Ever scrambled to find a missing shipment only to discover it was sitting on a back-order pile? Or spent hours reconciling purchase orders and invoices, wondering if you’ll ever catch up? Supply chain headaches waste time, money, and energy—and they can make even the most seasoned operations manager lose sleep.
Supply chain management matters because it’s the backbone of your entire business. If your materials don’t arrive on time or your orders get bungled, your customers won’t wait around. You need reliable processes that keep you one step ahead, not buried under spreadsheets and frantic phone calls.
At WMS, our philosophy is simple: technology should free you from operational hassles, not add to them. Whether it’s a full ERP implementation or a custom software add-on, we streamline your processes so you can focus on growth, innovation, and serving your customers. In this blog, we’ll explore the top five supply chain challenges and show you exactly how Microsoft Business Central can fix them.
For expert guidance tailored to Australian SMBs, visit Work Made Simple (WMS).
Why it matters: Without up-to-date information on inventory levels, shipments, and production status, you’re guessing—and guesses lead to stockouts, overstock, and angry customers.
Why it matters: Data entry mistakes cost at least 1%–3% of revenue every year. Manually updating dozens of spreadsheets just multiplies that risk.
Why it matters: Guess too low and you lose sales; guess too high and you tie up cash in unsold stock.
Why it matters: Picking, packing, and shipping represent up to 50% of distribution costs. Every wasted minute adds up.
Why it matters: Multiple disconnected tools force you to switch contexts, reconcile data manually, and trust that every system is up to date.
Business Central’s native warehouse module handles bin management, picking optimisation and task assignment. For Australian distributors and manufacturers requiring full mobile barcode scanning across the warehouse floor, WMS IT implements Tasklet Mobile WMS — a Business Central-certified warehouse execution system:
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| ERP is only for big companies. | Business Central scales from small businesses to enterprises. |
| Implementation takes years. | A core deployment can go live in as little as 8–12 weeks with the right partner. |
| Customizations break upgrades. | Extensions in Business Central keep custom code separate and safe during updates. |
| You need an army of consultants. | A small project team plus a trusted partner like WMS can handle your entire rollout. |
| Cloud ERP isn’t secure. | Microsoft Azure provides enterprise-grade security, compliance, and 24/7 monitoring. |
Reality: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is built specifically for SMBs. Australian businesses from 5 to 500 staff run on Business Central. Pricing starts at approximately AUD $108/user/month — less than most businesses spend on a single staff member’s software subscriptions.
Reality: Business Central is highly configurable without custom code. More than 95% of Australian SMB supply chain requirements are met by standard Business Central configuration. Where custom logic is needed, Business Central’s extension model handles it without disrupting upgrades. Business Central customisation and integration
Reality: A well-scoped Business Central implementation for a 20–50 person Australian business typically takes 10–16 weeks. WMS IT uses a phased rollout approach — core modules go live first, with additional features added progressively to minimise operational disruption. 90-day ERP implementation roadmap
Reality: Microsoft Azure — the platform hosting Business Central — holds more security certifications than any on-premise server room an SMB can build. Azure operates Australian data centres (East and Southeast Australia) for data sovereignty compliance. Microsoft Azure Australian data centres
Reality: The hidden cost of disconnected systems is the manual work required to keep them in sync. 77% of organisations eliminate this data silo problem within 12 months of ERP implementation. (Source: NetSuite, 2025)
Our clients range from family-owned distributors to national manufacturers. We understand your challenges because we’ve faced them ourselves. At Work Made Simple (WMS), we believe in clear communication, realistic timelines, and delivering value from day one. Whether you need a full ERP implementation or a custom add-on, our team stands by you every step of the way.
WMS IT is a certified Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partner specialising in supply chain, distribution and manufacturing ERP for Australian SMBs.
Our supply chain implementations deliver:
Explore related topics:
AI demand forecasting with Business Central
Real-time inventory management — eliminate stockouts
Inventory optimization for Australian distributors
See how we’ve solved supply chain challenges for Australian businesses:
Book a free Supply Chain ERP Assessment
Or explore our full range of ERP services:
Common challenges include lack of real-time visibility, manual and error-prone processes, inaccurate demand forecasting, inefficient warehouse operations, and disconnected systems.
It offers a unified dashboard showing inventory, sales, purchase orders, and production schedules, automated alerts, and mobile access for real-time status updates.
Yes, it integrates workflows, enables barcode scanning, and applies role-based permissions to minimize manual errors and streamline operations.
It uses machine learning to analyze sales history and seasonality, provides what-if scenarios for planning, and facilitates vendor collaboration to improve reorder accuracy.
Features include optimized picking routes, warehouse bin tracking, and real-time task management to reduce distribution costs and improve efficiency.
It integrates sales, purchasing, manufacturing, warehouse, and finance into a single ERP platform with seamless integrations to tools like Power BI and Office 365.
Yes, it scales from small businesses to enterprises, supports both cloud and on-premises deployment, and offers customizable modules.
A core deployment can go live in as little as 8 to 12 weeks with the right implementation partner.
Yes, it uses Microsoft Azure’s enterprise-grade security, compliance standards, and 24/7 monitoring to ensure data protection.
Regularly review reorder points, set automated alerts, train cross-functional teams, use built-in analytics, and document your processes for continuous improvement.
Devinder Sareen is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and LS Retail partner with 20+ years of ERP implementation experience across Australian retail, distribution and manufacturing.
