Kenyan Water Bottle Manufacturer Boosts Operational Efficiency
A leading bottled water manufacturer in Kenya transformed its sales, distribution, production planning, and financial control through the successful re-implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Power BI, achieving higher output with the same operational resources.
Driving Distribution, Production & Financial Control with Microsoft Dynamics NAV
As one of Kenya’s early bottled water manufacturers with distribution spanning all 10 provinces and cross-border exports, the business faced growing complexity in managing sales, delivery fleets, inventory, and production planning. Reliance on spreadsheets and disconnected manual processes resulted in high transportation costs, poor delivery efficiency, limited forecasting ability, and weak financial control.
Synobiz re-implemented Microsoft Dynamics NAV to establish a unified ERP platform covering sales-to-receivable, purchase-to-pay, inventory, production, and finance. With Power BI analytics, mobile distribution apps, and integrated fleet and fuel management, the solution delivered real-time visibility, accurate planning, and scalable operational control across production, distribution, and financial reporting.
Legacy Solution
- Business operations were managed through spreadsheets and offline systems without an integrated ERP platform.
- An earlier Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementation by a regional partner was unsuccessful, leading to cost overruns and low system adoption.
Implemented Technological Advancements
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2
Stabilized and optimized Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 R2 on Microsoft SQL Server to manage core business operations including sales, inventory, production, and finance.
MS SQL Server Backend
Implemented Microsoft SQL Server as the centralized database layer to ensure data integrity, performance, scalability, and reliable transaction processing.
Power BI Analytics & Reporting
Deployed Microsoft Power BI to deliver real-time dashboards and management reports for sales, inventory, production, finance, and operational KPIs.
Mobile Distribution Management
Developed and integrated an Android-based mobile application to manage sales force activities, dealer operations, and distribution execution in real time.
Challenges Encountered
Uncontrolled Sales & Delivery Network
A large sales force and delivery network were managed without any system control, resulting in high transportation costs, missed sales opportunities, and poor delivery efficiency.
Failed ERP Implementation & Low User Confidence
A previous Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementation by an external partner failed, leading to significant implementation cost and very low confidence among business owners and end users.
Working Capital Blocked in Inventory
Excess inventory and lack of inventory planning resulted in working capital blockage, increasing carrying costs and reducing financial flexibility.
No Production Forecasting & MRP
The organization lacked production forecasting and material requirement planning, making it difficult to align production schedules with demand and material availability.
Uncontrolled Fuel & Fleet Expenses
Fuel costs formed a major portion of delivery and overhead expenses, but there was no system-driven mechanism to monitor fuel usage, mileage, or fleet performance.
Manual Financial MIS & Compliance Reporting
Financial MIS, statutory reporting, audits, and fixed asset depreciation were handled manually, making the processes time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to scale.
Project Highlights
Rapid ERP Re-Implementation
Implemented Purchase-to-Pay, Sales-to-Receivable, Inventory, and Production Management modules within a 4-month timeframe and at nearly half the cost incurred during the previous failed implementation.
Real-Time Product Availability Planning
Enabled real-time product availability and inventory updates, significantly improving order fulfillment accuracy and overall customer satisfaction.
Salesforce & Route Management Integration
Successfully integrated Salesforce Route Management with Microsoft Dynamics NAV to manage dealer networks and sales force operations, including on-the-go invoicing via portable printers.
Production Forecasting & Scheduling
Enabled production forecasting and production planning to align manufacturing schedules with current and projected demand.
Fuel Requisition & Fleet Control
Implemented a fuel requisition module to monitor fuel consumption, control delivery costs, and manage vehicle maintenance schedules.
Sales Growth Through Demand-Driven Planning
Improved sales performance by aligning production planning with actual demand and projected market requirements.
Resolved Challenges
Centralized Dealer & Sales Force Management
Microsoft Dynamics NAV integrated with Android devices and handheld printers enabled effective control over dealer networks and sales force operations. Delivery fleet status is now tracked live directly from the ERP system.
Inventory Optimization with Forecasting & MRP
Production forecasting and material requirement planning enabled accurate inventory control using ABC classification, significantly reducing excess stock and working capital blockage.
Fuel Expense & Fleet Performance Control
Fuel requisition and fleet monitoring modules now provide complete visibility into fuel consumption, vehicle mileage, performance metrics, and maintenance schedules from a single system.
Automated Financial MIS & Faster Closures
Automated workflows deliver real-time financial MIS, trial balances, depreciation, bank reconciliation, and year-end closing processes that previously took days to complete manually.
Plant & Fleet Maintenance Automation (PMS)
Synobiz implemented a Plant & Maintenance System (PMS) to automate preventive, recurring, and breakdown maintenance across both production assets and fleet operations.
Seasonal Sales & Production Forecasting
Historical ERP data now enables one-click forecasting of seasonal product sales and production requirements, improving demand alignment and planning accuracy.
25% Higher Production with Same Resources
Seamless execution of production and inventory management processes enabled a 25% increase in production output using the same manpower and production infrastructure.
Data Visualization Tool
Vehicle Load Balancing Report
Route-Wise Sales Analysis
Dealer-Wise Stock Report
Order & Delivery Analysis Report
Vehicle Maintenance & Performance Report
Financial Reports (Zambian Localization)
Customer Outstanding Report
We have got satisfactory results while working with Synobiz in the Re-Implementation of Dynamics NAV because of their dedication and implementation approach that they had followed.
Manager IT