IFB Solutions Implements Dynamics 365 to Strengthen Its Mission

When IFB Solutions was founded in 1936, to be visually impaired was almost certainly to be unemployed. First known as the Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, the organization started as a small workshop manufacturing brooms, mattresses, and cane chairs but steadily grew over the years. Today, the nonprofit corporation provides employment, training, and services for people who are blind or visually impaired and is the largest employer of blind or visually impaired people in the country.

Headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, IFB Solutions operates manufacturing facilities in Winston-Salem, Asheville, NC, and Little Rock, AR. IFB Solutions manufactures mattresses, office supplies, apparel, and prescription glasses for consumers, the U.S. military, and the U.S. government. IFB Solutions is also the last domestic manufacturer of staplers.

 

SITUATION

IFB Solutions had been running its accounting, supply chain, and finance operations on Dynamics GP, but users were starting to feel constrained. Too many manual processes, lack of visibility into important information like open AR balances, and no manufacturing planning capabilities meant it was time for an upgrade.

 

SOLUTION

IFB Solutions selected Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations with Sunrise as its implementing partner. Sunrise deployed D365 F&O and its own IP, Sunrise 365 Supply Chain, in three locations across the U.S. The combination of Dynamics 365 ERP with Sunrise's IP improved IFB's manufacturing planning processes, inventory visibility, and automated several formerly manual and time-consuming financial processes.

 

OUTCOME

By working with a partner that understood the complexities of manufacturing across a range of products (from office supplies to eyeglasses to textiles), IFB Solutions now has a systems footprint to continue its mission. Dynamics 365 provides security, data storage cost savings, and a scalable architecture.