Case Study
Overview of B & B Technology
B & B Technologies needed to replace an aging, inflexible backend system that couldn’t support their complex manufacturing and inventory processes. Volano built a custom operations platform along with a new e-commerce website, giving the team full control over parts, orders, and online sales. As a result, B&B improved inventory visibility, reduced manual work, and unlocked new direct revenue through online purchasing.
Business
Problem
B & B Technologies is a family-owned manufacturing business in Tekamah, Nebraska, that has been building and selling carrier, lawn, and turf equipment since 1994. When Amy and Jason Japp took over the company from Jason’s family in 2022, they inherited more than just the business. They also took on systems that were no longer keeping up. In fact, the core system was running on borrowed time: The existing backend had been patched together over the years and couldn’t be updated. Once Windows 7 was phased out, it would stop working altogether.
With a small team of six employees and a product line built on complex assemblies, B & B needed a better way to manage parts, orders, and inventory while also giving customers an easier way to buy online. Amy and Jason explored off-the-shelf tools, including QuickBooks Enterprise and Fishbowl, but neither could handle the way their business operated.
At the center of the challenge was complexity:
- Products are built from layers of parts and sub-assemblies
- Bills of materials (BOMs) needed to connect and cycle through multiple levels
- Inventory, purchasing, and production all depended on those relationships working correctly
Out-of-the-box tools could handle pieces of the workflow but not all of it together. On top of that, the company’s website was limiting growth:
- Customers couldn’t easily place orders online
- Updating products or content was cumbersome
- Products were scattered across multiple pages and difficult to manage
"We tried systems that worked in some areas, but they didn’t fit how we actually build and sell our products," Amy explained. "When we decided to start from the ground up and build the system how we knew it needed to be built, we knew that in a web-based system we could change things as the business as well."
Implemented
Solution
Volano worked with B & B Technologies to design and build a system from scratch, one that matched how their business runs. The system included a custom operations platform – now known internally as "The Hub" – along with a new e-commerce website designed to support both direct customers and dealer networks.
The Hub is a web-based operations portal that manages parts, inventory, purchasing, and sales in one place. It was built specifically around B & B's workflows, including:
- Multi-level bills of materials (BOMs) that track every component from raw materials to finished goods
- Inventory tracking with real-time updates as parts are ordered, received, and used
- Purchase orders, supplier management, and receiving workflows
- Sales order processing, fulfillment tracking, and invoicing
- Integration with QuickBooks to push financial data without duplicate entry
The system also allows the team to build assemblies, track labor costs, and manage both direct customers and dealer relationships inside one platform.
Alongside The Hub, Volano delivered a new website built for both marketing and sales.
The new site allows customers to browse products and place orders online, and B & B staff can manage product listings, content, and updates internally. This gave the team control – and sales reach – they didn’t have before.
Business
Outcomes
More Direct Sales: With online ordering in place, B & B started selling directly to customers in ways that weren’t possible before with nearly 100 carriers sold online in 2025. Amy believes less than half of those orders likely wouldn’t have happened without an e-commerce option. In addition, instead of relying only on phone calls or dealers, customers can now buy when it’s convenient for them.
Better Control of Inventory and Operations: The Hub gave the team visibility they didn’t have before with inventory, sales, and purchasing data are all accessible in one place. Also, BOM-driven builds now work the way the business operates, not to mention fewer workarounds and less reliance on spreadsheets or disconnected tools
"It gave us better control of inventory and sales, and made it easier to find what we need," Amy said.
Flexibility to Adapt: Because the system is custom-built, B & B isn’t locked into rigid workflows. New products, suppliers, or processes can be added as the business changes, website updates are easier, and the system can continue to evolve with small improvements over time.
Stronger Customer Experience: Customers and dealers now have more ways to interact with the business, including through direct online purchasing with easier access to product information and faster updates when offerings change. That shift reduces friction and helps capture sales that might otherwise be lost.
Time Savings for a Small Team: With only a few people handling administrative work, efficiency matters. B & B Technology’s custom-built platform reduced manual processes and allowed data to flow directly into QuickBooks. And overall, everyday tasks, from order tracking to invoicing, take less time. For Amy, who handles marketing, billing, and operations, the difference is practical.
"It made my job easier," she said.
