Transforming Warehouse Operations with Automation and Dynamics 365 F&O Integration
When rising customer expectations and growing order volumes began to strain GS Yuasa’s manual warehouse processes, the global battery leader knew it was time for a bold change. The company embarked on a digital transformation journey—relocating to a state-of-the-art distribution centre and embracing advanced automation integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations..
The result? A smarter, faster, and more scalable supply chain.
Challenge
With a vast inventory and a complex distribution network, GS Yuasa’s manual warehouse processes were becoming increasingly labour-intensive and prone to error. As order volumes grew, bottlenecks emerged in picking, packing, and shipping operations, impacting overall efficiency and customer service levels.
Maintaining inventory accuracy proved difficult, and the absence of real-time data visibility made it challenging to respond quickly to fluctuations in demand. At peak times, the company had to operate across three shifts just to keep up with workload, placing further strain on resources.
Leadership recognised that to support future growth and meet rising customer expectations, the business needed to automate its warehouse operations and integrate core business systems. This transformation would be key to achieving the responsiveness, accuracy, and scalability required in a modern supply chain.
Solution
Following a competitive tender process, GS Yuasa selected Toyota Material Handling UK to deliver the physical automation solution, and appointed AXC Solutions as the System Integrator. Embedded within the project team from day one, AXC collaborated closely with both GS Yuasa and Toyota to design and implement a scalable, adaptable solution aligned with the company’s long-term operational goals. AXC played a pivotal role by leading integration workshops and ensuring the proposed solution aligned seamlessly with GS Yuasa’s warehouse processes. AXC team worked closely with stakeholders across both organisations to validate process flows, define integration points, and configure the solution to support operational efficiency and scalability.
“AXC was instrumental in aligning our automation with Dynamics 365 and helping us turn a complex vision into a scalable, working solution — seamless from day one.”
— Adam Miller, GS Yuasa Group IT Manager
GS Yuasa had already implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O) as its core ERP platform. Recognising the opportunity to build on this foundation, the company decided to extend its use of F&O to drive warehouse automation and streamline logistics. The platform’s robust warehouse management capabilities, seamless integration with Microsoft’s ecosystem, and compatibility with automation technologies made it the ideal choice for this next phase of digital transformation.
Leveraging out-of-the-box capabilities in combination with Azure Integration Services enabled the development of a highly efficient and robust integration between the cloud-based Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations platform and the on-premises AGV Management System.
Results
By integrating warehouse automation systems with Dynamics 365 F&O, GS Yuasa achieved real-time synchronisation of inventory data, order processing, and shipping status. Automated processes now feed data directly into the central ERP system, ensuring that every item is tracked from receipt to dispatch with complete accuracy. This integration has dramatically reduced the time required for inventory counts, eliminated duplicate data entry, and improved the reliability of delivery estimates.
The newly automated and integrated Distribution Centre, designed for high-volume operations, stores over 900,000 batteries across 2,000 active product lines and ships up to 50,000 units daily. This level of throughput drives approximately 8,500 AGV movements per month, each transporting an average load of 1,000 kg. To support this scale, a purpose-built solution based on Azure Integration Services processes over 500,000 system messages monthly, ensuring seamless coordination between warehouse operations and the Dynamics 365 ERP system.
Strategic Impact Through Collaboration and Innovation
GS Yuasa’s transformation showcases the strategic value of combining advanced automation with seamless digital integration. By modernising its warehouse operations, the company has achieved greater agility, accuracy, and efficiency across its supply chain—delivering immediate operational benefits and enabling scalable growth in a competitive, digital-first market.
This success was driven by strong collaboration across multiple partners. AXC Solutions played a central role in designing and delivering the integration layer, ensuring real-time connectivity between warehouse systems and Dynamics 365 through Azure Integration Services.
Looking Ahead
GS Yuasa’s successful implementation of warehouse automation and Dynamics 365 F&O integration has set the stage for continued innovation. The company is exploring implementation of integrated reporting capabilities across warehouse operations. This will enable real-time visibility into key performance indicators such as AGV utilisation, order throughput, and downtime analysis. By consolidating data from Dynamics 365 F&O and the AGV management system, the solution will provide a single source of truth for operational insights. These enhancements will empower stakeholders with actionable analytics, supporting data-driven decision-making and continuous process optimisation.