Their challenge

PDI is dedicated to leading the fight against preventable infections in healthcare, foodservice and our communities. The company specializes in producing sanitary items such as cleaning wipes for healthcare facilities.  

With the goal of becoming a $1 billion company, PDI needed to replace their legacy AS400 ERP system. Looking for a more efficient and scalable solution, the company evaluated several cloud-based systems and ultimately decided on Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management. However, a failed implementation with two other partners undermined PDI’s confidence in Dynamics 365 and jeopardized their plans for growth.  

PDI’s first implementation partner proposed a pre-built industry footprint that PDI quickly realized wouldn’t work. They then began working with a second partner but after two years, progress stalled and PDI realized they were going to miss their already delayed targeted go-live date.  

Over three years, PDI spent $7 million on licensing and services in an attempt to implement Dynamics 365. At this point, they still hadn’t completed a full testing event to validate D365 was capable of supporting their business and were considering moving away from Dynamics altogether.  

Anxious to find a partner that could help reset and provide line of site to a realistic go live, PDI contacted Microsoft for help. Familiar with our deep manufacturing expertise and ERP rescue experience, Adam Roche, Biz Apps SSP, introduced MCA Connect.  

Our solution

To help PDI move forward, MCA Connect assessed their system and processes. Our team quickly realized PDI hadn’t established a future-state footprint and there were critical errors in the system’s configuration.

During a six-week engagement, we aligned with PDI leadership to identify and configure all the core user stories necessary to validate D365 would support their operations. In the final week, we successfully conducted a conference room pilot (CRP) focused on a limited scope of PDI’s go-live requirements.

By the end of this process, PDI was confident Dynamics 365 would work for their business and that MCA Connect was the right partner to guide them to a successful go live.

Expected Results

After investing a significant amount of time and money on Dynamics 365 with little to show for it, PDI feared the system was a poor fit. Just three months after engaging with MCA Connect, PDI’s Dynamics 365 implementation was back on track. The targeted go-live date is April 1, 2025. 

By restoring PDI’s confidence in Dynamics 365 and creating a plan for successful implementation, MCA Connect will help PDI build a modern system to help them meet their targeted growth objectives.