Customer Story · SaaS & ERP
Freight, on track: ERP for a US railroad
How Adroitent modernized freight operations for an American short line railroad holding company — an end-to-end ERP on Microsoft Dynamics 365 with Power Apps and Power Automate across 13,000 track miles.
The inflection pointLegacy systems, costly blind spots
The customer is a prominent American short line railroad holding company operating across North America — owning or leasing over 100 freight railroads, employing 4,000+ people and serving 2,000+ customers across 13,000 track miles. Legacy systems and outdated processes left freight operations without real-time visibility.
- Frequent incidents of missing data entry by mechanics, leading to derailments and costly repairs
- Inefficient automation of the inventory management and safety audit systems
- An ineffective defect management system, resulting in operational risks and increased costs
- Data silos across multiple operational regions
Missing data on the ground means derailments and cost.
The interventionEnd-to-end ERP on Dynamics 365
Adroitent partnered with the customer to modernize their freight operations by implementing an end-to-end ERP solution integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Apps and Power Automate.
End-to-end ERP implementation
- Full-cycle delivery from business process analysis to system deployment
- Module customization for freight and railroad management; workflows configured for security and compliance
Testing & validation
- Feature-wise testing of ERP modules by the QA team
- Validated freight management, derail data capture and engine maintenance tracking; integration testing across systems
Data integration across regions
- Data migration and cleansing from legacy systems; standardized data formats
- Real-time synchronization of freight data across operational regions
Power Automate for safety audits
- Automated workflows for daily freight inspections and derail safety checks
- Audit data integrated with the ERP for real-time visibility and correction
The game changer
A derail information system inside the ERP
- Developed and implemented a derail data management system within the ERP framework
- Mechanics empowered to log missed data in real time
- Daily audits and digital tracking of derail information
- Proactive risk management that helped avoid derailment incidents
By the numbers
Uniform freight data sync
Enhanced safety & audit tracking
Improved data accuracy
Significant cost savings
By the numbers
Uniform freight data sync
Enhanced safety & audit tracking
Improved data accuracy
Significant cost savings
The payoffAccurate data, safer freight
- Uniform sync of freight data across regions
- The ERP enabled uniform synchronization of freight data across regions, reducing communication gaps and operational delays and enabling significant cost savings.
- Enhanced freight safety & audit tracking
- Daily audits and digital tracking of derail information helped proactively manage risks and avoid derailment incidents.
- Improved data accuracy & operational efficiency
- Mechanics were empowered to log missed data in real time, reducing operational mishaps and minimizing repair costs.
- Delivered significant cost savings
- With real-time defect tracking and audit implementation, the customer avoided unnecessary repairs and the costs associated with misinformation and operational risk.
The stack behind itTools & technology
This engagement was delivered as part of Adroitent's SaaS & ERP Services practice.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
What is an ERP implementation?
What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 used for?
What are Power Apps and Power Automate?
Why is data migration and cleansing important in ERP projects?
How does ERP improve operational safety and compliance?
Modernize operations with a real ERP.
End-to-end implementation, integration and automation on Microsoft's platform.