Company Information
Business Type: Distributor
Industry: Beverages
Location: Torrance, CA
Number of Users: 5
Company Description
Asahi Beverages America, Inc. is a premier importer and distributor of non-alcoholic Japanese beverages in the United States. Based in Torrance, California, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Soft Drinks Co., Ltd., a globally recognized beverage leader headquartered in Tokyo.
Known for bringing culturally authentic and high-quality drinks to the North American market, Asahi Beverages America is best recognized for the iconic CALPICO brand. The company is committed to delivering innovative, refreshing beverages that reflect Japan’s rich traditions while meeting the evolving tastes and lifestyles of consumers across the U.S.
CHALLENGE
Asahi Beverages America was operating on Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018, a legacy on-premise system no longer aligned with the company’s growth trajectory. With mainstream support ending in January 2023 and Microsoft halting future development, the need for a modern beverage ERP solution became increasingly urgent.
Key challenges included:
- End of Mainstream support & No future development
- With GP2018 reaching the end of mainstream support and no new feature development on the horizon, the system was becoming outdated and increasingly incompatible with modern tools and cloud-based ecosystems.
- Scalability/Operational limitation
- Limits the company’s ability to scale operations or expand business growth
- Increased manual work, slower processes, and potential for human error
- Asahi Bev. planning to expand business with a major U.S. mass retailer and considering local manufacturing in the U.S.
- Limitation for assemble for repackaging
- Cost
- Server maintenance, GP upgrade, increased RPA License cost
Client Testimonial
“Calsoft was thorough in our project management from start to finish. I enjoyed working with each individual who was involved.”
LOGISTIC/SCM Manager
“This project took about a year, but with the appropriate support of Calsoft’s project team, Go Live was carried out as scheduled. After the implementation, unlike the previous GP, we saw an improvement in operations due to an efficient workflow.”
Corporate Division Manager
Solution
Dynamics 365 Business Central and Continia document capture
To replace its legacy system and prepare for future growth, Asahi Beverages America implemented Dynamics 365 Business Central, a cloud-based beverage ERP solution designed for scalability, automation, and ease of integration. This modern ERP operates under Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle Policy, providing biannual updates and continuous access to the latest features through Microsoft’s ongoing investment in cloud-based R&D.
The transition ensured long-term platform support, removed dependency on aging infrastructure, and provided a flexible foundation to support expanding U.S. operations, including local manufacturing and repackaging.
To further streamline operations, Asahi integrated Continia Document Capture with Business Central. This powerful OCR solution automates the extraction and posting of purchase order data directly into Business Central, eliminating manual entry and improving both speed and accuracy.
Additional benefits included:
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Built-in support for manufacturing, supply chain, and warehouse management to support expansion into new retail partnerships
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Native workflow automation and approval processes to reduce manual bottlenecks
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Use of Business Central’s Assemble function to support repackaging workflows, such as converting 12-bottle cases into 6-bottle configurations for specific retail needs
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Elimination of ongoing server maintenance, with only the legacy GP server retained for historical data access
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Reduced licensing costs by replacing UiPath with Microsoft-native automation tools like Continia
Results Achieved
Since migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central, Asahi Beverages America has realized measurable improvements across efficiency, scalability, and cost management.
- Order processing efficiency with Continia Document Capture reduced PO and SO creation time for drop shipments by 50%, enabling faster and more accurate order handling.
- Automation of purchase order and sales invoice workflows cut processing time by 50%, reducing manual work hours and making processes simple and error-free.
- Always up-to-date with biannual Microsoft upgrades that ensure continuous access to the latest features.
- Lower IT and licensing costs through the elimination of server maintenance, upgrade expenses, and costly RPA licenses.
- Improved reporting with Jet Reports and Excel integration
- Seamless integration with major U.S. retailers and supply chain partners to support expansion goals
- Flexible packaging with Business Central’s Assemble function, allowing the company to easily repackage products to meet retailer requirements.
- Successful implementation and user adoption rated 8 out of 10, with smooth collaboration from Calsoft’s team. Training sessions and user manuals were highly effective, ensuring rapid adoption and confidence in the new platform.
Why They Chose Calsoft
Asahi Beverages America has maintained a long-standing relationship with Calsoft through years of successful IT collaboration. Based on that trust, the company selected Calsoft to lead the ERP implementation. They were confident in Calsoft’s expertise, responsiveness, and understanding of their business needs.
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