Manufacturing and the New Microsoft Dynamics AX: Prepare for connected devices, machine learning, advanced analytics

The digital transformation of manufacturing, which puts the customer experience front and center, has been described as "smart manufacturing," "servitization" and the "Fourth Industrial Revolution."

With the new Dynamics AX, which is planned for release later this quarter, Microsoft aims to provide the capabilities that modern manufacturers expect, and they have been working to get the word out on their progress in the new product and their vision for the future. In a recent webcast for MSDynamicsWorld.com readers, Microsoft industry director Colin Masson and program manager Mai-Britt Winther discussed how the new Dynamics AX helps manufacturers improve operations by leveraging the full range of Microsoft's ERP, machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities.

Key design drivers discussed were:

• Device-management connectivity
• Enabling effective management of operations for business productivity and process automation
• Enabling enhanced management of KPIs
• Providing advanced analytics

Connecting devices to management

One of the traditional limitations for the production manager (PM) has been spending much of the work shift on the manufacturing floor apart from data and information critical to optimizing productivity. By creating an improved UI, the new AX provides the PM role with easier access to key production or process information. The AX client also provides the ability to take actions to optimize the team's productivity.

Connectivity to the PM's workspace via any PC or hand-held device enables the PM to make data-driven decisions, such as re-prioritizing or even releasing production orders. In the ...