Marubeni Natural Gas and LNG America Corp Case Study: Developing an Accounting System with Business Central Standard Pack for Dynamics 365
1. Service Category
- Service Category
- Dynamics 365 Business Central Standard Pack
- Client’s Industry
- Energy industry
2. Introduction
Marubeni Natural Gas and LNG America Corp supplies raw gas to natural gas liquefaction and export terminals in North America, manages production operations, and provides delivery services.
Until recently, the company had been managing accounting data via manual entry, mainly in Excel spreadsheets, and wanted to implement an ERP system that would manage all their data for them.
There were two key issues to be addressed:
- Manual data entry was time-consuming and labor intensive, with a significant risk of human error.
- Manual preparation of reports created a time-consuming task every month.
Implementing an ERP system usually takes 8-12 months, with some taking years, but Marubeni needed the system to be implemented in time for an accounting audit for FY 2023 to start in four months.
Customer Feedback
Fumiya Yamazaki
We particularly wanted to improve upon our manual data entry and account management processes in Excel. Not only was it risky, it took a significant amount of time.
We aligned with the head office on implementing an ERP system and began a vendor selection process. We prioritized cost and reliability, and SYSCOM was one of our top three candidates.
SYSCOM’s response felt highly reliable thanks to the specificity of their quotation, their research capabilities, and their interest in achieving business and financial results. Their price was the same or even slightly higher than competitors’, but we felt their value was greater, thanks to the quality of their service and customer support. We placed the order with SYSCOM.
Once we began working together, we had biweekly meetings to manage schedules, coordinate preparation, and share progress and status. We trusted the project to SYSCOM with complete confidence.
3. Implemented Solution
Our Standard Pack for Dynamics 365 Business Central was a perfect solution for this. The Standard Pack we offer is an optimized package of settings and features based on our 30 years of experience as an IT partner to more than a thousand companies and the customer feedback we’ve acquired in that work.
The Standard Pack for Business Central is optimized for small- and medium-sized businesses, with specified business scopes essential for corporate activities. And thanks to its pre-optimization, it has the added benefit of being reasonably priced and quick to implement.
Customer Feedback
With the minimum necessary settings and functions for our business requirements already selected, the system proposed was easy to use and cost-effective. One of our affiliated companies had previously implemented MicrosoftDynamics NAV and felt Dynamics 365, an updated version, would solve our problems.
Since Dynamics 365 and Excel are both Microsoft products, we were able to upload our Excel sorting in bulk—a highly attractive feature for us. Our work efficiency has greatly improved as a result. And, in addition to being more secure, our new system also provides excellent data backups and other benefits that exceeded our expectations.
4. Known Issues
Prior to implementation, accounting data was managed manually in Excel. The client wanted to be able to input journal data into the system in batches, so we proposed a package with only the necessary functions from Business Central and proceeded with implementation.
During implementation testing at the final stage, we discovered the client’s request for “batch uploads of accounting information with Due Date” could not be accommodated by the standard functionality and customized development was needed.
While it made us miss the scheduled delivery date, we diligently explained the issue to the client and made a proposal to address it. The client accepted the proposal and our developers proceeded with the needed customization.
Additional reports for the management of related receivables and payables were also added along with the Due Date, and as a result, “adding items to the Journal input screen” and “creating reports for managing receivables and payables” were implemented as Phase 1 of development.
| April 2023 |
|---|
| Project start |
| August-September 2023 |
|---|
| Development of additional functions (i.e., batch uploads of journal entries and reports) |
| October 2023 |
|---|
| System operation |
Customer Feedback
Being able to batch-upload accounting information was so important that we were willing to push back the delivery date to give the development team time to build in the customization. We prioritized work efficiency over delivery date, but understood that the customization was an additional request from us, so we were still satisfied with the extended delivery date.
In fact, thanks to regular meetings and progress checks, we were able to discover the need before implementation and have it addressed.
5. Implementation Strategy
Our project manager stayed involved alongside the consultants as needed to ensure the best possible proposals were made to our client. And, to better facilitate communication and accommodate any of the client’s requests, feedback, and problems during the project, the account executive stayed in frequent touch with them via phone apart from our regular meetings. This all created an environment that made it easy to consult with the client.
While we never ended up hearing any complaints or concerns, we believe this support system enabled the client to express honest opinions, fostering a sense of security and trust.
Customer Feedback
The three-party support we received, from engineer to project manager to account executive, was a great advantage throughout the projects.
Another was being able to communicate our complex requirements in Japanese. As this was a new experience both for myself and the company, and since our business is quite unique, being able to communicate detailed requirements in my first language gave me a greater sense of security.
6. Results
Work Efficiency
The client has improved its work efficiency by 90% thanks to successfully utilizing the “Edit in Excel” journal batch-upload function, and have reported their Excel migration worked perfectly without any modifications. What’s more, receivables and payables balances were working without issue. Reports can be generated simply by entering Due Dates, a task previously done by hand.
All training sessions during implementation were recorded and shared, allowing them to review at any time convenient for them. As a result, the implementation process worked as expected with no issues and only a few inquiries.
After implementing the standard package for Phase 1, we now plan to use Dynamics 365’s excellent compatibility and scalability to enhance the client’s reporting with PowerBI in Phase 2. This will further improve the company’s working efficiency by quickly extracting, converting, and integrating data in a no-code/low-code manner, and visualizing the data in reports.
Customer Feedback
Atsuko Ishino
Data migration has completed and we’ve begun processing month-end transactions using our new system. Data analysis is much easier, and the new process for the customized receivables and payables management report has improved the process’s efficiency by 90%.
In the future, monthly journal entries will be automated, reducing time required for journal entry, and we expect more reductions in human error and increases in time efficiency, which was our initial goal.
7. Project Members
Consultant: Christopher Brumley
With 5 years of experience in project and program management as a Microsoft Partner, Christopher is a certified Project Management Professional and Business Central Functional Consultant. He supports Japanese corporate clients with his bilingual skills.
Account Executive: Miho Ruscitto
Miho was in charge of proposing and supporting management solutions, such as funds procurement, to manufacturing clients at a Japanese megabank. After moving to the US, she supported Japanese companies moving to the US at a marketing firm before joining SYSCOM. At SYSCOM, she supports clients on their digital transformation journeys with solutions like Microsoft Dynamics and Power Platform.
Project Manager: Emi Kikkawa
Emi has been involved in business application development for more than 10 years as a software engineer and PM, and is currently engaged in solution proposals and support for clients in ERP system implementation projects.
8. Reasons for choosing SYSCOM
Customer Feedback
We chose SYSCOM for this system implementation for three reasons: they had an implementation track record in our group companies, they were cost-competitive, and they were reliable. We appreciated the training videos they shared, their regular meetings, and the ability to confirm requirements in Japanese. They were very flexible in responding to additional orders and provided us with new quotes immediately.
We had our kickoff meeting in April and were amazed that the entire system was implemented within six months. We had heard that ERP implementation usually takes longer, so we were grateful for how hard they worked to meet our needs.
9. Conclusion
SYSCOM is a comprehensive IT solution provider that offers the best digital solutions to solve your issues. Our comprehensive support includes solution planning to consulting and operational services, and with experts in each field, we can approach our clients from any direction required.
Additionally, as shown in this case study, we’re able to provide detailed support and collaboration with not only our engineers, but our project managers and account executive as well, ensuring clients feel confident and at ease with their decision-making.
We provide a wide range of proposals and support to meet our clients’ diverse needs, including implementing Dynamics 365, ERP and CRM, data collection, analysis and forecasting, and building new applications. Please reach out if you have an issue in need of resolution—we strive to improve business efficiency, cost effectiveness, and time cost.
