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Business Central for Process Manufacturing

Business Central provides a powerful cloud ERP foundation for small and mid-sized process manufacturers.
Sabre is the leading Business Central partner for training and implementation in North America.

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Benefits of Business Central for Process Manufacturing

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central connects financial management with purchasing, inventory, warehousing, production, sales and reporting.

For process manufacturers, Business Central can serve as the foundation of a broader solution that incorporates formula management, batch production, traceability, quality and other industry-specific capabilities.

One Integrated System

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central connects accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory, production and customer service in one system. Teams work from the same data, reducing duplicate entry and improving visibility into materials, batches, orders and financial performance.

With the right process manufacturing functionality, you can connect formulas, ingredients, packaging and finished products to production and costing. Track lot numbers, expiration dates, material consumption, batch output and production variances throughout the manufacturing process.

Built-in dimensions, dashboards, Excel and Power BI help you analyze performance by product, batch, customer, location or production line.

Plan Materials, Batches & Supply

Use sales demand, forecasts, inventory levels, supplier lead times and production requirements to plan what should be purchased and produced. Business Central’s MRP and MPS capabilities help align ingredient availability with batch schedules and finished-goods demand.

Control reorder points, safety stock, lot accumulation periods and purchasing lead times. This helps reduce material shortages, excess inventory, rush orders and production delays.

Approval workflows can also provide greater control over new items, formula changes, purchase requests and material requisitions.

Optimize Batch Operations

Use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to connect demand forecasting, purchasing, inventory and production planning. The system can help generate supply recommendations, reduce stock-outs and ensure ingredients and packaging are available when production is scheduled.

Gain real-time visibility into raw materials, work in progress and finished goods across bins, warehouses and locations. Track material movements, streamline picking and improve order fulfillment without relying on disconnected spreadsheets.

Extend Business Central with process manufacturing applications for formula management, batch scaling, barcode scanning, production scheduling and other industry-specific requirements.

Strengthen Quality & Traceability

Track ingredients, packaging and finished products by lot number from receiving through production and customer shipment. Business Central helps your team identify where materials came from, which batches used them and where finished goods were delivered.

Monitor expiration dates, place inventory on hold and record quality information at key points in purchasing, production and warehousing. Specialized applications can add inspections, approvals, certificates of analysis and non-conformance workflows.

Connected production and quality data help manufacturers respond faster to audits, customer questions and recalls while maintaining more complete records for every batch.

Business Central by Process Manufacturing Industry

food and beverage manufacturing 2

Food and Beverage Manufacturing

Manage recipes, ingredient lots, expiration dates, allergens, production batches and packaging while improving traceability, inventory control and production planning.

business central chemical manufacturing

Chemical Manufacturing

Control formulas, raw materials, batch specifications, hazardous materials and quality requirements while maintaining accurate costing and complete lot traceability.

cosmetics manufacturing

Cosmetics Manufacturing

Coordinate formulas, product variations, packaging, batch production and quality checks while improving visibility from ingredient purchasing through finished goods.

pharmaceutical manufacturing erp

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Support controlled batch production, material tracking, quality approvals and detailed documentation while connecting manufacturing, inventory and financial data.

nutraceutical manufacturing erp

Nutraceutical Manufacturing

Manage formulations, active ingredients, potency, expiration dates and product formats while improving batch consistency, quality control, traceability and inventory.

Food & Beverage Manufacturing in Business Central

Short shelf lives, changing demand and strict ingredient controls make food production difficult to manage with disconnected systems.

Business Central helps coordinate recipes, purchasing, batch production, inventory and sales while maintaining visibility from incoming ingredients to finished products.

Key capabilities include:

  • Manage recipes and production versions.
  • Track allergens and ingredient lots.
  • Monitor expiration dates and shelf life.
  • Plan around seasonal or fluctuating demand.
  • Coordinate ingredients and packaging materials.
  • Record waste, yield and production output.
  • Trace finished products back to suppliers.
business central for food and beverage manufacturing
chemical manufacturing with business central

Chemical Manufacturing in Business Central

Chemical production depends on precise formulas, controlled materials and consistent results across every batch.

Business Central provides the financial and operational foundation, while specialized extensions support formula security, material properties and industry-specific quality processes.

Key capabilities include:

  • Protect and control proprietary formulas.
  • Scale formulas for different batch sizes.
  • Track hazardous and regulated materials.
  • Record concentration, potency or density.
  • Manage containers and packaging formats.
  • Monitor actual yield, waste and rework.
  • Maintain complete batch traceability.

Cosmetics Manufacturing in Business Central

Frequent product launches, packaging variations and private-label requirements create constant complexity for cosmetics manufacturers.

Business Central helps coordinate formulations, packaging components, production schedules and finished goods across brands, sizes, shades and product lines.

Key capabilities include:

  • Manage frequent formula and product changes.
  • Coordinate bottles, labels and packaging components.
  • Support multiple sizes, shades and fragrances.
  • Manage private-label customer requirements.
  • Plan launches and seasonal product demand.
  • Track ingredients and finished product lots.
  • Analyze costs and margins by product line.
business central for cosmetics manufacturing
business central for pharmaceutical manufacturing

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in Business Central

Pharmaceutical production requires controlled workflows, complete documentation and formal approval before inventory can be released.

Business Central connects materials, production, inventory and financial reporting, while specialized applications support validation, quality and compliance requirements.

Key capabilities include:

  • Maintain approved formulations and revisions.
  • Create complete electronic batch records.
  • Quarantine materials pending inspection.
  • Control production and quality approvals.
  • Track lots through every processing stage.
  • Manage expiration and retest dates.
  • Support audits and product recalls.

Nutraceutical Manufacturing in Business Central

Nutraceutical production requires consistent formulations, ingredient traceability and careful control of potency, quality and expiration dates.

Business Central connects purchasing, production, inventory and financial reporting, while specialized applications support formulation, testing and compliance requirements.

Key capabilities include:

  • Maintain approved formulations and revisions.
  • Track active ingredients and supplier lots.
  • Manage potency and concentration requirements.
  • Monitor expiration and retest dates.
  • Coordinate capsules, powders, liquids and gummies.
  • Control quality inspections and approvals.
  • Support audits and product recalls.
business central for nutraceutical manufacturing

Microsoft Dynamics Manufacturing Videos

Learn all about Dynamics manufacturing with our comprehensive videos. Discover the latest features and functionalities of Business Central, a cloud-based ERP system, and find out the best practices for implementation and customization.

Selected Business Central Manufacturing Articles

Learn more about Dynamics manufacturing from our team blog.

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