AETC supports explosive growth with Rootstock, fueled by Salesforce

Rootstock Software has announced that Applied Energy Technology Corp (AETC) has successfully gone live on Rootstock Cloud ERP. AETC is a leading manufacturer of small explosive devices used in aerospace and defence. The company was founded in 1978 by Jack Ancone in Burton, Texas and has over 45 years of experience specialising in the design and manufacturing of energetics, including explosive cartridges and other critical safety components.

The firm had been using Quantum, an ERP system used by its parent company, HRD Aero Systems. However, as the business scaled and extended its product line, the system no longer met its requirements. It needed to source a solution with manufacturing-specific planning capabilities. That included features such as MRP, scheduling, and labour tracking.

When AETC went to market, they were also evaluating SalesCloud with Agentforce Sales (Salesforce’s commercial CRM). It meant they were looking at two solutions, Rootstock and AVSight, an aviation-specific ERP built on the Salesforce Platform.

However, according to Caroline Marty, SVP of Global Professional Services & Enablement at Rootstock, “AVSight could not adequately support the manufacturing and distribution side of AETC’s business, which led the team to Rootstock.”

It was the breadth of functionality that eventually led AETC to select Rootstock.

The Project

No ERP project is without challenge. I asked Marty what the biggest challenge they faced was. She replied, “Since AETC operates in the highly regulated aerospace and defense market, a key challenge they had was ensuring the right level of security and compliance standards. The customer worked with a compliance partner to help evaluate their requirements in greater depth.

“Through this process, they determined that utilizing Salesforce Government Cloud was the right choice to fully meet U.S. government security and compliance requirements. While this introduced complexity mid-stream, Rootstock’s team worked closely with AETC to execute the migration seamlessly.”

They therefore deployed Salesforce and Rootstock ERP in Salesforce Government Cloud. Government Cloud has been designed to provide the U.S. government and government contractors with privacy and high levels of performance, reliability, and security while helping them to meet authorisations such as IRS 1075, FedRAMP High, DoD Impact Levels, and Top Secret.

The implementation took a little longer than planned, as Marty explained, “The implementation took 12 months — somewhat longer than originally planned due to a mid-implementation migration to Salesforce Government Cloud.”

There were a few other usual complications, for example, integrations. I asked Marty what other systems Rootstock integrated with. She confirmed, “Rootstock ERP has not been integrated with other systems. “

I also asked Marty, who completed the implementation project. She said, “The implementation was led by Rootstock’s Professional Services team. Another key factor in the projects success was the technical proficiency of AETC’s internal team. Their investment in understanding the Salesforce Platform contributed significantly to a smooth go-live.”

Now in place, Rootstock has visibly improved the material requirements planning (MRP) capabilities and operational efficiency at AETC. It has also provided a scalable foundation for future growth.

Albert Leon, Chief Information Officer at HRD Aero Systems, the parent company of AETC, commented, “With Rootstock ERP now live, we have stronger visibility into the operational drivers of our business — from material planning to labor allocation.

“This insight is critical in a build-to-order environment like ours, where understanding true production costs and lead times directly impacts pricing, delivery, and long-term scalability. Rootstock gives us a strong planning foundation as we continue to grow.”

Looking forward

Whilst AETC are now live, the work is not over as they look to improve the installation. I asked Marty what is next on the list to do. She answered, “AETC will be deepening its use of Rootstock’s MRP, scheduling, and capacity planning capabilities.”

Marty added, “AETC has expanded its product lines, moved into new markets, and increased production volumes. To support ongoing execution at this level, the company needed a robust operational backbone.

“By deploying Rootstock, they now have in place a modern ERP that delivers real-time insights and strengthens alignment across manufacturing, finance, and leadership teams. We’re honoured to support their team as they continue to innovate and deliver mission-critical products.”

Enterprise Times: What does this mean?

Another successful project completed in the defence industry. The fact that Rootstock can rely on the Salesforce platform, and specifically Salesforce Government Cloud, gives it a major advantage over major competitors who do not have the same accreditation as that platform.

It will be interesting to see over the coming months whether Rootstock are able to demonstrate quantifiable efficiency gains at AETC and what else the firm does to enhance its solution.

With a success under their belt, it will be interesting to see whether Rootstock can win business from other government contract manufacturers. Both those who are already using Salesforce and others, like AETC, who have not yet switched to Salesforce.

The post AETC supports explosive growth with Rootstock, fueled by Salesforce appeared first on Enterprise Times.