Our Story: From Shop Floors to “ERP Go‑Live”

Headquarters - Lake Ariel, PA & Philadelphia, PA

Founder - John Hannan, Principal Consultant

When people ask what makes John Hannan LLC different, the short answer is this: we grew up on the shop floor before we ever touched an ERP. That history matters—because the fastest way to a clean go‑live is knowing how operations actually work.

Early roots in operations

I started working at 16 at a regional grocer (Wegmans). After pushing carts and running registers, I was promoted to front‑end coordinator. Suddenly I was forecasting store traffic and scheduling 100+ part‑time employees, learning first‑hand how planning, variability, and service meet reality. That seven‑year stretch across multiple stores taught me the basics I still use today: demand forecasting, workforce planning, cycle time, and relentless customer service.

At Clarkson University (B.S. Engineering & Management) I added the formal tools—industrial engineering principles, process analysis, and the technology mindset that underpins my work today.

Manufacturing and my first ERP rollouts

Post‑graduation, I joined Oldcastle (a multi‑billion‑dollar manufacturer) near Boston. I owned safety, production planning & reporting, quality, forecasting, and inventory costing on standard cost—then got pulled into an ERP project to implement Axapta (later part of Microsoft Dynamics). I served first as manufacturing SME, then as a deployment lead, rolling out to acquired companies with very different processes and success criteria. The lesson: no two businesses are the same, and “best fit” is always contextual.

A decade building a consulting practice

I spent the next decade helping build a Microsoft Dynamics practice at a large public accounting firm, growing from a handful of people to 300+ consultants. Promotion pulled me toward financial management and utilization targets—and away from hands‑on client delivery. That wasn’t why I got into this work.

Why I started John Hannan LLC

In 2020 I founded John Hannan LLC to get back to what I do best: vendor‑neutral ERP selection and client‑side implementation leadership for manufacturing, distribution, and life sciences organizations. Since then, most of our work has come from referrals: executives who saw us deliver in the past and asked us to help again—often after moving to new companies.

What we do now is simple and practical:

1. Clarify what you really need - We lead workshops, capture requirements, and convert them into clear evaluation criteria that software vendors can’t hand‑wave. (Our RFPs include structured business needs, timelines, and demo scripts; see the Planned Schedule of RFP and Related Events on page 5 of one sample template.)

2. Run a defensible selection - We coordinate a long‑list → short‑list process, script the demos, and require apples‑to‑apples pricing. We also require things like managed‑services estimates, SLAs, and RACI so nothing important is “TBD” until after you sign. (See the Response Requirements and RACI/Risk‑Reward sections in our RFPs.)

3. Protect you through contracting - Our templates and checklists force clarity on SOW scope, resource commitments, response times, and renewal pricing so you don’t discover “surprises” later. (Examples across our delivered RFPs show these guardrails in practice.)

4. Stay on as your client‑side PM/QA - We run cadence, test to requirements, manage fit‑gaps, and hold vendors accountable when reality doesn’t match the demo. (In one engagement kick‑off, you can see how we step in to evaluate Epicor Kinetic gaps, compare “sold vs. delivered,” and push vendors to remediate.)

Proof of work

We can’t name clients here, but our deliverables and outcomes speak to the roles we play:

• Engineer‑to‑order manufacturer - We led a first‑ever ERP selection, translating tribal knowledge into a documented order‑to‑cash process, and then adjusted course when the first SI under‑performed—advocating with the software publisher and helping recruit a better partner.

• Custom wood‑products manufacturer - We fast‑tracked a selection focused on complex order configuration, drove targeted demos, and negotiated a 5‑year deal that protected the original economics at renewal. (The case brief details how we centered configuration and inventory planning from the outset.)

• Made‑to‑order manufacturer (North America) - Our RFP package formalized scope, 90‑minute discovery windows, demo agendas, and a calendar that moved a crowded field to a shortlist and clean decision. (See the Executive Summary and the timeline & planned events pages.)

• DSD specialty distributor - We captured requirements around route planning, mobile invoicing, freshness tracking, DEX/EDI, and multi‑warehouse planning—structuring a selection that considers ERP + logistics + field mobility as a single solution. (Review the RFP’s operations scope and regional footprint.)

• Aerospace (R&D to production) - We designed a phased approach: replace SAP B1 for multi‑site inventory, integrate Teamcenter (PLM) and Opcenter (MES), preserve NetSuite Financials initially, and shift later—reducing risk while meeting FAA‑grade traceability goals. (See Phased Approach and Ideal State After Phase 1.)

If you want a peek at our process end‑to‑end, this one‑pager shows the Selection Timeline we commonly run (requirements → RFP → demos → contracts → project ramp‑up).

What that history means for your project

• Factory‑first perspective - We’ve planned production, costed inventory, and closed the books. That’s why our requirements are specific and our test cases look like your work orders—not generic scripts.

• Vendor‑neutral by design - We maintain relationships across the market (Microsoft, Infor, Epicor, Acumatica, IFS, NetSuite, Sage, and industry specialists), but our incentives are aligned only with you. Our RFPs force vendors to declare gaps, third‑party add‑ons, and custom work up front.

• Contract guardrails that hold - We ask for SLA response times, managed‑services pricing, uptime commitments, risk/reward options, and RACI—before you choose. That reduces downstream friction and costs.

• Hands‑on accountability - When a feature isn’t doing what was demonstrated, we pressure‑test configuration, license footprint, and partner delivery—and escalate with the software publisher when needed.

Where we’re headed

Our story continues as we’re a lean consultancy based in Lake Ariel (Pocono Mountain Region) and Philadelphia with a network of experienced associates. Six years in, our focus is unchanged: help manufacturers and distributors select the right platform and land clean go‑lives—with a paper trail that stands up to scrutiny and a process your team can actually follow.

If you want a neutral second opinion—or a structured selection—I can pressure‑test your shortlist, share sample RFPs and demo scripts, and outline contract guardrails that protect you long‑term. Clear next steps, no heavy sales talk.