From ERP Modernization to AI Innovation: Miller Milling’s Ongoing Digital Transformation with Stoneridge Software
Miller Milling, one of the largest flour milling operations in the U.S., has built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality grain-based products. But behind that operational excellence is a leadership team committed to modernizing how work gets done. As operations expanded across facilities, Miller Milling saw the opportunity to consolidate and streamline core systems, setting a foundation for long-term efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and innovation.
That vision led to a strategic partnership with Microsoft partner Stoneridge Software. What began as an ERP modernization initiative has grown into a multi-phase transformation touching nearly every corner of the business, from finance and supply chain to sales, automation, and AI enablement.
The Challenge: Fragmented Systems and Manual Processes
Prior to transformation, Miller Milling faced challenges that are common among multi-site, growing manufacturers:
- Legacy Technology Risk: The company was operating on Dynamics GP, Cinch, and Access databases — tools that had grown outdated and presented significant security vulnerabilities.
- Process Inconsistencies: With acquired locations came inconsistent processes across five milling facilities, leading to inefficiencies and inconsistent outputs.
- Manual Reporting and Tracking: Position reporting, mark-to-market calculations, and forecasting were handled manually, creating risk and slowing decisions.
- Disparate Sales Tools: Sales reps were managing customer relationships through emails, spreadsheets, phone calls, and file shares, which was limiting to visibility and scalability.
“From an infrastructure standpoint, we had to get off Great Plains. The transition to Levridge and Microsoft Dynamics 365 SCM was a great step forward.” – Mike Papp, Director of IT, Miller Milling
The Solution: A Connected Microsoft Ecosystem, Tailored for Agribusiness
To bring Miller Milling’s vision to life, Stoneridge Software began with a comprehensive roadmap process, defining the future-state architecture and priorities for transformation. At the core was a shift to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform, enhanced by Levridge, an agribusiness-specific solution designed to support commodity processing.
Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain + Levridge
Together, the Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management system with Levridge filling in key industry needs provided an integrated foundation for business operations, delivering:
- Commodity Management – Streamlined processes for grain intake, load tracking, scale ticketing, and settlement across all facilities.
- Accounting and Financial Control – Unified general ledger, payables, receivables, and real-time visibility into financial health.
- Supply Chain Consistency – Standardized procurement, inventory, and production tracking across all mills.
- Regulatory Compliance and Reporting – Built-in tools ensured compliance with industry requirements and audit readiness.
- Customer and Vendor Portals – Improved collaboration and information sharing with external stakeholders.
- Scalability and Integration – Flexible, cloud-based architecture that integrated seamlessly with other Microsoft tools.
“We now have dashboards at the ready and we were able to pull our legacy data into the space as well so we can report over multiple years even though we moved to a new system,” says Mike Papp, Director of IT, Miller Milling
Ben Olson, Senior Finance Manager, Miller Milling adds, “We’ve realized several benefits with the addition of Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain with Levridge, including:
- Now having tracking at the ticket level for in-transit activity
- Contract management is much more fluid, allowing for better maintenance and reaction to ongoing updates with suppliers
- Roughly 10% improvement in processing time for purchase advancements.”
Enhancing Sales with Dynamics 365 + Power Platform
With operations modernized, Miller Milling shifted focus to improving the sales process. Stoneridge implemented Dynamics 365 Sales and extended functionality using the Power Platform to streamline sales workflows, improve collaboration, and provide deeper visibility into performance.
Key features included:
- Unified Sales Platform – A single hub for managing contacts, leads, opportunities, pricing, and forecasts.
- Automation with Power Automate – Automated workflows for tasks like sample requests and credit checks that reduced reliance on email and spreadsheets.
- Embedded Power BI Reports – Interactive dashboards visualized sales metrics, goals, and forecasts within the Sales app.
- Improved Forecasting – Real-time data integration with D365 Finance and Levridge enabled more accurate forecasting by product and mill.
- Outlook Integration – Enabled seamless email tracking and contact creation from Outlook.
“With Sales and Power platform, we’ve dramatically enhanced our ability to communicate with our partners, getting them ready access to items like contract balances and open invoices,” says Papp. “Additionally, we’re implementing the capability for our customer to self-serve this type of information in between conversations with our sales team.”
Ongoing Partnership: Premier Support and Continuous Improvement
While many technology projects end at go-live, the partnership between Stoneridge and Miller Milling has only grown stronger. Through Stoneridge’s Premier Subscription Plan, Miller Milling continues to access advisory services, process enhancements, and proactive user support.
This ongoing relationship has delivered a measurable business impact:
- Improved system stability and performance
- Automation of complex settlement and batch management tasks
- Continuous enhancement of reporting and workflows
- Reduction in internal escalations and user frustration
“Utilizing the Premier Support plan, we’re able to substantively reduce per hour support cost,” says Papp.
Preparing for the Future: Embracing AI with Copilot
As the company looks toward the future, Miller Milling is once again leading the way, this time in AI adoption. As one of the first clients for Stoneridge’s Copilot Flight Plan program, Miller Milling is actively exploring how Microsoft 365 and Dynamics Copilot tools can reduce administrative overhead and boost productivity.
The Copilot Flight School initiative has allowed:
- Training an initial group of Copilot champions
- Testing Copilot Agents for repetitive tasks and reporting
- Evaluating opportunities to bring AI into everyday workflows across sales, finance, and operations
“At Miller Milling, we see AI as a company-wide opportunity—not just a tool for a few teams. Through the Copilot Flight Plan, we’re building a strong foundation for adoption across departments, empowering employees at every level to work smarter, reduce manual tasks, and unlock new efficiencies,” says Kyle Shermock Sr. Vice President, Supply Chain and Corporate Planning.
Embedded AI Thinking Into Company Culture
The Copilot Flight Plan program instilled a mindset shift toward AI-powered problem solving. Employees embraced being part of a forward-thinking organization, fostering excitement and readiness to explore AI’s potential in daily workflows.
Identified & Prioritized High-Impact Use Cases
Through strategic workshops and flight simulator exercises, Miller Milling identified and began pursuing AI-driven solutions to solve real operational challenges, including:
- Predictive analytics for production optimization
- Trend tracking and process monitoring
- Communication and workflow automation
- Reducing non-value-added tasks in plant operations
- Minimizing transportation, maintenance, and labor costs
The Results: A Stronger, Smarter, More Scalable Business
With the right technology and a collaborative partner, Miller Milling has not only modernized their systems, they’ve laid the groundwork for future innovation. Their team is now better equipped to make data-driven decisions, adapt quickly, and focus on what matters most: delivering quality products and strong customer relationships.
Key outcomes include:
• Unified ERP and CRM systems across business functions
• Streamlined sales processes and improved forecasting
• Increased process automation and system integration
• Ongoing improvements through a strategic support model
• AI readiness through early Copilot engagement
Looking Ahead
With additional future phases already planned, Miller Milling continues to demonstrate that digital transformation isn’t a one-time project, it’s a strategic commitment. Together with Stoneridge Software, they are building a business that is secure, connected, and ready for what’s next.
“The forward journey for us is more direct interaction through data with our customers and suppliers and streamlining transactional processes to add value to our customers,” says Ben Oertel, CFO, Miller Milling
