Business Situation
Before implementing Microsoft Dynamics AX Porthus subsidiaries in Belgium, The Netherlands and Slovakia were running on customised administrative legacy applications. These applications were comprised of several stand-alone environments and databases interfaced with each other. This made it difficult to standardize business processes across the various legal entities and, in addition, complicated the consolidation process.

Solution
After carefully evaluating several ERP solutions, the Porthus management team chose to implement Microsoft Dynamics™ AX. The high functional fit of the Avanade Dynamics AX solution, Avanade’s expertise and experience in project and service management environments, as well as, having access to Avanade’s long-term post-implementation AX support system convinced Porthus to partner with Avanade for their AX implementation project.

The Dynamics AX implementation is a 2-phase process. The first phase, which has been completed, covered the implementation of the Dynamics AX Finance module in Belgium, followed by a roll-out in the Netherlands and in Slovakia. Professional Services for Dynamics AX and Service Management for Dynamics AX are the main modules to be implemented during the second and final phase of the project.

Results

• The combined FIT/ACM approach allowed Porthus and Avanade to shorten the implementation period and achieve a successful ‘go-live’ of the first project phase in July 2009, only 3 months after signing the contract. The AX Finance module is currently already in full support mode at Avanade’s AX support center. The ‘go-live’ of the second project phase (Professional Services and Service Management) will follow in March 2010.
• All standard Microsoft Finance Reporting and Cubes are deployed.
• The respective roll-outs in The Netherlands and Slovakia were included in the first phase and are also already fully operational.