Case Study: ITW Hobart Service

Before modernizing their ERP environment, Hobart Service faced several challenges common to high-volume service organizations. Large numbers of transactions, complex service agreements, and inventory requirements often led to manual processes that required teams to reconcile or update the system after the fact.

These workarounds limited visibility into key operational areas, particularly inventory and warehouse management. For ITW Hobart Service, this was especially critical because thousands of field technicians depend on immediate access to spare parts and replacement components while serving customers on-site. Accurate inventory management was essential not only for warehouse efficiency, but also for ensuring technicians could complete maintenance and repair activities quickly, minimizing customer downtime.

The organization needed a system capable of supporting the scale of its operations while improving transparency and efficiency across finance, inventory, and service workflows.

Working closely with Hobart Service’s IT and operational teams, Ellipse Solutions helped implement and configure a Dynamics 365 environment designed to support the realities of a nationwide service organization.

One of the most impactful improvements for ITW Hobart Service came in warehouse and inventory management. Using Dynamics 365 Advanced Warehousing capabilities, Hobart introduced structured inventory controls, warehouse zoning, and directed put-away processes designed to better support its extensive technician network.

Rather than relying on manual inventory searches, the system now ensures parts are stored strategically, replenished automatically, and readily accessible to the thousands of technicians operating in the field. This significantly improved Hobart’s ability to deliver timely repairs and maintenance by helping technicians secure the right parts faster—ultimately improving customer responsiveness and service performance.

These enhancements strengthened inventory confidence across the organization while directly supporting ITW Hobart Service’s large-scale field operations.

As the Dynamics platform evolved, Hobart Service also navigated an important change when Microsoft announced the retirement of the Revenue Recognition module previously used in their environment.

Because Hobart Service manages recurring service agreements, warranties, and bundled service offerings, this functionality played an important role in their financial processes.

Ellipse worked with Hobart Service to transition these capabilities to Subscription Billing within Dynamics 365 Finance, creating a more modern framework for managing service-based revenue.

The updated solution now supports:

• Recurring invoicing for preventative maintenance agreements
• Revenue allocation across bundled products and services
• Deferred revenue management for warranty and subscription services
• Complex billing scenarios common in large-scale service operations

This transition allowed Hobart Service to maintain continuity in their financial processes while adopting newer Dynamics functionality designed for long-term scalability.

Following the implementation, Hobart Service continued working with Ellipse through the Ellipse Support program.

For an organization processing tens of thousands of transactions across service, finance, purchasing, and warehouse operations, responsive support is essential to maintaining operational continuity.

Ellipse provides structured support with guaranteed response times, giving Hobart Service confidence that issues will be addressed quickly when they arise.

Another key advantage has been continuity. Many of the consultants involved in the original Dynamics 365 implementation remain engaged through the support program today. Their familiarity with Hobart Service’s systems and processes allows them to resolve issues efficiently and contribute to ongoing improvements.

Support cases are managed through an online portal built on Dynamics 365 Customer Service, providing full visibility into request history, status updates, and knowledge resources.