Packing essentials: Why NMB's Packing Workbench stacks higher than SPS
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
As a comprehensive cloud-based ERP solution designed for medium to large organizations, D365 Supply Chain Management (SCM) unifies and streamlines corporate processes with robust tools for managing core business functions, including finance, manufacturing, warehouse management, and sales. It provides solid tools for inventory, carrier management, and basic warehousing; but for complex supply chains, its basic functions can cause functional gaps. ISV extensions and configurable options can bridge this gap, enabling businesses to tailor processes, automate tasks, and create intuitive interfaces that improve efficiency and user adoption. By integrating an enhanced D365 shipping solution, supply chains can streamline operations, improve decision-making through custom dashboards, and deliver a more satisfying user experience—all while maintaining the flexibility needed to stay competitive.
In this article, we'll look at the key differences between D365's standard packing and shipping capabilities versus the enhanced functions available through NMB Gateway for Parcel.
The standard process
Leveraging D365 for parcel and LTL shipping provides a unified platform to manage, track, and optimize shipments from order creation to last-mile delivery. The standard D365 interface and its functions work well for low-volume shippers, as its baseline features include simple packing processes. For mid-to-high volume shippers handling multiple carriers throughout various legal entities, D365’s ability to leverage shipping rules, generate shipping labels, and streamline warehouse management processes is invaluable—when automated.
The standard packing and shipping process in D365 is an entirely manual process. It requires manually entering License plate or shipment identifiers, selecting items and their quantities, adjusting inventory levels, creating containers for shipping, and confirming the shipment before releasing it to the warehouse for shipping. The standard system does not connect to a dedicated shipping engine, forcing shippers to access logistics providers’ websites to track packages and delays. For shippers, shipping engine connectivity is the key component in calculating shipping charges and generating carrier-compliant labels and associated shipping documentation.
While executing these processes using standard D365 functionality is possible, the functional gaps are clear:
Limited carrier support: D365 offers only basic carrier integrations for shipping, requiring manual setup and frequent updates. This limits flexibility and often forces businesses to rely on time-consuming processes or expensive third-party solutions. For e-commerce operations—where accurate and efficient shipping is critical—these limitations can lead to errors and inefficiencies.
Inflexible rate management: Without a third-party shipping engine, D365 cannot handle dynamic carrier rate calculations, contract rate management, or real-time API updates—resulting in outdated or inaccurate shipping costs. Limited carrier networks and unpredictable rates create operational challenges, making it hard to adapt to market fluctuations. During peak seasons or demand surges, insufficient carrier capacity can cause delays and dissatisfied customers. Unpredictable pricing also complicates budgeting and financial planning, increasing costs and disrupting service reliability.
Lack of automation features: The limited automation capabilities force reliance on manual processes for tasks such as data entry, shipment confirmation, document generation, and tracking. Shippers in the manufacturing industry, for example, often manage complex international shipping operations involving multiple carriers and stringent import/export regulations. A manufacturer exporting machinery to other countries may need to select from several carriers based on destination, cost, and service level while complying with diverse import/export rules and filing Electronic Export Information (EEI) through the Automated Export System (AES) for shipments exceeding specific values or containing controlled goods.
Rigid processes: A lack of configurable options can be limiting to an organization managing a diverse range of products. Retailers, for example, ship items with vastly different requirements—electronics need protective packaging, while hazardous materials may require cold storage and expedited shipping. Enhanced configurability streamlines operations, ensures compliance with regulations, and supports timely deliveries, thereby helping businesses adapt to complex shipping needs efficiently.
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NMB's Packing Workbench
NMB Gateway for Parcel’s extended modules introduce advanced automation, real-time updates, and enhanced carrier integration capabilities, significantly streamlining operations from order entry to last-mile delivery. NMB’s parcel and LTL shipping solution consolidates large amounts of shipping data onto user-friendly pages and grids, providing extended workflows that not only improve accuracy and compliance but also offer greater visibility and control over essential shipping activities like import/export compliance, hazardous material classification, freight invoice tracking and reconciling and more.
Using NMB's Packing Workbench offers several advantages over both the standard packing and shipping process and the D365 SPS module. It automates several core packing and shipping processes, saving you time and reducing entry errors. It also provides a host of added hardware configurations, such as weight scale and portable scanner integrations, while also allowing for automated delivery notifications, so your customers remain up to date on their parcels’ whereabouts.
At its core, NMB’s Packing Workbench delivers enhancements in:
Integrated carrier shipping engine: NMB’s Gateway for Parcel comes fully integrated with a multi-carrier shipping management system designed to meet the high-volume needs of both single and multi-location companies in countries around the world, offering numerous benefits:
Compliance with major carriers: Ensures seamless integration with leading carriers, facilitating adherence to their specific requirements and standards.
Ability to configure locations, carriers, and rateshops for customized shipment specification: Provides flexibility to tailor shipping processes according to specific business needs, optimizing cost and delivery times. This customization allows businesses to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and customer demands.
Logging feature that lets you monitor all system activities and quickly correct errors: Enhances transparency and control over shipping processes, allowing shippers to quickly troubleshoot and identify issues promptly, improving compliance and reducing operational risks.
Automation: Designed for both basic (WMS) and advanced (WHS) warehousing setups, the NMB Packing Workbench optimizes the entire packing process, providing extensive flexibility with automation features, including automated packing, shipping, and tracking workflows—effectively reducing the entire packing and shipping process down to as little as three clicks.
Where both the standard packing and SPS modules lack advanced features, NMB Gateway for Parcel comes out-of-the-box ready with enhanced and automated packing and shipping workflows for processes such as:
Shipping carrier connectivity
Delivery confirmation rules setup
WMS shipment consolidation
AES filing integration
Weight scale integration
Automated carrier invoice reconciliation
Mobile device functionality
Track and Trace
RMA order processing
Email notifications
Rate shopping and tracking: While standard SPS offers limited real-time visibility into shipment status and tracking, NMB Gateway for Parcel seamlessly connects with a dynamic rate shopping engine that automatically selects the best rates and services to meet delivery timeframes and reduce costs. A mid-to-large sized supply chain operation using D365 SPS will undoubtably face challenges with delayed shipment updates, while adding to customer dissatisfaction. Integrating NMB Gateway for Parcel’s Packing Workbench with its dedicated rate shopping engine allows real-time tracking capabilities for both parcel and LTL services, enabling proactive communication with customers and improved delivery performance.
Configurability: NMB’s specialized shipping solution includes a long list of configuration options via a comprehensive Parcel parameters module, allowing businesses to tailor the system to their specific needs, streamlining processes and reducing manual interventions. Users can define a variety of default settings, such as interface elements, export rules, invoice workflows, packaging defaults, and much more.
NMB Solutions Inc. is a leading provider of global supply chain, transportation management and compliance solutions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 SCM. We’re dedicated to helping companies around the world manage, optimize, and streamline their supply chain operations by incorporating native functionality from some of the best-of-breed solution providers in the Parcel, TMS, and Compliance spaces.
Explore what’s new. Optimize what’s next. Let’s ship smarter—together.
Want to learn more?
Contact our Sales team today to find out how we can help you boost visibility, increase flexibility, and drive operational excellence with NMB Gateway for Parcel.
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