Venture Engineering
See how Cedar Bay has brought this ambitious motorsport manufacturing team out of the pits and into pole position with Acumatica ERP for manufacturing…
In motorsport engineering, precision isn’t just important on the track – it matters just as much behind the scenes. Tight deadlines, complex projects, and high customer expectations mean there’s no room for guesswork when it comes to operations.
That was the challenge facing Venture Engineering, a UK-based precision manufacturer working with elite motorsport teams and complex engineering programmes. As the business grew, the legacy systems supporting it struggled to keep up – relying on QuickBooks, spreadsheets, and paper-based processes made it increasingly difficult to track projects, costs, labour, and inventory with confidence.
Venture Engineering needed a platform that could keep pace with the way it works: fast, flexible, and with customised functionality. Working with Cedar Bay, the team implemented Acumatica Manufacturing Edition, creating a single, connected ERP platform that now underpins both workshop operations and race-day execution.
ACUMATICA AT A GLANCE
ERP platform: Acumatica Manufacturing Edition
Initial go-live: 3 months (phased approach)
Operational scale: 20,000+ parts and ~1,000 BOMs
Project complexity: 50–60 live projects at any time
Efficiency gain:
- 8 staff re-assigned from managing spreadsheets
- Expansion to 10 x original space
- Diversified into new markets
- Launched GT4 race team and won maiden race
WHAT WE DID
THE CHALLENGES
Systems that couldn’t scale
When Venture Engineering was a small team, spreadsheets and QuickBooks were manageable. As project volumes increased, they quickly became difficult to keep track of. Tracking 50 or more engineering projects at once – each with different requirements, timelines, and costs – was time-consuming and error-prone.
Limited visibility and traceability
For customers operating at the highest levels of motorsport, traceability is critical. Yet Venture Engineering’s data lived across a number of spreadsheets and relied on eight staff to manage and input the data. Understanding stock availability meant walking into the warehouse and counting parts. Tracking labour and material usage across long-running projects was inconsistent at best.
Quoting without confidence
Without reliable historical data, quoting projects relied heavily on memory and experience. Labour costs often went unnoticed until the end of a project, making it harder to protect margins or clearly explain costs to customers.
“Trying to track some of the bigger projects was becoming an absolute nightmare.”
Adrian Perkins
Venture Engineering Co-founder and Operations Director
THE SOLUTION
Venture Engineering knew they needed to upgrade from legacy systems to an ERP system – but not one that would overwhelm the business.
Some of the founders had experience with large enterprise systems but Acumatica Cloud ERP stood out for its flexibility, functionality and customisation options. This meant it could support the team with manufacturing, stock control, and project accounting without unnecessary complexity.
THE IMPLEMENTATION
As Acumatica Gold Partners for manufacturing, we delivered a phased, practical implementation, specifically designed around the requirements of Venture Engineering’s business:
- Purchasing, inventory and finance were implemented first
- Project accounting, production orders and advanced reporting followed
- New processes were introduced gradually, giving teams time to adapt
Just as importantly, we focused on adoption – helping the team understand not just how to use the system, but why capturing the data mattered. As the output improved, buy-in followed.
THE RESULTS
Real-time visibility across the business
With Acumatica, Venture Engineering can now track projects, labour, inventory and costs in real time, all in one place. Instead of reacting at the end of a job, the team can see what’s happening as work progresses and make adjustments early.
Better quoting and profitability control
Access to historical project data has transformed the way Venture Engineering quotes for work. The team can quickly see what happened last time, capture lessons learned, and price more accurately – even on complex, long-running projects.
Less admin, more value
Before Acumatica, eight staff were tied up managing spreadsheets to track projects for customers. With a single ERP platform in place, that effort has been eliminated, freeing people to focus on engineering, delivery, and customer work instead.
A clear competitive advantage
Another benefit is customer visibility. Thanks to Acumatica’s licensing model, Venture Engineering can give customers restricted access to their own projects – allowing them to see progress, stock usage, and changes in real time.
This level of transparency has become a powerful differentiator and has helped build trust with larger customers.
“Ever since we started using Acumatica, we can track and trace absolutely everything. As a business owner it gives you confidence, and an understanding of the intricacies of the way everything works.”
Joe Lofthouse
Venture Engineering Co-founder and Manufacturing Director
KEY OUTCOMES
| Area | Before Acumatica | After Acumatica |
| Project tracking | Spreadsheets, inputted manually, prone to error | Single platform showing real-time project and transparent cost visibility |
| Inventory visibility | Physical counting of parts and guesswork | 20,000+ parts tracked in one system |
| Quoting | No access to historical data, relying on experience | Accurate and data-driven for greater efficiency and improved customer buy-in |
| Scalability | More spreadsheets – and people to manage them | 50–60 live projects supported with ERP structure |
“Efficiency is probably our biggest saving. If you took out Acumatica for a week, we would really struggle to run at the speed we do now.”
Will Boss
Venture Engineering Operations Manager
WHY CHOOSE CEDAR BAY AS YOUR ACUMATICA PARTNER?
Venture Engineering didn’t just need new software – they needed an ERP partner who understood manufacturing and fast-moving operations. By combining deep sector knowledge with proven Acumatica expertise, we deliver tailored ERP solutions that are focused on measurable business outcomes.
How we work:
- Experience in implementing ERP for manufacturing
- A phased rollout that delivers value quickly without disruption
- Strong focus on user adoption and change
- Ongoing support, upgrades, and guidance post go-live
Ready to move beyond spreadsheets?
If your manufacturing business is struggling with disconnected systems, limited visibility, or manual tracking, Acumatica Manufacturing Edition can provide the structure and insight you need to scale with confidence.
Talk to our experienced team to see how a phased ERP implementation can help you gain control – without slowing you down.