Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM Key to UK Housing Provider's Business Transformation

UK housing provider Affinity Sutton Group recently made the decision to replace its aging enterprise software with a new solution based on Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM. Based on a lengthy and detailed transformation planning and procurement process, the implementation will position the firm to not only redefine how it manages operations and serves its customers, but also how it will plan for a future that could include massive growth.

A major software refresh has been a long time coming at Affinity Sutton. Their aging systems, some of which are more than twenty years old, have reached their technical, physical, and operational limits. The new solution based on Dynamics AX and CRM will incorporate some key add-on solutions and will aim to consolidate the functions of multiple best-of-breed systems.

The company is a major player in UK housing, managing 57,000 homes as a landlord. It describes itself as "a social landlord" that values the development and maintenance of affordable housing and reinvestment of its profits. According to their 2014/2015 annual report the company generated a surplus of £124 million ($193 million USD) on a turnover of £430 million ($705 million USD). It then invested that surplus in new and existing affordable homes.

The Selection Process

The company's journey toward business transformation has been deliberate and years in the making. The announcement by Affinity Sutton and their technology partner, Hitachi Solutions Europe represented the conclusion of an 18-month public procurement process that Affinity Sutton ERP program director Alastair Hawes describes as ...