Re-Implementation of Dynamics 365 Business Central Brings Clarity and Confidence to North Georgia Beverage
North Georgia Beverage (NGB), a provider of service and installation programs for commercial beverage equipment, had outgrown QuickBooks and selected Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to centralize operations across inventory, financials, and customer and vendor management. But after an unsuccessful implementation with another partner, the system never functioned as intended. It was difficult to use, key processes were unreliable, and the integration with their field service software created inconsistent data across departments.
Despite the challenges, they remained committed to Business Central because of its long-term fit and strong integration capabilities. They turned to Stoneridge Software for an assessment and a fresh start.
Challenges: A System That Wasn’t Serving the Team
The initial implementation left the team without confidence in the system. Financial reports required manual workarounds, inventory data didn’t reconcile, and integration with Fieldpoint—used to manage field service—was creating more problems than it solved.
After conducting an assessment, Stoneridge identified a range of issues:
- Inventory data that didn’t reconcile with the general ledger
- Mixed costing methods (FIFO, Average, Standard) applied inconsistently
- Inaccurate item pricing and costs from the original implementation
- Drop shipment processes that caused accounting issues and unreconciled A/R balances
- Negative inventory balances and unreliable financial reports
- Manual financial reporting, dependent on Excel exports and formatting
- A pending Fieldpoint integration, delayed due to foundational issues in Business Central
- An overload of third-party extensions, many of which couldn’t be customized or maintained
While Business Central was the right platform, the way it had been implemented was holding the business back.
Solution: From Assessment to Reimplementation
Early on, NGB and Stoneridge aligned on what success needed to look like: stabilize the fundamentals, reduce month-end effort, and build a system that could scale without disrupting what already worked.
Stoneridge recommended a reimplementation, setting up a new Business Central company inside NGB’s existing environment with clean configurations, accurate data, and a plan to add complexity later if needed.
This approach created room to:
- Correct accounting and inventory fundamentals
- Get users working in a simplified, reliable system
- Roll out additional functionality in a phased, post-go-live approach
After reviewing the assessment, NGB made the decision to move forward with Stoneridge and reimplement Business Central from the ground up. They saw value in Stoneridge’s expertise with both ERP and Fieldpoint. Just as important, they appreciated a plan focused on going live with a system that matched how they operated and could be confidently adopted by their team. The project was collaborative from the start, grounded in clear goals, shared ownership, and consistent engagement from NGB’s team.
“Working with the North Georgia Beverage team was a pleasure. This Business Central reimplementation was a true partnership with shared ownership and accountability, and that trust helped us get the project across the finish line and get NGB back to smooth, reliable operations.” - Emily Cottam, Project Management Program Manager at Stoneridge Software
Business Central Fixes and Improvements
- New company setup in BC, migrating only the right data and removing incorrect configuration
- Inventory costing reset to ensure all items followed the FIFO method
- Drop shipment process adjustments to eliminate accounting gaps
- Redesigned reporting tools, enabling financial statements to be built within BC instead of Excel
- Consolidation of extensions, with a plan for source code access and maintenance
- Security configuration to support NGB’s internal roles and structure
- Fieldpoint integration guidance, helping NGB improve how data flowed between systems
By keeping the scope grounded in best practices, Stoneridge helped NGB establish a system that was easier to use, maintain, and grow with.
Results: A System North Georgia Beverage Can Use and Trust
With a corrected foundation in Business Central and more reliable support for service operations, North Georgia Beverage finally gained what they set out to achieve: a centralized ERP system. Their financial and inventory processes now operate within a streamlined, day-to-day workflow the team understands and trusts.
“The Stoneridge team is an amazing group of very talented people with the technical expertise and leadership that delivers results. I have enjoyed every interaction with this team and feel lucky to be one of their customers.” – Jeff Gwynn, President of North Georgia Beverage
Key improvements:
- Accurate inventory and GL reconciliation, eliminating reporting discrepancies
- Consistent costing and corrected pricing, improving margin visibility
- Less reliance on Excel by enabling built-in financial reporting
- Simplified drop shipment processes, reducing reconciliation work
- Reduced extension complexity, with a path toward easier support
Most importantly, the project and partnership between North Georgia Beverage and Stoneridge Software helped rebuild confidence. Not only in Business Central, but in the data and processes the team relies on. For an organization new to ERP and eager to move forward, that shift was the difference between having Business Central in place and having Business Central work for their organization.
