Business & Decision Launches Life Sciences Solution for Microsoft Dynamics AX Platform

Consulting and systems integration firm Business & Decision has introduced what it says is a first-of-its-kind life sciences solution running on Microsoft Dynamics AX and will be showcasing its customized AX product later this month at Microsoft Convergence.

Ian Thurbon, vice president of sales and marketing for the Wayne, Pa.-based global systems integrator and Microsoft partner, said the tailored solution adds to the AX platform an out-of-the-box device master record and device history record for product traceability as well as controlled procurement and statistical performance measurements based on industry key performance indicators.

In addition, Business & Decision has tweaked AX's business processes throughout the application, integrating different components in customized ways, to optimize AX for life science, Thurbon said. The  presentation of information also has been tailored for industry-specific requirements, he said.

As a result, the specialized ERP solution can do tasks such as serial tracking to the component level, not only in a specific part but in all the other devices where that same component is found, Thurbon said. It also has been designed to run with complementary products such as quality and engineering controls from ERPSolutions.biz, a key partner in the project, he said.

"This will help customers achieve value quicker and improve ROI," Thurbon said. "And the flexibility of the AX platform and our add-ons allows clients to evolve the software as their needs change."

Thurbon acknowledged that there are other ERP applications for the life science market but none built with B&D's depth of knowledge in ERP system validation, he said.

Rebecca Wettemann, vice president of Boston-based Nucleus Research Inc