Martin Karlowitsch

Martin Karlowitsch
Martin from Germany took over NETRONIC in 2011 as a management buy-out from the founder. Before starting the NETRONIC venture, Martin held various management roles in investor relations, sales operations, and Marketing both in small German and large US-based enterprise software companies. At NETRONIC, Martin drives strategy, innovation, and go-to-market. He is the NETRONIC executive who owns the Business Central and NAV-related overall business. Martin directly works with and supports customers and partners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Find me on:

Recent Posts

Changing the subscription pricing for the Visual Advanced Production Scheduler (VAPS)

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on Oct 1, 2023 2:09:05 PM

We are changing the subscription pricing for the Visual Advanced Production Scheduler (VAPS) with the next VAPS released (targeted for mid-October).

This change has NO monetary impact on all customers using the VAPS with a recurring subscription payment or with a purchased license. It is a change in the subscription pricing, not the on-premises license pricing. Even if this change has no monetary impact on current customers, it has a technical impact.

Please read this blog post to learn more.

Read More

Production scheduling 101 for configure-to-order manufacturing

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on May 3, 2023 2:39:44 PM

Establishing configure-to-order (CTO) manufacturing processes is tempting. It promises the efficiency and scale effects of standardized (mass) production. Likewise, it pledges the flexibility and customer intimacy of a make-to-order manufacturer. However, theory and practice are two different things. I have met many configure-to-order manufacturers needing help to unleash the expected efficiency gains. Instead, they fight with ambitious customer deadlines and the mere complexity of their (semi-standardized) sub-assembly structures.

The obvious indication of this complexity is the sheer number of items and item variants in their ERP system. Combined with a multi-level bill-of-materials (BOM), this frequently leads to statements such as "we suffer from data ambiguity and fly blind when it comes to an understanding of the impacts of changes in our schedule."

This blog post describes why production scheduling is that hard and specific for configure-to-order manufacturers. Then, it provides production scheduling 101 for configure-to-order manufacturing and gives some ideas on how CTO manufacturers could tackle this challenge - especially when they work with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Read More

A conversation on warehouse challenges and solutions (podcast)

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on Jul 5, 2022 9:36:45 AM

Following last week's shopfloor discussion episode, here is the 28th episode of the Business Central Manufacturing Show. Again, this episode originates from our Business Central Manufacturing Exchange webinar series. It is a recorded panel discussion on warehouse challenges and solutions. I hosted this panel discussion and was excited to have Žilvinas Lapačinskas (Software Baltic), Mark Hamblin (Insight Works), and James Crowter (Clever Dynamics) as my guests.

Read More

A conversation on shopfloor challenges and solutions (podcast)

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on Jun 29, 2022 4:38:55 PM

The 27th episode of the Business Central Manufacturing Show is somewhat different than all the others that you have been listening to so far. This episode is not a conversation with one guest. Instead, it is a recorded panel discussion on shopfloor challenges and solutions. I hosted this panel discussion and was excited to have Bent Korsgaard (Naveksa), Mark Hamblin (Insight Works), and Matthew Woodhouse (Clever Dynamics) as my guests.

Read More

The Business Central Manufacturing Exchange - Starting a new event series

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on Jun 23, 2022 11:00:00 AM

Of course, we at NETRONIC have a passion for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and manufacturing. And although our core focus is rather narrow (scheduling), we always have been looking in a broader sense at manufacturing topics. An example that underlines is my podcast, the Business Central Manufacturing Show

Oftentimes, when we speak to customers (and also to partners), we are confronted with requirements that are outside our scheduling core competency. Sometimes, we are asked for shopfloor solutions and time tracking. Another time, it is product configuration. And yet another time, it is that people request some warehouse functionality from us. Not seldomly, we are also asked for manufacturing solutions that are specific to one particular industry.  

Hence, we grasped a general need for more transparency on the Business Central manufacturing apps and solutions landscape. We took that need seriously and launched the Business Central Manufacturing Exchange to address this need.

Read More

State of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central & manufacturing 2022

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on Feb 20, 2022 6:15:00 PM

Late 2020, I kicked off an activity that I completely underestimated. I underestimated the work that it created. And I underestimated the value and insight it would generate. This activity was the State of Business Central and Manufacturing Report 2020.

Now, 16 months later, I am repeating that effort and that work. I again do broad market research on Business Central and the manufacturing industry. And again, I will share all results and findings for free. Now it is on you to help, take less than 10 minutes of your time, and fill out my questionnaire.

Read More

Streamlining the lifecycle for our visual scheduling add-ins and extensions (for Dynamics NAV and Business Central)

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on Dec 22, 2021 10:50:50 AM

We decided to change our product lifecycle policy concerning our add-ins for Dynamics NAV and concerning our extensions for Dynamics 365 Business Central. We (finally) align our release policy with Microsoft's release policy.

Thus, we no longer guarantee the backward compatibility of every new feature we build. We also (eventually) stop supporting NAV (and Business Central) versions that Microsoft doesn't support anymore. However, we offer extended support for business-critical uses of our products. Overall, the streamlined lifecycle helps us gain flexibility, agility, and additional development power. This will further improve our product delivery and the value for our customers.

This blog not only outlines the changes we made. It also reflects the reasons why we are doing so.

Read More

Production orders, jobs, and assembly orders: why, when, and how [podcast]

Posted by Martin Karlowitsch on Dec 21, 2021 12:00:03 PM

I met with Ken Sebahar, who is the President of Solution Systems, Inc., a Microsoft Gold-Certified Partner near Chicago, Illinois. Ken and his colleague Michael host the great podcast “A Shot of Business Central and a Beer” in which they provide listeners with news and updates related to Business Central in an entertaining manner. 

Of course, with a podcast like this, beer was the ideal hook for our conversation. At the beginning of our conversation, you can learn which of us enjoys an advent calendar with German beer. If you listen until the episode's end, you also hear who loves drinking a hot wine punch at a Christmas market. Well, after and before chatting about drinks, we flew full circle on Business Central production orders, jobs, and assembly orders.

Read More