Spark
Discover & assess
Shape
Design the right process
Navigate
Plan & prepare
Activate
Deploy with confidence
Our Process-First approach to manufacturing
But we can fix this and give you control of what drives profit.
The not-so-secret secret is that we categorically do not start with software. We start with how your business actually runs: how materials move, how labor is captured, where costs accumulate, and where decisions get made.
This is our Process-First Approach. Then we configure Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to match that reality.
If you are growing and it feels harder instead of stronger, something is misaligned. You could make excuses and blame the complexity of growth, or face the real issue of a fundamental system misalignment. We’ve heard it all: too many SKUs, too many builds, too many exceptions. If your numbers require interpretation, your system is not aligned.
Growth is not the cause of this disconnect. Lack of structure does. When systems are layered on top of messy processes, things start breaking quietly. First costing, then scheduling, then trust. Before you know it, your productivity and profitability start to erode.
Are (these) growing pains normal? Really now?
Manufacturing is vast.
Let’s not pretend it runs one way.
“Other partners talked features. Elliott Clark talked process. That difference saved us from building bad habits into a brand-new system.”
COO – Custom Fabrication Manufacturer
Let’s dive into it even further. Process and discrete manufacturing are fundamentally different. When you treat them the same, you get chaos. Costing logic collapses. Inventory gets “adjusted.” Production reports become fiction.
We configure Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central around how your products are actually made and costed. Not how a template assumes they should be.
Your shop floor does not adapt to software. The software adapts to your operation.
Process Manufacturing
Process manufacturing systems need to reflect how materials are formulated, batched, tracked, and regulated, and it’s a pain in the a$$ to stay the least when the system is misaligned to the processes.
You get poor yield visibility, unreliable inventory data, compliance risk, and margin erosion. Elliott Clark Consulting takes a Process-First approach (pun unintended) by starting with how materials actually flow through formulas, batches, and production runs, then aligning Business Central to support those real-world processes.
This creates accuracy, traceability, and control across process manufacturing environments instead of manual fixes and spreadsheet workarounds.
Chemical
Chemical manufacturers face strict regulatory requirements, batch traceability demands, and complex inventory behavior.
ERP fails when systems cannot accurately track formulations, hazardous materials, and compliance documentation.
Elliott Clark Consulting aligns Business Central to chemical production, compliance, and reporting processes so traceability, costing, and safety controls are built in from the start, reducing risk while improving operational visibility.
Cosmetics
Cosmetics manufacturers struggle with frequent formula changes, lot traceability, and fast-moving product lifecycles.
ERP issues arise when formulation management and inventory tracking are disconnected from production reality.
Using a Process-First approach, Elliott Clark Consulting aligns Business Central to formulation workflows, batch tracking, and compliance needs, enabling faster launches, fewer errors, and clear visibility into inventory and margins.
Food & Beverage
In food and beverage, small mistakes are not small, and these mistakes get expensive very quickly.
A traceability gap becomes a recall risk. A yield error becomes margin loss. A reporting delay becomes compliance exposure.
This isn’t a myth, but it doesn’t have to be your reality.
We make Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central reflect real batching, quality controls, and lot tracking, so you stay accurate, compliant and profitable.
Discrete Manufacturing
A Process-First approach aligns Business Central to how work truly flows from order to production to delivery.
Discrete manufacturers often operate across multiple modes, including Make to Stock, Make to Order, Engineer to Order, Configure to Order, and Job Shop Manufacturing.
When these modes are treated the same, ERP creates friction instead of control.
By identifying the modes your business actually runs on, often more than one, systems can be aligned to support demand variability, customization, and risk correctly.
This creates clarity and scalability across discrete manufacturing environments.
We support discrete manufacturers across industries such as :
Industrial Manufacturing
Complex assemblies and long lead times expose industrial manufacturers when costing and production visibility break down.
Elliott Clark’s Process-First approach aligns Business Central to real production and costing workflows so performance stays visible and decisions stay grounded as operations scale.
Consumer
Goods
High volume and unpredictable demand quickly punish consumer goods manufacturers when inventory and planning lose sync.
By fitting Business Central to real demand and replenishment patterns, stock stays balanced and margins stay protected.
Aerospace and Defense
Long project lifecycles and strict compliance leave no margin for error in aerospace and defense operations.
Aligning engineering, production, and finance inside Business Central keeps costs, timelines, and compliance under control without disrupting execution.
Automotive
Just-in-time production and complex supply chains magnify small breakdowns in automotive operations.
When Business Central reflects real production flow and supplier coordination, stability improves and margin visibility holds as volume increases.
Medical Devices
Regulatory pressure and traceability demands strain medical device manufacturers when systems slow them down.
Aligning Business Central to quality and compliance processes builds control in from the start without sacrificing speed or visibility.
Metal Fabrication
High-mix, job-based work exposes metal fabricators when rigid ERP cannot adapt to the shop floor.
Configuring Business Central around real machine, labor, and job flow keeps schedules flexible and job profitability clear.
Electronics
Rapid product cycles and complex BOMs overwhelm electronics manufacturers when changes do not cascade accurately.
When Business Central mirrors real BOM, production, and cost processes, accuracy improves and innovation moves faster.
And More
Discrete manufacturing looks different across industries, but ERP fails for the same reason when it ignores how products are actually built.
A Process-First alignment ensures Business Central supports growth instead of constraining it.
Not sure if you are ready for ERP?
Discrete Manufacturing Modes
Discrete manufacturing success is driven less by what you make and more by how and when you build it. When ERP ignores this, costs rise, complexity increases, and margins disappear.
Different production modes reflect different levels of demand, customization, and risk. ERP fails when these modes are treated the same. Elliott Clark Consulting uses a Process-First approach to identify the modes your business actually runs on, often more than one, and aligns Business Central to support them correctly.
Overproduction and stockouts happen when ERP forecasts do not reflect real demand. Elliott Clark starts by aligning planning and inventory processes to actual sales behavior, then configures Business Central to support smarter production decisions.
The result is lower inventory risk, better availability, and clearer margins.
Make to Stock (MTS)
Custom orders quickly lose profitability when ERP cannot connect sales, production, and costing. A Process-First approach aligns how orders flow through the business before configuring Business Central to trigger production and track costs correctly.
The outcome is predictable delivery and profitable custom work.
Make to Order (MTO)
ETO projects fail when ERP cannot handle design changes, long timelines, and complex costing. Elliott Clark aligns engineering, production, and finance processes first, then configures Business Central to support project-based execution.
This delivers better cost control, visibility, and fewer surprises.
Engineer to Order (ETO)
Configuration errors and pricing mistakes occur when ERP allows invalid options. Elliott Clark defines clear configuration and pricing rules first, then configures Business Central to enforce them automatically.
The result is faster quotes, fewer errors, and smoother handoffs to production.
Configure to Order (CTO)
Rigid ERP systems break down in high-mix, constantly changing job shops. Elliott Clark studies real shop floor flow and priorities, then configures Business Central to support flexible scheduling and job costing.
The benefit is better workload control, on-time delivery, and clear job profitability.