Manufacturing finance is not like any other. Standard costing, overhead absorption, capitalized variance, ERP reconciliation, and Big Four audit readiness require a CFO who has done this work — not one who is learning on your dime.
Most fractional CFOs come from professional services, SaaS, or general business backgrounds. Manufacturing is a different discipline — one that requires deep fluency in standard costing, direct and indirect labor, overhead pools, WIP inventory, capitalized variance accounts, and ERP systems like Epicor, Oracle, and SAP.
Apex was built differently. Our team has several decades of experience as executives of publicly traded manufacturing companies in the aerospace and defense industry, leading standard cost accounting, capitalized variance analysis, ERP reconciliation, and direct interface with Big Four audit teams during audit season. That is not theoretical knowledge — it is hands-on manufacturing finance at the highest level.
We serve manufacturers doing $1M to $50M in revenue across defense, aerospace, industrial, consumer goods, and contract manufacturing. Whether you are preparing for a Big Four audit, setting overhead rates, cleaning up your standard cost system, or preparing for a sale — we bring the financial infrastructure manufacturers need.
"Most manufacturing CFO searches end in frustration because finance candidates do not understand operations and operations people do not understand finance. We close that gap."
Build and maintain a standard cost system that accurately captures labor, material, and overhead costs — giving you reliable job-level profitability and variance analysis.
Calculate defensible FOH and VOH rates using actual cost pools and direct labor hours — and validate them against your GL on a monthly basis.
Reconcile and validate your cap variance accounts (50112/50113 or equivalent) to ensure your balance sheet accurately reflects absorbed versus actual costs.
Epicor, Oracle, SAP, NetSuite — we integrate your ERP output with your financial reporting to produce accurate, timely month-end close packages.
Prepare the workpapers, reconciliations, and documentation that external auditors require — reducing audit time and eliminating surprises.
Analyze job-level costs and margins to identify which products, customers, and work orders are driving profitability and which are eroding it.
Reconcile work-in-process inventory balances to the GL and ERP — identifying timing differences, costing errors, and reconciling items before they become audit findings.
Buy-side and sell-side support for manufacturing transactions — QofE preparation, EBITDA normalization, standard cost adjustments, and post-merger ERP integration.
Our team has led standard cost accounting, variance analysis, and Big Four audit support inside defense manufacturing — the cost discipline contractors and their auditors expect.
Buy-side and sell-side advisory across $5M to $15M deals — due diligence, QofE, deal structuring, and post-merger financial integration.
We support PE-backed and investor-owned companies with investor reporting, covenant compliance, and value creation tracking.
We have run finance for multi-entity energy and construction companies with complex project-level accounting, including large, multi-team finance functions.
We work directly with Big Four audit teams, building the financial infrastructure and documentation that holds up under rigorous external scrutiny.
Experience across Epicor, Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, and Anaplan — implementing and optimizing ERP systems for accurate, timely financial reporting.
Whether you need help with your standard cost system, are preparing for an audit, or are thinking about a sale — we work with manufacturers at every stage of growth.
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