A small organization with enterprise-class operational complexity
The Port of Longview is a public port in Washington State responsible for importing and exporting a diverse mix of cargo, including bulk commodities, steel products, grain, scrap metal, wind turbine components, and other break-bulk materials.
Operations span vessel unloading, rail and truck logistics, and highly complex billing scenarios involving multiple customers per vessel. Success is measured not only in revenue, but also in metric tons of cargo moved.
End-of-life ERP exposed a much bigger business problem
For more than a decade, the Port relied on Microsoft Dynamics SL to manage finance, project accounting, and billing. Dynamics SL had served the organization well, but end-of-life forced the Port to re-evaluate its technology foundation.
The challenge was not a simple ERP replacement. The Port needed to preserve operational nuance while moving to a supportable, cloud-based Microsoft platform.
- Highly complex project billing: Multiple customers can be tied to a single vessel, creating non-standard billing and cost allocation scenarios.
- Union and third-party labor costing: Longshore labor paid through PMA had to be ingested and costed accurately.
- Strict audit requirements: Public-sector accountability required strong controls, segregation of duties, and reliable reporting.
- Budget discipline: The Port needed enterprise-level capability without forcing an oversized enterprise ERP footprint.
“We’re a small business with enterprise-class problems.”Casey Paradis, IT Manager, Port of Longview
Why Business Central, Progressus, and Velosio
The Port issued an RFP and explored alternatives, but found few solutions that could support the complexity of vessel billing, union labor costing, project accounting, and public-sector controls without creating excessive cost or rigidity.
Business Central as the ERP foundation
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provided a modern, cloud-based ERP path aligned with the Microsoft ecosystem.
Progressus for advanced project accounting
Progressus extended Business Central for the Port’s project costing, billing, and operational accounting requirements.
Velosio as continuity partner
Velosio brought long-term knowledge of the Port’s Dynamics SL environment and helped translate unique business processes into the new platform.
Power Platform for automation and visibility
Power BI, Power Automate, and Power Apps supported reporting, labor-file ingestion, and vessel/tonnage tracking scenarios.
A connected Microsoft foundation for port finance and operations
The implementation spanned approximately 18 months, reflecting the Port’s operational complexity and the need for accuracy in payroll, billing, and compliance.
| Workstream | What changed | Business value |
|---|---|---|
| ERP modernization | Migration from Dynamics SL to Business Central with Progressus | Supportable, future-ready cloud foundation |
| Labor processing | UKG payroll integration and automated PMA longshore labor file ingestion | Cleaner cost capture and less manual handling |
| Operational tracking | Custom Power App for vessel and tonnage tracking | Better connection between operations and project accounting |
| Document management | DocLink integration | Stronger support for billing, auditability, and financial workflows |
“Once we got the right people on the team, especially people who really understood Progressus, it started moving along.”Casey Paradis, IT Manager, Port of Longview
From fragile complexity to operational stability
Since go-live, the Port has achieved meaningful operational stability and visibility across payroll, billing, financial close, project costing, and reporting.
Billing and costs flow together
Project costs can flow cleanly into billing and the general ledger, supporting complex vessel billing scenarios.
Microsoft ecosystem visibility
Financial and operational data can be exported to Excel or visualized in Power BI for reporting and analysis.
User adoption exceeded expectations
The Port prioritized testing and careful rollout timing to reduce disruption for long-tenured system users.
Operational risk reduced
A staggered go-live and careful testing supported accuracy across payroll, billing, and compliance-sensitive workflows.
| Metric | Before | AfterType | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice readiness | Complex vessel billing required more manual reconciliation | 2–3 days faster for modeled complex billing cycles | Illustrative ROI model |
| Billing rework | Cost and customer complexity created rework risk | 30–45% modeled reduction in rework touchpoints | Illustrative ROI model |
| Reporting path | Operational and financial data lived across dependent processes | Excel and Power BI-ready reporting path inside Microsoft ecosystem | Actual story theme |
A future-ready Microsoft platform
With a modern, cloud-based foundation in place, the Port is positioned to continue expanding its use of the Microsoft ecosystem, including enhanced reporting, automation, and future innovation.
Most importantly, the Port now has a supportable platform that matches its operational reality without forcing the organization into an oversized enterprise ERP.
Mockup note: The 30–45% billing rework reduction and 2–3 day invoice-readiness improvement are illustrative ROI placeholders for layout purposes. They should be replaced with validated customer-approved metrics before publication.