Frequently asked questions about dvproduction
Everything you ask us before deciding, answered straight. If something is missing, tell us about your case.
-
What is a manufacturing ERP, and why Business Central for manufacturing?
A manufacturing ERP handles shop floor control, production scheduling and actual costs in one system, with no spreadsheets or external software. Choosing Business Central for manufacturing gives you a scalable, continuously updated Microsoft foundation, on top of which dvproduction adds the MES, the visual scheduling and the connection to machines and PLCs — all in the same ERP where you already run your accounting.
-
Does it work for project-based manufacturing, food manufacturing or metalworking?
Yes. It is proven in project-based manufacturing (make-to-order), food manufacturing, metalworking, plastics and rubber, animal nutrition and capital goods, among other industrial manufacturing models. Every sector has its own particularities — lot traceability, quality controls, dosing, calibration — and shop floor control and scheduling adapt to the way you operate, on Business Central.
-
What is shop floor control (MES) and how does it connect to machines and PLCs?
Shop floor control (MES) digitises what happens in the factory in real time: production orders, reports, times, scrap and OEE, captured directly on the shop floor. dvproduction embeds it in Business Central and connects to your machines and PLCs through 7 industrial protocols, so office and shop floor work from the same data, with no transcribed reports and no middleware.
-
What is dvproduction?
dvproduction is a native Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central extension that digitises the whole of manufacturing: shop floor control (embedded MES), visual scheduling with Gantt and machine IoT connectivity via 7 industrial protocols. Three areas in a single extension, with no middleware, no external databases and no additional servers.
-
How is dvproduction different from other MES solutions on the market?
dvproduction is a native AL extension that lives inside Business Central itself; most MES solutions on the market are external systems bolted onto Business Central through middleware or custom integrations. That means one single source of data, no synchronisations to maintain, no additional servers, no risk of systems drifting out of step. And no integration maintenance costs.
-
Does it work on BC Cloud and BC On-Premise?
Yes, both. The same extension, the same code. It behaves identically on BC Cloud (SaaS hosted by Microsoft) and on BC On-Premise (installed on the customer's own infrastructure).
-
Which sectors does dvproduction cover specifically?
Food, plastic (moulds and injection), metal (machining and automotive), animal nutrition, capital goods (automatic doors, industrial boilers) and industrial machinery. Each sector comes with its own demo data and specific configurations (dosing screens, quality measurements, lot traceability, equipment calibration).
-
Which industrial protocols does it support for connecting to machines?
Seven protocols: OPC UA, Modbus TCP, MQTT, S7 (Siemens), REST API, MTConnect and EthernetIP. The signals captured include Run, Stop, PieceCount, Alarm, Energy, CycleTime and Speed. Check-ins and incidents can be generated automatically from these signals, with no input from the operator.
-
How long does implementation take?
8 to 16 weeks is a typical implementation for a standard industrial SME (1-2 plants, 5-15 machines, 20-50 operators), although it depends on the size of the factory and the number of machines to connect. The initial 30-minute call is there precisely to size up the project in your specific case.
-
What about my older equipment and machines with no modern IoT?
They connect too: for machines without modern protocols, dvproduction supports manual entry from the operator's screen and, where there is a PLC with any physical port, a custom integration. A mixed machine fleet is the norm in a factory — modern machines with OPC UA alongside older ones on S7 or manual entry — and dvproduction covers every case.
-
Does it have quality and traceability capabilities?
Yes. Quality measurements with calibrated equipment, logging by lot and serial, physical-chemical parameter control, full traceability from raw material to finished product, and document management for certificates. Particularly strong in sectors with strict regulation (food, animal nutrition, automotive).
-
How does visual scheduling work?
Visual scheduling offers 4 views in a single screen: interactive Gantt chart with drag-and-drop, workload matrix with % utilisation per work centre, weekly calendar by operator and a real-time KPI panel. Automatic workload levelling suggests adjustments when saturation is detected, and the system alerts the salesperson when an order is going to be late so they can manage the customer.
-
Which languages is it available in?
Spanish, English, French, German, Catalan and Basque.
-
Do I get support?
Yes — direct support from the Davisa team that develops the extension, in Spanish. Winter hours: Mon-Thu 8:30-18:00, Fri 8:30-14:30. Summer hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-15:00.
-
How is dvproduction billed?
A SaaS licence on a monthly subscription or an annual prepaid plan. We go through the specific pricing in the 30-minute call along with the rest of your case, because it depends on the size of the factory, the number of operators and the modules contracted.
Your question is not here?
Tell us what worries you about your factory and you get an answer from the people who build the extension, not a salesperson.
Tell us about your case