Data in spreadsheets
Reports were assembled from spreadsheets and databases, and built-in reports missed the data staff needed.
Acumatica Distribution Case Study
How Hedstrom Fitness replaced Macola with Acumatica Distribution Edition and brought its warehouse and shipping in-house.
About Hedstrom Fitness
Hedstrom Fitness sells BOSU balance trainers, balance pods, kettlebell weights and other fitness gear, found in stores and gyms around the world and sold online. It was spun out of Hedstrom Plastics in 2020 because the fitness unit had become popular, which let the new company focus fully on fitness.
The Challenge
For its first full year on its own, Hedstrom Fitness ran Macola, the financial and manufacturing system Hedstrom Plastics used. Macola was set up around single functions such as shipping, invoicing or accounting, and it needed an add-on to work for customer service. The president could not get a high-level view of the company.
Most data went through spreadsheets or databases before it reached a report, which left room for error. The parent shipped bulk goods from the factory through a 3PL, while Hedstrom Fitness sells many products online and wanted more control over fulfillment.
Hedstrom Fitness needed one cloud platform for orders, inventory and finance, plus a small-pack operation of its own to ship single orders.
Reports were assembled from spreadsheets and databases, and built-in reports missed the data staff needed.
The president waited an hour, sometimes days, for someone to pull a report.
Processing an order took two extra systems, plus the FedEx toolbox for shipping quotes.
Orders went through a third-party logistics firm and took four days to ship.
The Solution
Hedstrom Fitness wanted to stop handling the same work more than once, go paperless and avoid running its own server. It chose Acumatica because it felt intuitive in the demo and its open API connects third-party applications, which matters for a company that sells online. The move also let the team start fresh, bringing over only the records it trusted from almost 20 years of Macola data.
Orders, inventory and finance run in one cloud system, with customizable dashboards that report automatically. The president now monitors 95% of what he tracks each day without asking anyone for a report. He gets the data instantly, and his team keeps that time for its own work.
Orders arrive through EDI with TrueCommerce, so customer service reviews them in a list instead of opening each one. One click on a reviewed batch can send 200 orders to the warehouse within two minutes. Looking up and verifying an order dropped from five minutes to two or less.
Customer service enters an order, clicks once and gets a shipping quote back in Acumatica, with no separate systems or FedEx toolbox. The whole process works from anywhere. Much of the manual data entry is no longer needed.
The company moved its warehouse from Columbus to its Ashland headquarters and stopped using a 3PL. Acumatica shows at once whether an order can be filled, and two warehouse staff plus one person routing and printing labels handle shipping that nine people managed before. Orders that took four days to ship now go out the same day.
Variances show as soon as a count is finished, where Macola made staff wait a day for postings, and staff can drill into the accounting documents to find the cause. The old full count took a week, though it also covered sporting goods and toys. A recent full count of Hedstrom Fitness stock took two and a half days with fewer people.
One person handles accounts payable and receivable, and a part-time accountant helps close the books each month. The president follows the financials through the month himself. Accounting support went from six people to two.
The Result
Hedstrom Fitness credits Acumatica with helping it move warehousing and shipping from a 3PL in-house, and same-day shipping and promotions have grown its web sales. Commercial customers now see shorter out-of-stock times, and the team plans to start cycle counting by codes to keep stock accurate.
One person on payables and receivables, plus a part-time accountant.
In-house fulfillment in Ashland with same-day shipping.
EDI orders reviewed in a list and shipping quotes in one click.
Documents stored in Acumatica, and paper down to a couple of reams a month.