Astec automates tax compliance with Avalara, cutting risk and saving time

Founded to serve the road building, aggregate processing, and asphalt production industries, Astec has grown into a global manufacturer of equipment for infrastructure and construction. With over 20 legal entities across North America and a mix of ERP systems including Oracle Cloud and JD Edwards, Astec has been expanding its operational complexity. Amy Hansen, Senior Tax Director, oversees indirect tax and technology for the company, ensuring compliance across jurisdictions and scaling tax processes to match Astec’s rapid growth and recent acquisitions.

Before Avalara, Astec’s exemption certificate processes were decentralized and inconsistent. Some entities stored documents in folders, others digitally — while some collected none. Adding to the complexity were over 20 legal entities, multiple ERP systems, and sales across numerous tax jurisdictions. Tracking exemption validity, ensuring accurate tax rates, and avoiding compliance gaps posed significant audit risks. One audit revealed rates were wrong and exemptions misapplied. Without a robust system, the team had little control over exemption management and often had to chase down certificates after transactions.

Avalara stood out for its robust compliance solutions for Oracle and its ability to support a complex, multi-entity organization like Astec. The Avalara Global Unified Platform for Oracle Cloud ERP allowed customization without altering core systems, offering powerful control over tax configurations. Astec used this flexibility to apply trusted vendor logic and automate exemptions without having to set complex rules. Avalara Exemption Certificate Management (ECM) lets non-tax staff automatically route certificates, while AvaTax simplifies rate management across states. 

Amy also praised Avalara’s support team for their thoroughness — often providing detailed ticket documentation proactively, even without being asked — which helped her team troubleshoot quickly and efficiently. She emphasized the responsiveness and attentiveness of Avalara’s customized support model and portal for Cloud ERP customers to resolve issues without needing to submit Oracle Service Requests, noting that the team listens to issues and incorporates feedback directly into upgrades or quick fixes. Compared to past software providers, this level of partnership was unmatched — especially important since most Oracle issues couldn’t be addressed internally. Astec plans to leverage Avalara’s Turnkey Activation in future Oracle Cloud ERP implementations to accelerate and streamline setup. “Avalara gives me confidence,” Amy said, “because the core pieces — rates, rules, exemptions — are regularly updated.”