Horizon Commercial Pools specializes in commercial and public swimming pool products and services. As one of the most respected pool companies in the Midwest, Horizon Commercial Pools offers CPO certification, AFO training and other educational offerings.

Challenge: Finding an ERP to Power Growth

As Horizon grew to acquire companies and expand its market reach, it was hindered by a legacy Sage ERP system. There was no central platform of financial information, and tasks such as pricing, tax, and commission calculations were manual and cumbersome.

Horizon set out to find an ERP that could be the financial backbone for acquisitions and expansion; streamline financial processes such as invoicing, purchasing and reconciliation; and that featured an easy end-user experience for employees.

Solution: A Cloud-Based, Customizable ERP

To improve business efficiency, streamline operations and automate manual financial tasks, Horizon chose to replace its Sage ERP with NetSuite.

“We were glad to get away from an on-premise ERP and move to a stable, cloud-based system,” said Jason Gillet, vice-president of Horizon Commercial Pools. “NetSuite was one of the few cloud-based solutions that was customizable enough to make our workflows more efficient and to grow with us.”

NetSuite ERP enables Horizon to take advantage of an integrated business platform while aligning with company- and industry-specific workflows and regulations. NetSuite’s native functionality, such as bulk invoicing, saves employees significant amounts of time. With greater visibility into its business, Horizon’s leadership team has crystal-clear visibility into company performance.

BTM Global was chosen to lead the implementation and integration of NetSuite. This included:
• Configuring NetSuite SuiteSuccess Manufacturing Standard Cloud Service SKU
• Full data migration of both static and transactional data
• Customizations for hazardous material handling and regulations
• Journal entry uploads for payroll and fixed asset depreciation
• Integration with a third-party credit card processor
• Integration and on-boarding of company acquisitions
• Full post go-live support

Results: Rapid Expansion with More Efficiency and Visibility

Today, Horizon Commercial Pools is equipped with a robust ERP supports rapid growth, powers superior customer service, and enables more efficient and automated operations. BTM Global’s meticulous project management, thoroughness in data migration, and strategic thinking shepherded this project to success.

“NetSuite has paid for itself multiple times over,” said Gillet. “I estimate we’ve saved the equivalent of one or two salaries thanks to the automation.”

Automation and efficiency
BTM Global ensured NetSuite was customized to Horizon’s specific industry and company needs. That has led to significant time and cost savings. In addition, Horizon adopted NetSuite’s best practices to improve process efficiencies.

• Invoices are bulk-sent with a click of a button, compared to manual clicks for each of +100 invoices per day
• Key strokes related to hazardous material tracking and reporting have been reduced by about 70%
• Sales orders and invoicing have been largely automated, thanks to NetSuite’s ability to automatically send correspondence, reminders and purchase orders

“It’s been a lot more efficient,” said Gillet. “NetSuite centralizes sales tasks for everybody and the tasks are more transparent across the organization.”

Easier, faster financials
The leadership team at Horizon Commercial Pools appreciates the improved visibility into the company’s financials – especially with its rapid growth.

• Enhanced reporting and saved searches give the finance team better data and metrics
• Commissions are now quickly calculated with custom workflow logic, and sales reps can see their commissions in real time
• Tax rates are automatically calculated based on the shipping address, making it much easier for compliance and reporting
• Flexible, custom pricing has made quotes and invoicing more streamlined and accurate

Acquisition support
BTM Global led data migrations for each of Horizon Commercial Pools’ three recent acquisitions. The company’s ambitious growth was supported by a NetSuite platform that was flexible to both the parent company’s needs and those of the acquired entities.

• BTM created customizations to allow for inventory visibility into each new company
• Location-specific dashboards and reporting have enabled leadership to track activities and results as the company grows

“BTM’s support with the customizations and on-boarding of the new companies has been game-changing,” said Gillet. “The transparency and consistency are amazing, and our acquired companies love NetSuite.”

Accurate inventory visibility, less paper
“We have much more transparency in our inventory stock levels,” reports Gillet. “Now that the system is cloud-based, our outside sales team has visibility and can look something up immediately without logging into a hosted system.”

• Horizon has eliminated the vast majority of the paper needed for inventory tracking
• The company continues to digitize its processes and reduce its reliance on paperwork
• BTM supported and counseled Horizon Commercial Pools on best practices for change management and training

SuiteBoost managed services
Following the NetSuite go-live, Horizon continued the partnership by selecting BTM’s SuiteBoost managed services for NetSuite.

“We didn’t have a resident NetSuite expert, so we needed ongoing support from BTM,” said Gillet. “Even a year after the go-live, we’ve done a lot of tweaks and minor customizations. BTM’s dedicated support has been really important.”

SuiteBoost plans may include functional, development, and administrative support services. As Horizon’s growth continues, BTM NetSuite managed services provides a dedicated contact and team who ensures Horizon is maximizing the power of NetSuite. This includes data migration, applying relevant criteria and processes to each acquired company, and supporting specific reporting needs.

“BTM really gave us the personalized attention and responsiveness we wanted from a partner,” said Gillet. “We’ve been nothing but happy with their service and expertise.”