ERP Implementation with NorthWest Handling Systems
Guiding a Lean Team Through a Complex, Multi-Year ERP Implementation
NorthWest Handling Systems has been the leading full line material handling distributor in the Pacific Northwest for over 50 years.
Who Is NorthWest Handling Systems?
NorthWest Handling Systems is a material-handling equipment company serving customers across multiple locations. Its business extends beyond traditional forklift sales and service to include allied equipment, parts, complex jobs, commissions, and other operational requirements that make its processes more varied than those of a typical equipment dealership.
Working with the NorthWest Handling Systems team was a genuine partnership. Their leaders remained deeply involved, asked difficult questions, held the software vendor accountable, and stayed focused on reaching Go Live—even when the implementation became longer and more complicated than originally expected.
A non-functional Legacy system forced the change
NorthWest Handling Systems had been operating on an aging legacy system whose long-term future was increasingly uncertain.
As Erik Gordon, VP of Operations explained:
“Our system was so aging out that the main goal was, man, we just need to get something that’s not about to go away.”
Company leaders were concerned that the existing platform could eventually be discontinued or placed into maintenance-only support. They knew they needed to identify and implement a next-generation ERP before circumstances forced them into a rushed decision.
They had also seen other equipment dealers struggle through ERP implementations lasting three or four years. Those experiences made one thing clear: attempting the project without experienced support would create significant risk.
“We knew that if we didn’t get help, we were going to be in trouble.”
Enter AJC Company: The Experienced Project Team They Did Not Have In-House
NorthWest Handling Systems had capable operational leaders, but it did not have a large internal IT department or dedicated ERP project management resources.
Rupesh Sansgiri, CFO, said it best:
“We don’t have the in-house project management resources. We don’t have a large—or even decent-sized—IT department. We subcontract most of our IT work to other vendors.”
Hiring AJC gave the company access to an experienced ERP project manager and project coordinator without requiring them to recruit one or two full-time employees for a temporary implementation.
Several factors influenced the decision:
AJC was highly recommended by another ERP provider the company had evaluated.
AJC brought direct ERP implementation experience.
The team could provide local and regional support.
AJC could represent the client’s interests independently from the software vendor.
NorthWest Handling Systems would not need to build an internal ERP project office from scratch.
Rupesh summarized the decision simply:
“We definitely knew we needed somebody because we wouldn’t be able to manage the project in-house unless we went out and hired a project manager to actually do it.”
The Plan: Replace the Legacy Platform While Maintaining Control of the Business
The project’s initial goals included:
Replacing an aging legacy system before it became unsupported.
Moving the company onto a modern and sustainable ERP platform.
Improving operational and financial efficiency.
Creating better reporting and system integration.
Supporting the company’s distinctive equipment, parts, allied-product, job, and commission processes.
Completing the implementation without pulling operational leaders away from running the business full-time.
The software implementation was initially presented as achievable within approximately nine to twelve months. NorthWest Handling Systems expected a more realistic timeline of approximately twelve to eighteen months.
The project ultimately extended beyond those expectations as system requirements, vendor commitments, software versions, and available functionality changed.
The Challenge: What Looked Easy in a Demo Was Harder in Practice
Once the team moved from demonstrations into detailed configuration and testing, several expected capabilities proved more complicated than originally represented.
Examples included:
Barcode-scanning functionality that could not be implemented as expected.
Financial processes that remained more manual than anticipated.
Features presented as standard that required extra steps or customization.
CRM and Outlook integration that actually required an updated software version.
Unique operational processes that did not fit neatly within the system’s standard configuration.
An early transition from implementing software version 22 to version 24 to obtain functionality included in the original scope.
Turnover and changing responsibilities within the software vendor’s implementation team.
Erik described the implementation reality:
“There were a lot of things where they would tell us ‘out of the box,’ ‘included,’ ‘functional,’ and ‘easy,’ and then you get into the details and it’s not. It’s an extra step, or that’s a customization.”
The version change alone added several months to the project. However, moving to the newer version prevented NorthWest Handling Systems from going live on a platform that would already have been multiple versions behind.
The experience also reinforced the importance of involving an independent ERP advisor before software contracts are finalized.
Rupesh reflected:
“In hindsight, we probably should have engaged you guys earlier, before we started looking at the various vendors.”
Although NorthWest Handling Systems had worked to include important requirements in its contract, some vendor assurances had remained verbal.
“There were a lot of things that we took verbally and didn’t think we needed to have in writing, which we should have had in writing in the contract.”
AJC’s Role: Organization, Accountability, Documentation, and Vendor Management
AJC Project Manager Melissa and Project Coordinator Kiara served as an extension of the NorthWest Handling Systems leadership team throughout the implementation.
Their work included:
Maintaining the implementation schedule and project documentation.
Coordinating and recording meetings.
Organizing project files so information could easily be located later.
Tracking requirements, decisions, defects, and outstanding issues.
Following up with the ERP vendor between formal meetings.
Helping the client evaluate vendor responses and commitments.
Challenging assumptions that did not align with normal implementation practices.
Supporting testing, Go Live, and post-launch defect management.
Maintaining continuity despite turnover within the vendor’s project team.
Because NorthWest Handling Systems undertakes a major operating-system change only once every several decades, its leaders could not reasonably be expected to know every implementation convention or recognize every risk.
Erik explained the value of having an experienced advocate:
“We don’t know what we don’t know. You guys do this for a living. We make an operations change once every 30 years.”
He continued:
“We would take the vendor at their word, and then Melissa would jump in and say, ‘No, no, no—that’s not how this goes.’ That was very helpful.”
Rupesh agreed:
“She held them in line.”
During Go Live, Melissa and Kiara maintained close control of the defect list and ensured that issues were documented, assigned, and followed through.
“Both Melissa and Kiara were great during Go Live. They were on point, making sure everything was being tracked—all the defects and all of that.”
The Result: A Functional Go Live and a Foundation for Continued Improvement
NorthWest Handling Systems successfully moved off its aging legacy system and onto the new ERP platform.
At the project closeout, the organization had:
Completed Go Live across its operations.
Transitioned from vendor hypercare into ongoing support.
Established a structured list of post-launch defects and open items.
Upgraded to a more current software version than originally planned.
Preserved documentation, decisions, recordings, and project history.
Built a foundation from which the company can stabilize operations and evaluate future enhancements.
The system was functional, although the first weeks were understandably difficult for users. As leaders visited branches and listened to employees, however, they saw that adoption was beginning to improve, and are excited for the future.
We are excited for you too, Northwest Handling Systems!
Is Your Team Preparing for an ERP Implementation?
Your software vendor manages its implementation.
Someone still needs to represent your business.
AJC Company helps mid-market organizations select and implement ERP systems without requiring their leaders to become full-time project managers. We organize the work, challenge assumptions, maintain accountability, and help your employees keep running the business while we run the project.
You Run the Business. We’ll Run the Projects.
