Landscape Structures uses Microsoft Dynamics AX to improve efficiency

By Elly Yates-Roberts on 28 November 2018

Founded in 1971, Landscape Structures is a playground design firm based in Minnesota that specialises in designing, manufacturing and installing creative, accessible and safe playground equipment. With the catchphrase #ShapedByPlay, Landscape Structures has made it their mission to support childhood development with inventive playground equipment. However, in order to deliver the fun stuff, Landscape Structures needed to make sure that its accounts payable processes were efficient, modern and up-to-date.

A legacy document management solution and inefficient, manual accounts payable (AP) processes were holding it back. As users of Microsoft Dynamics AX, the team at Landscape Structures was looking for a solution that would tightly integrate with AX as well as help them: increase efficiency; reduce printing and paper costs associated with AP processing; implement a better document management system; provide automated routing and tracking for approval of non-purchase order (PO) invoices; and retain existing Microsoft Dynamics AX functionality and purchase order/receipt/invoice matching.

Landscape Structures integrated a paperless automation solution with their Microsoft Dynamics AX system and experienced a 30% increase in overall efficiency. Due to the extensive functionality that MetaViewer offers, Landscape Structures plans to expand and leverage the technology to improve processes in other parts of the enterprise and expect to see at least an additional 20% increase in savings. Additionally, they no longer print, scan and copy invoices or worry about invoices getting lost on approvers’ desks; processes are faster, more accurate and paperless. The integration also had very little interference on their existing Microsoft Dynamics AX infrastructure.

Another place that Landscape Structures has seen return on investment (ROI) is in staffing. Despite their growing volume of invoices and overall business, they can maintain staffing levels because their automated solution and AX have picked up the slack and made the work more manageable for their current staff.

No matter the industry - whether it's playground equipment or healthcare - a solid document management system and integration plan can help companies operate more efficiently and increase ROI across the entire enterprise.