Outsourced controller services
Outsourced Controller Services for Manufacturers
An outsourced controller for manufacturers — month-end close, reconciliations, inventory and WIP, job costing and audit-ready reporting, without a full-time hire.
- Led by Nauman Poonja, CPA
- Manufacturing finance only
- A partner in every big decision
- Dallas–Fort Worth and nationwide
What's included
What our outsourced controller services cover
A close that holds
A documented close calendar with owners, reconciliations and review, so the books close on the same schedule every month and stop getting revised afterwards.
Inventory and WIP
Raw materials, work in process and finished goods valued consistently and reconciled to the ledger, with cost of goods sold recognized when it should be.
Job and product costing
Labor, overhead and material pushed down to the job, product or location level, so the margins on your reports mean something.
Accruals and fixed assets
Accruals, prepaid expenses and fixed asset entries, the work that turns cash-basis bookkeeping into accrual financial statements.
Controls sized for you
Approval workflows, segregation of duties and audit trails, sized for a company your size and the team you already have.
Reporting and audit support
Monthly financial statements, a management package your leadership team can read, and clean schedules for your CPA, bank and auditors.
Is this a fit?
Signs you've outgrown bookkeeping-only support
A bookkeeper records transactions. Once your balance sheet carries inventory, work in process and fixed assets, you need someone who owns the accuracy of the whole set of books. The common signals are below.
- Your books close on a different day every month, or months later.
- Inventory on the balance sheet doesn't match what's on the floor.
- Gross margin swings from month to month and nobody can explain why.
- Someone reconciles QuickBooks and a shop-floor or job-tracking system by hand.
- Your bank, an investor or a customer has asked for reviewed or audited financials.
- More than one location, entity or business line is reported as one set of numbers.
Already have a capable bookkeeper? Your team keeps the day-to-day work and we fill the controller layer above it.
How we work
How our outsourced controller services work
- 1
Assess
We review your chart of accounts, close process, inventory method and systems, and identify what's producing unreliable numbers.
- 2
Rebuild the close
We document the close, set the calendar, build the reconciliations and fix the inventory and COGS treatment.
- 3
Run it every month
We own or review the close, deliver financial statements and a management package, and meet with you to walk through them.
- 4
Scale up when needed
When you need forecasting, pricing or capital decisions, our fractional CFO service sits on the same foundation.
The short answer
An outsourced controller owns the accuracy of your books: a repeatable month-end close, reconciliations, inventory and work-in-process that tie to the ledger, job and product costing, and financial statements you can hand to a bank or auditor. Accounovation provides controller-level support built specifically for manufacturers — on its own, alongside your in-house bookkeeper, or underneath our fractional CFO service.
What does a controller do for a manufacturer?
A controller makes sure the numbers are right, on time, every month. In a manufacturing business that job is harder than in most, because the balance sheet carries inventory, work in process and fixed assets that a generic bookkeeping process doesn't handle well.
Do I need a controller or a CFO?
Often both, at different intensities. A controller owns the accuracy and timeliness of the accounting. A CFO owns what the company does about those numbers — pricing, cash strategy, capital, investment decisions and lender relationships. Many manufacturers hire a CFO when what they really need is a reliable close, or hire a bookkeeper when what they really need is a controller.
A common structure that works well for owner-led manufacturers is an in-house bookkeeper handling daily transactions, with outsourced controller and fractional CFO capacity above it. That's the structure we run with Gleco Plating, where the company's long-time bookkeeper continues to own the day-to-day while we handle the close and the CFO function.
See also: Outsourced controller vs. in-house controller.
Results from controller-level work
- Halden Acoustics moved off QuickBooks, fixed when cost of goods was recognized, put freight into product cost and got consistent monthly reporting.
- Tessaline Devices got a designed month-end close and controls that carried it through to audited financials during a period of several-fold revenue growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an outsourced controller?
An outsourced controller is an experienced accounting professional who runs or oversees your month-end close, reconciliations, inventory accounting and financial reporting on a part-time basis, without you hiring a full-time controller.
How is a controller different from a bookkeeper?
A bookkeeper records transactions. A controller makes sure the complete set of books is accurate: reconciliations, accruals, inventory and WIP valuation, cost accounting, controls and financial statements. Most manufacturers need both, and the controller reviews the bookkeeper's work.
Can you work with our existing bookkeeper or accounting staff?
Yes, and it's often the best structure. Your team keeps the day-to-day work; we design the close, own the review and fill the controller and CFO layer above it.
Which accounting systems do you work with?
We work with the systems manufacturers commonly use, including QuickBooks and Zoho, and we help companies select and implement an ERP when they've outgrown their current setup. We've moved clients both up from QuickBooks and down from an oversized SAP implementation — the right system is the smallest one that answers your questions reliably.
How much does an outsourced controller cost?
Every engagement is scoped to your transaction volume, number of entities and locations, and reporting needs, with a flat monthly fee. For comparison, an in-house controller typically starts around a $175,000 base salary before benefits and payroll taxes. See our packages or book a free call for a proposal.
Do you prepare tax returns?
No. Accounovation is not a CPA firm and does not prepare tax returns. We deliver clean, well-supported books and schedules to your tax preparer and work alongside them.
Client results
What working together looks like
"We finally know what every product earns, freight included, and the surprise month-end adjustments are gone. With a cash forecast built around our import cycle, we see our cash needs months ahead — and our lender has noticed the difference in our reporting."
— Ray Smith, CEO, Halden Acoustics
Read the case study →
Halden Acoustics
Margins They Can Trust, Cash They Can See Coming
Now forecasts a seven-month import cash cycle months ahead.
Tessaline Devices
Several-Fold Growth. Line of Credit Untouched. A Finance Team Built to Last.
Funded growth through customer prepayments instead of debt.
Gleco Plating, Inc.
Three Locations, Three Clear Pictures: How Gleco Plating Sees Every Plant's Performance
Now plans for the cash cost of growth before it arrives.
Some client names and identifying details have been changed at the client’s request. Results are unchanged.
Further reading
- Month-End Close Checklist for Job Shops
- Nonprofit Financial Reporting: 7 Keys to Transparency
- How Financial Reporting Automation Helps Manufacturers Save Hours
- A Better Way to Manage Your Monthly Close
- Controller vs. CFO: Understanding Their Roles in Manufacturing Growth
- A Manufacturing CEO’s Guide: Reading Financial Statements Like a CFO
Get a finance partner in your corner
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll talk through your cash, your margins and the decisions ahead, as a partner, not just your accountant.