Federal Ammunition manufactures shotshell, centerfire, and rimfire ammunition and components. Located in Anoka, Minnesota, the company is more than 100 years old, and currently employs 1,500 workers. In November 2024, the company was sold to Prague-based Czechoslovak Group, which also bought ammo brands Remington, Hevi Shot, Speer, and CCI.
Federal Ammunition prides itself on its expertise in the science of ammunition production and manufacturing expertise. But when it came to order fulfillment and inventory management, they found that manual warehouse processes were holding them back from delivering timely, accurate customer service. They needed an expert partner to modernize their operations and reduce risk. They opted to go with Cornerstone Edge.
Federal Ammunition faced several operational roadblocks. The version of ERP they were using was no longer supported, limiting their ability to troubleshoot issues, and increasing operational risk. Their WMS was only used for outbound shipping tasks such as carrier selection, load creation, label printing, and shipping documentation, leaving major warehouse functions untouched. To make matters worse, their ERP and WMS interfaces had significant errors, and much of their warehouse was still paper-based.
Manual picking slowed operations and left room for mistakes. Years of unchanged processes meant the team didn’t have the internal knowledge to implement a full suite of warehouse management capabilities. They needed a major upgrade, with minimal disruption.
The project became more complex because of the acquisition of the other ammunition brands, which needed to be integrated into the distribution operation. Demand and SKU count skyrocketed, requiring reslotting, more bulk locations, and improved throughput. At the same time, B2C e-commerce fulfillment exploded during COVID-19, as well as because of the acquisitions. That growth required new racking configurations, reslotting for piece picking, and stronger pick-and-pack processes. The updated system also needed to support multiple brands across separate e-commerce sites.
Cornerstone Edge brought in its proprietary 3D Methodology — “Define, Design, Deliver” — to overhaul the operation. After analyzing the full scope of Federal Ammunition’s operations, they tailored a solution that included upgrading Federal Ammunition’s ERP system in collaboration with Stoneridge Software. Cornerstone Edge also led the upgrade and full implementation of their existing Manhattan Associates SCALE WMS. And because demand was at a peak during COVID-19, they designed a controlled ramp-up plan to maintain product flow in and out of the warehouse while scaling.
Legacy requirements such as customer labeling and EDI were preserved, but all other processes — including receiving, putaway, replenishment, order fulfillment, staging, shipping, inventory control, and cycle counting — were redefined and modernized.
Resulting gains in efficiency were seen immediately. With an upgraded Microsoft Dynamics ERP and a fully implemented Manhattan Associates SCALE WMS, Federal Ammunition exceeded financial growth goals and met customer demand, even while integrating Remington and HEVI-Shot into the DC, significantly increasing SKU count.
"This wasn’t just an upgrade; it was a full transformation of how we run our distribution center. Cornerstone Edge helped make that possible,” says Cliff Manuel, vice president of information technology at Federal Ammunition. “In an industry full of sales pitches and mixed messages, Brian [Cornerstone’s rep] has a real knack for cutting through the noise and separating fact from fiction. That made all the difference."
The updated operation supported a 49% sales increase, driven by 65% growth in ammunition production. The company also rolled out both e-commerce and wholesale fulfillment simultaneously, and exceeded shipping targets by week three. Thanks to a collaborative, data-driven approach, Cornerstone Edge helped Federal Ammunition modernize its warehouse operations and thrive during a time of unprecedented demand.
Resource links:
Federal Ammunition, www.federalpremium.com
Cornerstone Edge, https://cornerstone-edge.com/
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