Building a Better Data Foundation: Acker-Stone’s Migration from Great Plains to NetSuite

Outgrowing the Legacy Landscape

Before partnering with Plative, Acker-Stone relied on an aging Microsoft Great Plains system that faced a looming end-of-support date. The system created significant complexities because each manufacturing facility operated on a separate database. This meant the same customer or vendor would have different IDs in each system, making consolidated reporting a laborious, manual task for the financial team.

Raphael Durst, CFO at Acker-Stone, noted the human impact of these technical hurdles:

“Inventory management system, customer service, everything was trending down and we needed to find a solution. We lacked the good executive information to give us more intelligent data-driven decisions.”

— Raphael Durst , CFO, Acker-Stone

The lack of a unified system led to a “patchwork” of add-on softwares and endless Excel spreadsheets, leaving the team without a single source of truth.

Building a Unified Foundation

Acker-Stone chose Oracle NetSuite as their new cloud ERP and partnered with Plative to lead the implementation. Throughout the discovery phase, the Plative team worked alongside Acker-Stone to demystify the technical requirements of a modern ERP, focusing on clear communication and practical guidance. Rather than over-complicating the transition, the teams collaborated to identify the essential core processes required for a successful launch.

The collaboration focused on manufacturing-specific needs, such as tracking inventory not just by SKU, but by the specific date of manufacture—a crucial detail in stone production where colors can vary by batch.

Raphael appreciated the hands-on approach:

“Plative came up with the process of how to deal with it and we identified the processes that are really essential. If you cannot issue an invoice, nothing will work.”

— Raphael Durst , CFO, Acker-stone

Visibility From Plant to Patio

Since going live, Acker-Stone has moved from a fragmented environment to a unified platform. The most immediate impact appeared in the customer service and finance departments. With real-time data, the team can now provide accurate information to customers about color variations and batch availability, leading to a better customer experience.

The financial team now generates reports much faster than before, as they no longer have to manually bridge data between separate facility databases. By focusing on a stable launch of core processes, Acker-Stone ensured they could continue producing and invoicing without interruption during the transition.

“The new system gives us the tools to give more service to the customer, which is very important.”

— Raphael Durst , CFO, Acker-Stone

From Day One to the Future State

Acker-Stone is now entering a new phase of their roadmap: leveraging advanced data through KPI dashboards and executive reports. Their future plans include linking their operational data systems with NetSuite to monitor the effectiveness of their manufacturing processes in one place.

Reflecting on the journey, Raphael’s advice for others facing a similar transformation is to prioritize the essentials first. He suggests focusing on a clean “Go Live” with core functions rather than trying to implement every feature at once.

A critical part of building that foundation is managing the human side of change. Raphael emphasizes that transition management is key, as users often feel a sense of disruption when moving away from familiar systems they have used for years. While the initial shift requires effort and patience, recognizing that new processes take time to master is essential for long-term adoption. By securing both the technical and cultural fundamentals, Acker-Stone is now positioned to use its data for better decision-making and continued growth across the Southwest.

“Launch is not the end of the process—it’s almost the beginning. You have to identify the processes that are truly essential; the things that, if they don’t work, everything will shut down. You need to build a good foundation first, then you can build your dreams.”

— Raphael Durst , CFO, Acker-stone