Aston Martin extends eBECS AX implementation with CRM
1 min read
Prestige sports cars manufacturer Aston Martin is to extend its earlier implementation of eBECS and Microsoft Dynamics AX financials module with Microsoft Dynamics AX CRM.
Bradley Yorke-Biggs, strategy & IT director at Aston Martin, states that the upgrade will allow the historic manufacturer to replace a currently unmanageable series of spreadsheets and disconnected databases, and achieve a fully-integrated database of contacts.
"We need to determine at an early stage with the customer whether they are contacting us through the app, the website or through the dealer network," states Yorke-Biggs.
"We need to know the difference, for example, between a 14 year old looking on our website for a cap for his Dad's birthday, or a One-77 customer willing to spend £1.2 million pounds on a supercar," he explains.
"There's little point us sending a glossy One-77 brochure and an invitation for a viewing to someone who is buying a cap off the website, and vice versa."
Aston Martin originally selected eBECS and Microsoft Dynamics AX over SAP, because of the flexibility of the former, the option to expand into a complete ERP solution, and the implementation strategy proposed by eBECS.
Yorke-Biggs also cites eBECS automotive experience as very important. "We weren't just looking for a partner that understood the technology; we also wanted a partner that understood our specific sector, so that all they had to learn was the Aston Martin way of doing things," he states.
And he says that Aston Martin is now looking at options for moving some of its systems to the cloud – currently evaluating Office 365 – and will also embark on a more complete implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX in 2013.
"With the full implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, we will have a far more accurate and resilient product structure and engineering change management environment," says Yorke-Biggs.
"Currently, this is a manual process. But this solution will bring with it an electronic change management capability, which is a big leap for us. It will improve the integrity of the system we use and affect changes to manufacturing faster, but still respect our unique engineering and manufacturing concept."
