1 . Client Profile

3PL.dk is a logistics company specialising in freight forwarding and multimodal transport services. Their operations span across several European countries, including Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Denmark. The company manages complex logistics workflows, including both sales and purchasing activities, often involving external partners.

A key component of their operations is a custom-built internal logistics system—referred to as “3PL”—which handles transport orders and client interactions. This system is not commercially available and is developed and maintained internally within the organisation.

The company’s accounting processes are managed through Microsoft Dynamics NAV, which is being upgraded to Business Central to support better integration and standardisation across regions.

Organization: 3PL.dk

• Sector: Logistics and Transportation
• Location: Denmark (with operations in Sweden, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia Estonia, Poland, Finland)
• Core Responsibilities:
  • Freight forwarding and multimodal transport
  • Coordination of logistics operations across countries
  • Integration of internal systems for order and delivery management
  • Collaboration with partners for purchasing and transport services
• Strategic Goals:
  • Upgrade legacy NAV system to Business Central
  • Standardise internal logistics systems across all countries
  • Enable seamless integration between accounting and logistics platforms
  • Improve visibility and traceability of transport orders and purchases

Why Modernisation Was Needed:

The client operated on a legacy NAV system with limited integration capabilities. Manual processes and fragmented systems across countries created inefficiencies and hindered scalability.

Solution

GO-ERP implemented a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central upgrade and developed a custom integration with the client’s internal logistics system (“3PL”). The integration enables automated document exchange for sales and purchasing transactions, improving operational consistency across Lithuania, Estonia, and other regions.

Result

A custom integration was developed between Business Central and the client’s internal logistics system, allowing for automated document exchange related to sales and purchasing. This system is unique to 3PL.dk and maintained internally, making the integration a tailored solution.

The integration supports consistent workflows across countries, helping standardise how transport orders and purchases are processed. The automation of document exchange between systems has reduced the need for manual data entry and reconciliation.

The project lays the groundwork for further digital transformation, including potential enhancements and broader system integration.

2. Project Objectives

• Primary Goals:
  • Upgrade NAV to Business Central
  • Integrate BC with the internal logistics system
  • Standardise processes across multiple countries
• Why These Objectives Matter:
  • Enables consistent operations and reporting
  • Reduces manual reconciliation between systems
  • Supports future scalability and system enhancements
• KPIs / Success Metrics:
  • 3 countries successfully onboarded
  • Stability and reliability of integration
  • Significant reduction in manual accounting queries
• Stakeholders Involved:
  • Client-side developers (including internal system maintainer)
  • GO-ERP implementation team
  • Regional accounting and logistics teams

3. Challenges & Pain Points

• Operational Challenges:
  • Staggered country rollouts that temporarily created mixed operational states across markets
  • Planned and unplanned resource availability changes (e.g., parental leave) affecting timeline pacing
  • Knowledge distributed across multiple teams and partners requiring extra coordination during transitions
  • A bespoke internal logistics system with unique integration points that needed careful alignment with standard workflows
  • Different local accounting practices and external accounting arrangements that required tailored processes
  • Phased user onboarding across countries leading to short-term variation in process maturity and throughput
• Why These Challenges Were Critical:
  • Staggered country rollouts — prevented immediate cross‑market standardisation and created temporary operational complexity during handovers.
  • Planned and unplanned resource availability changes — slowed decision cycles and coordination, risking delays to time‑sensitive operations and go‑live milestones.
  • Knowledge distributed across multiple teams and partners — increased coordination overhead and the chance of misaligned expectations during transitions.
  • Bespoke internal logistics system with unique integration points — required tailored procedures and extra validation to ensure consistent daily processing.
  • Different local accounting practices and external accounting arrangements — complicated consolidated reporting and finance workflows, adding reconciliation effort and timing risk.
  • Phased user onboarding across countries — caused short‑term variability in process execution and throughput until full adoption.

4. Solution Architecture

• Platform: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
• Modules & Features:
  • Finance
  • Sales
  • Purchasing
  • Custom integration layer for document exchange
• Deployment Model: Cloud-based Dynamics 365 Business Central (Microsoft SaaS), EU-hosted, GDPR-compliant
• Integration Status:
  • Custom integration with internal “3PL” system
  • Automated exchange of sales and purchase documents
• Why This Architecture Was Chosen:
  • Flexibility to integrate with non-standard internal systems
  • Scalable across multiple countries
  • Supports future enhancements and standardisation

5. Implementation Strategy

• Approach: Iterative rollout by country
• Resources:
  • GO-ERP consultants and developers
  • Client-side developers
  • Regional accounting teams
• Key Deliverables:
  • Business Central environments per country
  • Integration with internal logistics system
  • Advisory support for accounting practices

6. Results & Impact

• Operational Improvements:
  • Automated document exchange between systems
  • Reduced manual accounting queries
  • Improved consistency across regions
• Strategic Wins:
  • Foundation for unified system across all countries
  • Enhanced visibility into logistics and accounting processes
• Why These Results Matter:
  • Supports future digital transformation
  • Enables better decision-making and operational efficiency

7. Lessons Learned

• Insights Gained:
  • Need for clear client-side ownership and accountability
  • Value of iterative deployment and phased rollout

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