Which ERP system do I need if my company operates internationally?
As soon as business processes extend beyond national borders, companies are faced with new challenges: Employees speak different languages, invoices and payments are made in different currencies and complex legal requirements apply to exports. Many systems quickly reach their limits – resulting in manual detours, increased susceptibility to errors and compliance risks.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers functions that are tailored precisely to these requirements. It supports multilingual work, enables consistent multi-currency accounting and can be supplemented with export checks using extensions such as CX Export Control. The result is a tool that can be used to map international business processes efficiently and with legal certainty.
Multilingualism – working in international teams
Business Central allows the user interface to be used in different languages. This means that employees in Germany work with a German interface, while colleagues in Greece or Poland see the same screens in their national language.
A practical example: A German company creates a quote for a customer in Athens. The sales employee sees the data in German, the customer automatically receives the document in Greek – provided that the article data and text modules have been maintained in multiple languages. This avoids misunderstandings and communication remains clear for both sides.
Zusätzlich gibt es Lokalisierungen. Ein Beispiel hierfür ist die Umsatzsteuervoranmeldung: Während in Deutschland ELSTER-Schnittstellen relevant sind, gelten in Italien andere Anforderungen. Business Central kann diese länderspezifischen Vorgaben berücksichtigen, ohne dass verschiedene Systeme benötigt werden.
Multi-currency capability – financial processes in a global environment
In international trade, payments are often made in different currencies. Business Central offers the option of recording business transactions in foreign currencies and carrying out a parallel evaluation in the base currency.
A practical example: A company in Bremen buys components in the UK for GBP 50,000, sells the finished machines to Canada for CAD 120,000 and prepares its annual financial statements in euros. Business Central automatically converts the amounts using the current exchange rates and ensures that both operational accounting and reporting are correct. Exchange rate differences between the time of order and the time of payment are automatically taken into account. This gives the company an overview of margins and possible currency risks at all times.
Multi-currency capability also helps with group structures. For example, a German parent company can consolidate the financial statements of its subsidiaries in Sweden (SEK) and Poland (PLN) in euros. This makes financial management much easier.
Export control – legal requirements in international trade
Export control concerns companies that supply goods or services abroad. The aim is to ensure that no prohibited transactions take place – be it through embargoes, sanctions lists or trade in dual-use goods.
An example: A German company wants to export a machine to Russia. Before the delivery takes place, Business Central automatically checks the customer data against international sanctions lists using the CX Export Control extension. If the customer is on a list, the process is blocked and the specialist department can check the case.
Another example concerns dual-use goods: a company sells electronic components that can be used both in industry and in the military sector. CX Export Control compares the commodity codes with the relevant customs tariff lists and provides immediate feedback as to whether a license is required for this export. In this way, infringements can be avoided before they occur.
Conclusion
International business processes place special demands on companies. Dynamics 365 Business Central supports collaboration in international teams with multilingualism, the mapping of global financial processes with multicurrency capability and compliance with legal requirements in exports with extensions such as CX Export Control. The examples show how these functions work in practice: a quote in several languages, an invoice with automatic conversion or a block on a critical export process. This enables companies to map their international activities in a structured, transparent and compliant manner.