7 Minute read
From Spreadsheets to Cloud ERP: An Acumatica User Guide
Are spreadsheets holding your business back? Discover how cloud ERP software can open up new possibilities for growth with Cedar Bay’s Acumatica user guide…
Roger Teagle
30th Oct 2025
Every growing business reaches a tipping point – the moment when spreadsheets stop being helpful and start holding you back. They’re fast to set up, familiar, and flexible… until they aren’t.
What begins as a simple tracker turns into a maze of linked tabs, version conflicts, and endless manual updates. Finance has one figure, operations another, and no one’s quite sure which is right.
At first, it’s just inefficient. But over time, the cracks widen. Projects run over budget. Orders slip. Leaders make decisions based on outdated data. And the people who should be driving the business forward are stuck maintaining the system that’s supposed to support it.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Across manufacturing, distribution, and service-led organisations, countless teams are still managing multi-million-pound operations on spreadsheets built for start-ups.
That’s where cloud-based ERP systems come in, offering a smarter, more connected way to run your business and accelerate growth.
When spreadsheets start to hold you back
That was exactly the situation for Venture Engineering, a growing engineering manufacturing firm in the motorsport sector. At one point, eight people were tied up full-time just maintaining spreadsheets for their projects. Inventory was counted manually, data was duplicated, and quotes were built on best guesses rather than hard evidence.
For a business that prides itself on precision, working this way was unsustainable – and it’s a story familiar to many manufacturers, distributors, and service-based organisations.
When your company depends on spreadsheets, you don’t have visibility – you have versions. You can’t trust what’s on the screen because it changes every time someone updates a cell.
To find out whether your business would benefit from moving to a cloud-based ERP software system, read our blog, Are Legacy Solutions Holding Manufacturers Back?
“Trying to track some of the bigger projects was just becoming an absolute nightmare. The data we had was actually pretty useless. ”
Adrian Perkins
Venture Engineering Co-founder and Operations Director
The hidden cost of staying manual
Spreadsheets may feel flexible, but they create hidden friction across your organisation:
- Duplicated data means finance, operations, and sales are never in sync.
- Manual entry leads to human error and hours lost fixing mistakes.
- Slow reporting delays decisions that should happen in real time.
- No single source of truth leaves leaders making choices based on guesswork.
As businesses grow, this patchwork approach starts to break down. Teams become data custodians instead of problem solvers. Processes slow. Growth stalls.
Venture Engineering’s story proves that even the most capable teams can be held back by outdated systems. The good news? There’s a way forward.
Cloud ERP – the silver lining for business owners
A cloud ERP system, like Aucmatica ERP, brings every part of your business – finance, projects, inventory, purchasing, and reporting – into one connected platform.
Unlike traditional ERP systems that are rigid, costly, and server-based, cloud ERP offers:
- Real-time visibility: Everyone sees the same live data, from anywhere.
- Automatic updates: New features and security are always current.
- Scalability: Add new users or functions without downtime.
- Lower total cost of ownership: No servers, no expensive upgrades.
Cloud ERP systems streamline processes so your team can focus on performance and business potential, rather than getting tied up in knots untangling multiple data sets and versions.
“From where we were at the start to where we are now is just mind blowing. Exponential growth has increased massively since we’ve had Acumatica software.”
Joe Lofthouse
Venture Engineering Co-founder and Manufacturing Director
From spreadsheet chaos to race-day result
When Venture Engineering realised their spreadsheets could no longer keep up, they needed a solution – and fast. By implementing Acumatica with Cedar Bay, they moved to a more streamlined operation – from guesswork to accurately tracking 20,000 parts, managing 1,000+ BOMs, and automating their Material Requirements Planning (MRP).
Since switching to cloud-based Acumatica ERP, Venture Engineering has seen huge business growth and the team has even won their first podium. But it’s also the possibility for potential growth that excites the Venture Engineering team.
“The jump in our capabilities has been huge,” says Operations Director, Andrew Williamson. “Having the data means you can make informed decisions. It’s now down to us to use this data in the best possible way to drive the business forward, and we’ve now got all the tools we need.”
To read more about Why Venture Engineering Switched from Spreadsheets to Acumatica ERP and Never Looked Back, take a look at our recent blog.
What is Acumatica ERP?
Acumatica is a Cloud ERP software that delivers a connected, user-friendly experience for industries where detail matters, whether that’s manufacturing, distribution, or professional services. It is built for businesses that need flexibility and functionality, without the complexity.
Benefits for business leaders:
- Real-time reporting and dashboards for instant insight.
- Automated workflows that reduce manual data entry.
- Powerful Acumatica integrations with tools like Microsoft 365, CAD systems such as SolidWorks and AutoCAD, ecommerce platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce, and CRM.
- Unlimited user access, so your entire team – and clients – can collaborate without licence restrictions.
- Sector-specific functionality including ERP for manufacturing, distribution, project accounting, and service management.
FAQs: An Acumatica user guide
1) Who is Acumatica ERP designed for?
Acumatica is a cloud-based ERP system designed for growing businesses that need integrated control of finance, projects, operations, and customer management. It’s ideal for manufacturers, distributors, and service-driven companies that have outgrown spreadsheets.
2) How long does Acumatica implementation take?
Most Cedar Bay clients go live with core modules like finance and inventory within 3–6 months, adding project accounting and MRP in later phases.
3) What are the key benefits of cloud ERP?
Cloud ERP provides real-time visibility, scalability, and automation. It eliminates the need for local servers and reduces maintenance costs while giving teams instant access to live data.
4) How do Acumatica integrations help businesses?
Acumatica integrations connect seamlessly with external systems such as Microsoft 365, AutoCAD, Shopify, and BigCommerce – ensuring data flows smoothly across the organisation.
5) Why choose Cedar Bay as your Acumatica partner?
Cedar Bay combines sector-specific expertise with a proven implementation process. We understand your industry and can help you configure Acumatica to achieve faster ROI and sustainable growth. Read our latest blog to find out Why a Sector-Specific ERP Partner Can Help Accelerate Your Growth.
Ready to move beyond spreadsheets?
With Acumatica Cloud ERP and Cedar Bay as your implementation partner, you don’t just get new software – you get a new way of working.
If you’re interested in learning how Acumatica implementation can transform your operations, why not book a discovery call with Cedar Bay? We’ll scope your requirements and show you how Acumatica integration can boost your business.
