AALTO had only been operationally independent for a year-and-a-half. It was facing an ambitious schedule to ready the newly established company for commercializing the Zephyr — a breakthrough technology in more than just aerospace. The team sought to establish and implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. This was crucial to help drive operational efficiency and agility for the company, separate from the existing Airbus systems, while maintaining the same level of robustness within an environment designed for AALTO’s new needs.

AALTO partnered with Avanade to implement a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Core solution and launch processes across finance and procurement. More specifically, the team chose Dynamics 365 to establish modern ways of working and core systems. Particularly for AALTO, Dynamics 365 offered several benefits given the team’s focus on innovation, efficiency and autonomy, including:

• Agile adaptation: Dynamics 365 allows AALTO to scale operations as it adapts, competes and grows without constraints, supporting its ability to quickly respond to new market demands and expand service offerings globally.
• Independent business relationships with suppliers: These relationships are crucial to the success of scaling production and provides greater autonomy in engaging with suppliers to manage future demand.
• Real-time data insights: With access to real-time data and analytics, AALTO’s teams can now make faster and more informed decisions, critical for maintaining its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving aerospace sector.
• Streamlined and standardized processes: By integrating finance, procurement and operations into a single platform, AALTO can now reduce manual tasks and improve overall productivity, allowing employees to collaborate on more strategic activities. This operational excellence continues as the company begins to adapt to new ways of working and build core processes.
• Enhanced security and compliance: The team can now use robust security features to protect sensitive data, crucial for managing high-stakes connectivity.
• Global reach: AALTO’s activities maintain a global reach across varying operational environments, and AALTO now has a platform to support current and future global operations in a robust, centralized way.

Modernizing the core ERP foundation is essential as AALTO continues to scale its business. Its benefits collectively empower employees to operate more independently, efficiently and innovatively — supporting the company’s mission to lead in stratospheric Earth observation and connectivity solutions globally.

“On one hand, we were increasing the speed of commercialization for our Zephyr HAPS aircraft, resulting in expanding our aircraft-related operations, and on the other hand, we were launching a new Airbus subsidiary that had to ensure high Airbus standards continue under new, more independent company processes", explains James Pritchard, AALTO’s director of procurement. “However, with Avanade’s support in setting up Microsoft Dynamics, we are taking advantage of the platform to support a transition that was as smooth as possible, and user-friendly.”

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