Most B2B distributors do not decide to replatform because things are catastrophically broken. They decide because the cost of staying on an outdated platform finally exceeds the risk of moving off it. For Halron Lubricants, a Midwest industrial distributor with nearly a century of operations, that threshold arrived when its eCommerce platform became a daily obstacle rather than an asset.
Every minor update required vendor involvement. Integration with Infor CloudSuite Distribution was unreliable. The team was managing technology instead of using it.
This eCommerce migration case study documents how Atwix partnered with Halron to replace a closed, vendor-dependent platform with Shopware: an open B2B commerce platform fully integrated with its ERP and built to scale. If you are an IT director or operations leader evaluating a replatform partner, the following breakdown covers the exact problem Halron faced, how Atwix executed the build, and what changed after go-live.
eCommerce Migration Case Study: Halron Replatform Project at a Glance
| Category | Before Migration | After Migration | Operational Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Closed eCommerce platform | Shopware (open architecture) | Full internal control over content and catalog |
| ERP Integration | Rigid, inconsistent data exchange | Full Infor CloudSuite Distribution sync | Accurate pricing, orders, and customer records |
| Content Updates | Required vendor involvement | Managed by Halron’s internal team | Eliminates external dependency for routine changes |
| Storefront Performance | Slow, friction-heavy B2B UX | Faster load times, smooth navigation | Improved efficiency for repeat industrial buyers |
| Customer Logic | Manual reconciliation across Ship-To accounts | Automated via CloudSuite integration | Correct product, pricing, and Ship-To pairing |
| Launch Strategy | N/A | Feature-complete on day one | No post-launch debt from MVP phasing |
The Problem: A Closed Platform Holding Back a Century-Old Distributor
Halron Lubricants has served industrial and commercial clients across the Midwest for nearly a century. Its operational reputation rests on reliability; yet for years, its eCommerce infrastructure worked against that promise.
The platform they operated on was closed. Every product update, catalog change, or customer record modification requires going through the vendor, creating delays and dependencies with no place in a company running daily operational workflows. Integration with Infor CloudSuite Distribution was especially challenging: pricing data, customer records, and order workflows were inconsistent, resulting in downstream manual reconciliation.
Keith Van Pay, Halron’s IT Manager, described the situation directly: “We were spending too much time managing technology instead of using it to move forward.” The goal was not a redesigned storefront. The goal was a platform that reflected how the business actually worked: Ship-To account logic, billing nuances, region-specific product restrictions, and a clean ERP data flow.
Until those requirements could be met on a modern, open platform, the migration was inevitable.
The Build: Translating B2B Workflows Into System Architecture
Atwix opened the project with a structured discovery phase, not a sprint to code. The goal: translate Halron’s real-world B2B workflows into technical architecture before a single feature was built.
This phase mapped every operational process against how Infor CloudSuite Distribution handled the same data. The two teams defined explicitly which data should live in the ERP and which Shopware would own and manage. That boundary prevented the integration failures that most commonly occur when migrations begin without this level of planning.
Shopware was selected for its open architecture and intuitive admin tools. Keith noted the shift immediately: “With Shopware, we’re not locked in. We can make updates ourselves, and we’re not paying to teach someone how our business works every time something changes.” That independence represents a compounding operational advantage over a multi-year platform lifecycle.
The build included what Keith described as “idiot-proofing”: guardrails ensuring every product, order, and Ship-To pairing synced correctly across systems. Rather than launching a minimum viable product and patching gaps post-launch, Atwix and Halron chose to go live with a feature-complete platform. Peter Polak, Project Director at Atwix, explained the rationale: “We could’ve gone live earlier, but both teams agreed that long-term success mattered more than a quick launch. We wanted the site to feel whole on day one.”
| Build Phase | Focus Area | Key Decision Made |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Workflow and ERP data mapping | Defined ERP vs. Shopware data ownership boundary |
| Architecture | Shopware platform configuration | Open platform selected for admin independence |
| Integration | Infor CloudSuite Distribution sync | Bidirectional product, pricing, and customer data |
| Storefront Build | B2B UX and navigation | Fast, minimal design purpose-built for industrial buyers |
| QA and Launch | Data accuracy and sync validation | Feature-complete launch; no MVP phasing |
| Phase 2 Roadmap | Shipping integrations | UPS and LTL carrier support in active planning |
The Outcome: Control, ERP Accuracy, and a Platform Halron Owns
The results Halron documented fall into three categories, each tied directly to the problems that triggered the migration.
Operational independence. Halron’s internal team manages products, customers, and content directly in Shopware, without contacting the vendor for support or briefing external vendors. Workflows that previously required manual steps are now completed inside the platform with significantly less effort. The Halron team runs their platform; the platform does not run them.
ERP accuracy. The Shopware-Infor CloudSuite Distribution integration keeps product data, pricing, and customer records synchronized across all ordering channels. The inconsistencies that generated downstream reconciliation work are eliminated. Keith noted that Atwix’s pre-existing CloudSuite knowledge accelerated this: “From the start, we never had to explain things twice. Atwix already understood CloudSuite and B2B logic. They got it.”
Storefront performance. The new B2B storefront loads faster and navigates more smoothly than the previous platform. For industrial buyers placing repeat orders across multiple Ship-To accounts, reducing friction directly improves order efficiency.
The next development phase will add shipping integrations for larger industrial orders, including UPS and LTL carriers. That roadmap extension reflects a platform Halron trusts enough to build on, rather than work around.
Keith’s summary of the project: “This project changed how we think about eCommerce. It’s not just an online catalog anymore. It’s how we do business.”
What B2B Distributors Can Take From Halron’s Replatform
The Halron project demonstrates that the outcome of a migration is largely determined before the build begins. Decisions made in the discovery phase about ERP data ownership, launch scope, and platform architecture defined what Halron’s team could do on day one and what they could build toward next. According to commercetools’ 2025 State of Commerce report, 98% of businesses that recently migrated are satisfied with their new platform, with 63% reporting increased revenue and 96% reporting faster time to value. The Halron results reflect that pattern.
For IT directors evaluating a replatform partner, the following criteria translate the Halron experience into a repeatable standard:
| Evaluation Criterion | What to Ask Your Replatform Partner | Halron Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| ERP integration experience | Have you integrated with our specific ERP? Can you provide a reference? | Atwix built full Infor CloudSuite Distribution sync before day one |
| Discovery process | How do you map our workflows before making architecture decisions? | Dedicated discovery phase preceded all build work |
| Launch approach | Do you recommend MVP or feature-complete? What is your reasoning? | Feature-complete launch agreed upon by both teams |
| Post-launch independence | Will our internal team manage the platform without vendor tickets? | Halron manages content, catalog, and customers independently |
| Scalability roadmap | What does the next phase look like after launch? | UPS and LTL shipping integrations in active planning |
From Closed Platform to Operational Control: What Halron’s Replatform Proves
The Halron eCommerce migration case study demonstrates what a well-scoped replatform can deliver when the implementation partner understands both the technical architecture and the B2B workflows that run beneath it. The shift from a closed, vendor-dependent platform to Shopware, fully integrated with Infor CloudSuite Distribution, gave Halron’s team operational control they had not had before. That translated to accurate ERP data across all channels, a storefront fast enough to match their operational reputation, and a platform they own and manage independently.
For IT directors and operations leaders evaluating a similar move, the Halron project is proof that the right replatform partner reduces long-term friction rather than displacing it. A structured discovery phase, a feature-complete launch, and an open platform your team can run without vendor dependency: those decisions pay compound returns over time.