and processes. MP-365 delivered a SharePoint Online intranet with interactive process maps and embedded Teams links. We built a custom Power Automate approval workflow for engineering documents. Employees now access policies, map production flows, and collaborate in one place. This branded intranet formalized business workflows, accelerated document approvals, and improved employee engagement.
- CRM & Sales (U.S. Industrial Producer): A leading manufacturing firm needed better sales pipeline visibility. MP-365 implemented Dynamics 365 Sales CRM, integrating it with the client’s ERP. The new CRM allowed sales and marketing to share customer data seamlessly. Within weeks, the company could track all leads and orders in one system and run targeted email campaigns. The rapid deployment and out-of-the-box customization meant sales reps quickly gained confidence in the tool. The end result was improved forecasting and a more disciplined sales process.
Analytics & Automation (Global Pharma Manufacturer): A pharmaceutical production company wanted real-time KPIs and fewer manual reports. We built Power BI dashboards that aggregate plant-floor and ERP data, enabling managers to monitor yield and equipment performance around the clock. Automated alerts and Power Automate flows were set up to notify teams of parameter breaches, reducing defect rates. Using these BI insights, the client streamlined reporting cycles from weeks to minutes, making the operation more agile and responsive.
Why MP-365?
MP-365 is your partner for manufacturing IT solutions built on Microsoft technologies. Our consultants bring deep domain knowledge in automotive, med-tech, pharma and other regulated industries. We marry best practices with hands-on experience (many projects like the ones above) to ensure your rollout stays on time and budget. MP-365 is a certified Microsoft partner with proven expertise in SharePoint, Dynamics 365 and Azure – we know how to align Microsoft’s tools to factory needs.
Ready to modernize your manufacturing IT?
Contact MP-365 today to discuss your digital workplace and CRM needs. Our team will assess your challenges, propose a tailored roadmap, and help you achieve faster collaboration, reliable data and measurable ROI in your operations.
Contact Us to schedule a consultation