1. A
lpha Industries, Inc. started in the
1950s as a contractor for the U.S.
Department of Defense, producing
rugged outwear for U.S. armed
forces, including iconic styles such
as the MA-1 flight jacket and N-3B extreme cold
weather parka. During the last few decades, Alpha
gradually expanded operations to specialize in
manufacturing military-inspired clothing for sale
in the civilian commercial/retail space. Today they
are a global leader in creating new military fashion
styles, as well continuing to support various military
veteran organizations.
Steven Miller, CFO/CAO, joined Alpha
Industries in March of 2015 and leverages
Microsoft Dynamics NAV to produce financial
statements as well as for budgeting and
forecasting. Steve shares, “We have had Microsoft
Dynamics NAV for less than two years and are
now at a point of researching and learning how to
better use the tool.”
Steven and two of his finance team members
attended NAVUG™ Summit for this first time
in October and learned there is a lot more
functionality in the system than they were
initially aware of. “When you’re going through
an ERP installation, you tend to be a deer in the
headlights,” Steven says. “It wasn’t until we had
some time to reflect that we could learn more
outside of our daily tasks. NAVUG Summit
was our first exposure to valuable tips and
techniques…and we loved it!”
Step by Step
With a number of distributors across the world,
Alpha Industries can depend on reliable reporting
out of Microsoft Dynamics NAV to help identify
any problems and are happy with their receivables,
payables, and general ledger management. “As we get
more ramped up in using Microsoft Dynamics NAV,
werealizetheneedtogetCRMmoreinvolved.”Steven
continues, “We also understand how important it is
to take a step-by-step approach, especially factoring
in the huge learning curve we’ve had going from our
previous system to Microsoft Dynamics NAV.”
Their first step is to implement a third-
party warehouse system to continue fulfilling
e-commerce orders in a timely and accurate
manner. One of Steven’s goals while at NAVUG
Summit was to meet with a few third-party
providers in the Expo. He was able to do just that
and make valuable connections that will help
Alpha Industries with e-commerce fulfillment.
The company looks forward to using Microsoft
DynamicsNAVtosetupbudgettemplatesandfactor
in more historical aspects of their business trends.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to see multiple
years in our system to make proper forecasts,” Steven
shares. “Now that we’re starting to see historical data
year over year, we can make better decisions.”
COMPANY
Alpha Industries, Inc.
INTERVIEWEE
Steven E. Miller, chief financial
and administrative officer
WEBSITE
www.alphaindustries.com
HEADQUARTERS
Chantilly, Virginia
PHONE
703-378-1420
EMAIL
S.miller@alphaindustries.com
ESTABLISHED
1959
MICROSOFT DYNAMICS NAV
USER SINCE
2014
MICROSOFT DYNAMICS NAV
VERSION
Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013
Alpha Industries
user member showcase
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12 | NAVUG Magazine

2. Strong in Passion
The online forums on Collaborate
and daily emails help Steven see what’s
out there so he can direct his team
accordingly. “Because we’re newer Users,
it’s so helpful to see what’s possible
in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and the
NAVUG forums help us get a sense of
that,” he explains.
Steven has been involved with other
software communities, but says NAVUG
is the strongest he’s seen out there.
“Especially after seeing NAVUG Summit
in person,” Steven concludes, “we can
tell that the NAVUG community is
passionate and a very helpful group of
Users.” NAVUG
“It wasn’t until
we had some time to
reflect that we could
learn more outside
of our daily tasks.
NAVUG Summit was
our first exposure
to valuable tips and
techniques…and we
loved it!”
Q1 2016 | 13