In the heart of New Zealand's wine country, the Giesen Group has long stood as a beacon of innovation and quality in the world of winemaking. But in an industry known for its deep traditions and seasonal cycles, digital transformation hasn’t always been on the menu. That changed dramatically when Giesen Group undertook a journey to modernize its business operations by adopting Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This implementation didn’t just tweak processes but fundamentally redefined the entire approach to winemaking management—from grape to glass.
Historically, Giesen Group—like many wineries—relied on spreadsheets and disparate systems to manage production, inventory, sales, and reporting. Each vintage brought its own challenges, and as the business grew, so did the complexity of managing information across the supply chain. With data spread across multiple platforms and manual entry at almost every critical junction, delays, errors, and inefficiencies crept into day-to-day workflows.
The need for a unified platform became clear as Giesen aimed to connect the dots between forecasting, inventory, production, and demand management. Enter Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central—a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution designed for small and mid-sized companies seeking operational clarity and scalability.
Now, all teams—from finance to sales and production—work from a single source of truth. According to Shane, a Giesen operations leader, “Our sales team can now see accurate product margins. Our month-end close is dramatically faster. And I no longer need to be the bottleneck for reporting. The data is clean, and everyone’s working from the same source of truth.”
By streamlining data workflows and removing silos, Giesen’s teams have moved away from firefighting data issues to focusing on value-added work—an essential shift in highly competitive and resource-sensitive industries.
Dynamics 365 Business Central automated the entire process. Orders now flow seamlessly from the system to third-party partners, reducing manual touchpoints, increasing accuracy, and freeing up staff for more strategic activities. “It’s the kind of invisible tech that just works,” Shane reflects, highlighting how this smooth transition of responsibility between production, bottling, and distribution is largely unnoticed by the customer—yet crucial for operational excellence.
“If we know how many grapes we’re getting, how much wine we’ll make, and how much demand there is—then we can proactively manage labels, bottles, and logistics. That’s the dream,” Shane says. Such end-to-end planning holds massive implications for reducing waste, optimizing inventory, and responding dynamically to market shifts—capabilities that are becoming essential as global supply chains grow more complex and consumer expectations rise.
Process Automation: The practical elimination of manual data entry, particularly in order fulfilment and inventory coordination, is a game-changer. This advantage only grows with business complexity, as the overhead of manual corrections and reconciliations compounds over time.
Forward-Looking Planning: Giesen’s integrated planning vision—wrapping forecasting, production, and supply chain into a unified workflow—is rare among wineries of its size. Industry analysts repeatedly emphasize that those who crack this “full-circle” equation will enjoy outsized advantages in agility, cost management, and customer satisfaction.
Cloud-Driven Flexibility: The decision to leverage a cloud ERP positions the company for ongoing innovation and resilience—critical as food and beverage supply chains come under increasing scrutiny for both sustainability and efficiency.
Training and Change Management: As with any ERP deployment, the transition required significant user training and ongoing support. Early missteps in adoption can erode confidence and delay returns. While Giesen’s leadership seems acutely aware of this, it remains a perennial risk for any digital transformation.
Customization Complexity: Some reports from similar deployments caution that heavy customization, while tempting, can complicate upgrades and future integration. Thankfully, Dynamics 365’s modular approach and adherence to global ERP standards substantially reduce these risks, but organizations must remain vigilant to avoid unintended technical debt.
Sustainability of Efficiency Gains: Maintaining the benefits of automation and data accuracy depends on continuous attention to process governance. Without careful oversight, subtle inefficiencies may creep back in as systems age or as the business model evolves.
But perhaps the broader lesson for small and mid-sized businesses is that operational agility doesn’t require a massive IT department or an army of consultants. With robust platforms like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, even lean teams can access the same advanced capabilities as larger competitors.
That said, the human element remains central. Technology only delivers transformative value when combined with visionary leadership, tight process discipline, and a willingness to change ingrained habits.
“From grape to glass, we now have the data foundation we need to build real intelligence into our business,” Shane mentions. “And we’re only just getting started.”
With the continual march of technology and the unwavering traditions of winemaking, Giesen Group’s journey serves as an inspiring reminder: innovation and heritage can coexist beautifully—yielding results that last, vintage after vintage.
Source: Microsoft How Giesen Group transformed winemaking with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central | Microsoft Customer Stories
The Catalyst for Change
Historically, Giesen Group—like many wineries—relied on spreadsheets and disparate systems to manage production, inventory, sales, and reporting. Each vintage brought its own challenges, and as the business grew, so did the complexity of managing information across the supply chain. With data spread across multiple platforms and manual entry at almost every critical junction, delays, errors, and inefficiencies crept into day-to-day workflows.The need for a unified platform became clear as Giesen aimed to connect the dots between forecasting, inventory, production, and demand management. Enter Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central—a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution designed for small and mid-sized companies seeking operational clarity and scalability.
Real-Time Data: The New Foundation
One of the most immediate benefits for Giesen Group was the leap from manual, error-prone data entry to automated, real-time reporting. Previously, generating a monthly variance analysis or cost report meant hours—sometimes days—of consolidating data from multiple sources, cleaning up inconsistencies, and verifying accuracy.Now, all teams—from finance to sales and production—work from a single source of truth. According to Shane, a Giesen operations leader, “Our sales team can now see accurate product margins. Our month-end close is dramatically faster. And I no longer need to be the bottleneck for reporting. The data is clean, and everyone’s working from the same source of truth.”
By streamlining data workflows and removing silos, Giesen’s teams have moved away from firefighting data issues to focusing on value-added work—an essential shift in highly competitive and resource-sensitive industries.
Automation and Order Fulfilment: The Invisible Revolution
Perhaps the most transformative change has been in the day-to-day mechanics of order processing and fulfilment. Before Dynamics 365, critical sales data would have to be entered manually into systems used by bottling partners. Errors were not uncommon, leading to delays and costly missteps.Dynamics 365 Business Central automated the entire process. Orders now flow seamlessly from the system to third-party partners, reducing manual touchpoints, increasing accuracy, and freeing up staff for more strategic activities. “It’s the kind of invisible tech that just works,” Shane reflects, highlighting how this smooth transition of responsibility between production, bottling, and distribution is largely unnoticed by the customer—yet crucial for operational excellence.
Integrated Planning: Building the Future
What sets Giesen’s implementation apart is its focus on integrated planning. The winery is charting a path to bring together forecasting, inventory management, and production scheduling into a single data-driven workflow. This holistic approach, often described as “full-circle planning,” aligns grape yield predictions with demand forecasts, bottling requirements, and even packaging logistics.“If we know how many grapes we’re getting, how much wine we’ll make, and how much demand there is—then we can proactively manage labels, bottles, and logistics. That’s the dream,” Shane says. Such end-to-end planning holds massive implications for reducing waste, optimizing inventory, and responding dynamically to market shifts—capabilities that are becoming essential as global supply chains grow more complex and consumer expectations rise.
Cloud Flexibility and Ongoing Innovation
A pivotal factor behind Giesen’s choice was the flexibility and scalability inherent to Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem. With traditional ERP implementations, upgrades are often cumbersome, and scaling for new business units or process changes can be time-consuming. In contrast, the cloud-based structure of Dynamics 365 Business Central gives Giesen the capacity to adapt quickly:- New reporting features and automation rules are rolled out as needed, without significant IT overhead.
- Integration with existing Microsoft solutions (like Power BI for analytics or Teams for collaboration) is straightforward, boosting productivity across the board.
- Seasonality—so crucial in winemaking—is easily managed through dynamic scaling of resources and processes.
Impact on Business Performance
Quantifying the impact of such a transformation is always challenging, given the many moving parts in winemaking operations. However, several clear, measurable improvements have emerged since Giesen went live with Dynamics 365 Business Central:- Month-end close times: What once took days now completes in hours, enabling faster, more responsive decision-making.
- Accuracy in variance analysis: By eliminating manual data wrangling, cost tracking is now both precise and timely—allowing for tighter cost management and better financial forecasting.
- Staff allocation: Freed from the drudgery of data reconciliation, teams now spend more time on strategic projects that drive growth and innovation.
- Error reduction: Automated order fulfilment has minimized human mistakes, cutting both costs and customer dissatisfaction.
- Scalability: As Giesen continues to expand its portfolio and explore new markets, its systems remain responsive and robust—no longer shackled by legacy processes.
Analysis: Key Strengths and Caveats
Strengths
Unified Data Platform: By centralizing information, Giesen has achieved a “single source of truth.” This doesn’t just reduce errors; it creates new opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration and advanced analytics. Such a platform can be a force multiplier—especially for scaling businesses.Process Automation: The practical elimination of manual data entry, particularly in order fulfilment and inventory coordination, is a game-changer. This advantage only grows with business complexity, as the overhead of manual corrections and reconciliations compounds over time.
Forward-Looking Planning: Giesen’s integrated planning vision—wrapping forecasting, production, and supply chain into a unified workflow—is rare among wineries of its size. Industry analysts repeatedly emphasize that those who crack this “full-circle” equation will enjoy outsized advantages in agility, cost management, and customer satisfaction.
Cloud-Driven Flexibility: The decision to leverage a cloud ERP positions the company for ongoing innovation and resilience—critical as food and beverage supply chains come under increasing scrutiny for both sustainability and efficiency.
Potential Risks
Reliance on Vendor Ecosystem: While the Microsoft cloud offers rapid evolution and robust security, Giesen’s growing integration with the platform may pose switching costs in the long run. Data residency, feature discontinuities, or license changes could challenge long-term flexibility.Training and Change Management: As with any ERP deployment, the transition required significant user training and ongoing support. Early missteps in adoption can erode confidence and delay returns. While Giesen’s leadership seems acutely aware of this, it remains a perennial risk for any digital transformation.
Customization Complexity: Some reports from similar deployments caution that heavy customization, while tempting, can complicate upgrades and future integration. Thankfully, Dynamics 365’s modular approach and adherence to global ERP standards substantially reduce these risks, but organizations must remain vigilant to avoid unintended technical debt.
Sustainability of Efficiency Gains: Maintaining the benefits of automation and data accuracy depends on continuous attention to process governance. Without careful oversight, subtle inefficiencies may creep back in as systems age or as the business model evolves.
Lessons for the Wine Industry and Beyond
For wineries worldwide, Giesen Group’s transformation offers a vivid blueprint for harnessing digital tools without sacrificing the artistry of winemaking. Real-time data doesn’t just make operations faster; it makes them smarter, enabling careful stewardship of grapes, inventory, and customer relationships.But perhaps the broader lesson for small and mid-sized businesses is that operational agility doesn’t require a massive IT department or an army of consultants. With robust platforms like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, even lean teams can access the same advanced capabilities as larger competitors.
That said, the human element remains central. Technology only delivers transformative value when combined with visionary leadership, tight process discipline, and a willingness to change ingrained habits.
The Road Ahead
As Giesen looks to the future, the focus is on further integration—tying together forecasting, inventory, and production into an even more seamless whole. With “clean data” as the new grape, the company is positioning itself not just as a leader in winemaking, but as a digital-first business ready for whatever the market demands season after season.“From grape to glass, we now have the data foundation we need to build real intelligence into our business,” Shane mentions. “And we’re only just getting started.”
With the continual march of technology and the unwavering traditions of winemaking, Giesen Group’s journey serves as an inspiring reminder: innovation and heritage can coexist beautifully—yielding results that last, vintage after vintage.
Source: Microsoft How Giesen Group transformed winemaking with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central | Microsoft Customer Stories
