Merging for Growth: ERP Unification in a Regulated Industry
Overview
A privately held manufacturing company in the regulated consumer goods sector sought to modernize its enterprise resource planning (ERP) infrastructure and streamline operations through a strategic merger with a sister entity. Operating on an outdated legacy system, the organization faced numerous operational inefficiencies and limitations in scalability. The need for a unified, modern solution became critical to support ongoing growth and integration efforts.
Challenges
- Fragmented accounting systems across entities.
- Manual inventory tracking in Excel was susceptible to data errors.
- Complex manufacturing processes required batch and lot tracking.
- Regulatory requirements for consumer products, excise tax, and FDA reporting.
- Inefficient workflows and poor reporting capabilities in the legacy system.
The company partnered with Fourlane to implement QuickBooks Enterprise. This transition not only aimed to centralize their accounting processes and streamline manufacturing, but also to enable advanced inventory tracking, eCommerce integration, and compliance reporting to support their growing needs.
A Phased Approach To Meet Company Goals
Solution Goals:
- Merge the company and sister company’s accounting data prior to moving into a single QuickBooks file.
- Utilize Classes to track financials by entity and product lines
- Set up Inventory, Payroll, and Manufacturing modules with advanced features like:
- Build Assemblies
- Lot/Batch tracking
- Barcoding (explored)
- Multi-level item categorization
- Migrate historical financials from the company only, while sister company’s regulatory identity remained for licensing purposes.
Outcomes and Impact
Operational Benefits
- Centralized ERP for inventory, payroll, manufacturing, and accounting.
- Enhanced visibility into production costs and profitability by product and channel.
- Improved financial consolidation and month-end reporting.
- Stronger audit trail and user accountability.
- Seamless handling of back orders, returns, and partial shipments.
Compliance & Control
- Enabled detailed batch/lot tracking to support quality control and recall processes.
- Improved tax compliance with structured excise tax tracking and state-level reporting.
Strategic Agility
- Transition to consignment and fulfillment models better supported.
- Scalable setup for future product lines and geographic expansions.
- Framework in place for potential AI-driven automation and analytics enhancements.
Conclusion
The successful collaboration between the company and Fourlane exemplifies how thoughtful ERP modernization and strategic consulting can transform legacy operations into a scalable, compliant, and insight-driven platform. Through QuickBooks Enterprise, the company not only streamlined its financial and operational backbone but also laid a foundation for future growth in a highly regulated and competitive industry.
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Industry
Manufacturing and Distribution
