How Predictive Maintenance Can Cut Costs and Boost Productivity for Manufacturers

Most of us imagine what it would be like to have a sixth sense that warns us of problems so we can sidestep them. The good news is that for manufacturers, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management (D365 F&SCM) can make that a reality with predictive maintenance, helping them avoid equipment breakdowns, along with the many expensive and inconvenient problems that follow in their wake. 

The stakes are high—equipment breakdowns cost manufacturers hundreds of thousands of dollars per day. In addition to the lost revenue, the resulting downtime and delays can negatively impact delivery times and customer relationships. If they happen repeatedly, they can take a serious toll on team members’ morale and productivity. 

It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

Fortunately, you can spot potential problems before they snowball. And that can be a game-changer, because predicting and preventing problems before they reach the crisis stage is more cost-effective and better for productivity than scrambling to fix problems once the damage has been done. 

Here are some of the most important ways that predictive maintenance can help keep manufacturers’ equipment up and running smoothly. 

• Addressing issues proactively. Instead of waiting until problems escalate, it’s now possible to manage business-critical equipment using predictive, corrective, condition-based, and preventative maintenance to maximize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). 
• Detecting anomalies. Sensor data intelligence and AI-powered anomaly detection makes it possible to spot and address potential issues before they develop, enabling continuous peak performance. 
• Minimizing unplanned downtime. By scheduling and executing maintenance using an asset management app for mobile devices, you can ensure regular maintenance tasks don’t get missed or delayed. 
• Solving scheduling conflicts. Advance scheduling can help optimize resource utilization and avoid conflicts between maintenance work and production activities. 
• Enabling expert assistance. Remote assistance tools make it possible to safely and sustainably perform maintenance, by collaborating in real-time with experts who aren’t on site.  

How Equipment Maintenance Issues Undermine Manufacturer Operations 

Approaching maintenance in a reactive, wait-until-it-fails way is inefficient—increasing expenditures, magnifying the risks of extended unplanned downtime, and even compromising employee safety. 

Yet all too often, companies take the short-sighted approach, either because they mistakenly think they can save money on upfront costs (a gamble that usually fails in the long run) or they simply fail to think in long-range terms. 

It’s not just that unplanned downtime can result in lost revenue, missed delivery promises, and misalignment of resources. Neglecting to take advantage of predictive maintenance can result in other negative impacts: 

• Inefficient Scheduling and Resource Utilization. Poor forecasting leads to collisions between production schedules and maintenance windows, and it prevents manufacturers from deploying and using resources in the most effective way. 
• Inventory Constraints and Spare-Parts Stockouts. Failing to schedule maintenance in an organized way makes it difficult to manage inventory successfully, which can mean that spare parts aren’t available when they’re needed. That, in turn, can lead to unnecessarily extended downtime. 
• Manual Processes and Data Silos. Too many companies miss out on the benefits of centralized data and analytics. Depending on manually updated spreadsheets leads to delays, errors, and a lack of real-time insight, all of which can be avoided with D365 F&SCM features. 
• Lack of Asset Visibility and Maintenance Tracking. Failure to modernize also results in difficulty tracking important data points, including maintenance jobs, parts usage, and downtime reasons across assets. 

The Solution: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management  

It’s possible to avoid the pitfalls above by taking advantage of the tools available in Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&SCM. 

Key benefits include: 

• Predictive and Condition-Based Maintenance. Dynamics 365 F&SCM leverages IoT telemetry to provide real-time monitoring, thus predicting upcoming failures in time to take preventive action. 
• Maintenance Job Planning and Scheduling. D365 F&SCM offers configurable “maintenance downtime activities” with capacity planning, as well as the ability to track jobs by type, which distinguishes between breakdowns and planned maintenance. 
• Spare Parts Forecasting and Inventory Integration. Managing parts and inventory gets easier with automatic calculation of item forecasts for maintenance jobs and downtime periods. 
• Maintenance Lifecycle Tracking and Analytics. Metrics that can be tracked and monitored include new, active, and completed requests, as well as work orders and downtime logs. You can also drill down on important KPIs like Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), and reasons for downtime. 
• Integrated End-to-End Workflows. Dynamics 365 creates an intelligent workflow that moves from maintenance requests to work orders, through job execution, and on to completion, in a way that’s aligned with asset and inventory systems. And as part of the process, it enables collaboration, guidance, and problem-solving assistance from remote experts using mixed reality with convenient mobile access. 

Delivering Measurable, Real-World Impact 

Microsoft’s 2025 report on The Business Value of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Manufacturers, based on research conducted by IDC, provides compelling data to support its bottom-line value. 

• Organizations surveyed noted that Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management created an asset environment that was easier to maintain. 
• As a result, organizations surveyed experienced an 85% reduction in unplanned downtime. 
• Manufacturers depending on Dynamics 365 F&SCM to manage assets saved time equal to 23 FTE end-users annually. 
• IDC values this productivity savings per year at $1.6 million. 

As a result of the reduction in downtime, manufacturers using D365 also experienced more timely spare parts delivery, streamlined logistics, improved asset utilization, and customer satisfaction. 

How Sikich Helps Manufacturers Get the Most Out of Predictive Maintenance 

Sikich is experienced at helping manufacturers use these tools to get the most out of them. Our process includes five essential steps: 

1. Assessment: We start by conducting a workshop to audit current maintenance workflows, asset data quality, and telemetry readiness. 
2. Implementation: During this phase we help configure Dynamics 365 F&SCM asset management modules according to industry best practices. 
3. Integration: We make sure to get all the pieces working smoothly together — tying in Azure IoT, ERP, MES, inventory, and shop floor systems. 
4. Training and Change Management: It’s not enough to just deploy new software. Effective training and communication with team members throughout the organization is necessary to ensure uptake and adoption. We empower maintenance and planning teams by helping them take advantage of mobile apps, dashboards, and role-based access. 
5. Ongoing Support and Optimization: After implementation, we make sure that operations align with continuous improvement cycles using real-time data. 

Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management can replace reactive downtime with proactive uptime — bringing you substantial benefits in terms of cost, productivity, and overall operational efficiency. 

Want to learn more about how Sikich can help manufacturers tap into the power of predictive maintenance? Reach out to us today.