--- title: "A Component-Based Platform for How Abaco's Procurement Engineers Search" description: "Abaco Systems: 45+ components for a defense catalog. A Drupal rebuild with SOLR search, tuned to how procurement engineers hunt for parts." url: https://www.specbee.com/work/abaco type: "Case Study" published: 2026-07-08 updated: 2026-09-17 --- # A Component-Based Platform for How Abaco's Procurement Engineers Search The previous site didn't support that workflow well. The migration to Drupal 9 was the most logistically complex part: a vast array of products, custom D7 modules, and a CRM integration with accumulated custom logic all had to be accounted for. The site still worked, but every future change was harder than it should have been. The 45+ component system and dynamic navigation gave Abaco's team the ability to keep the site current without a developer ticket for every update. ## Static menus and rigid layouts are a specific kind of technical debt. Abaco's buyers are defense engineers specifying hardware for programs where component choice matters. Abaco Systems builds embedded computing systems for defense applications. Their Drupal 7 site needed a complete overhaul to match. - No page-building flexibility. Static menus, rigid layouts, no component-based architecture - Drupal 7 needed to be replaced to improve site performance and user experience - A vast array of products with search and filtering that needed improvement - CRM integration that drove lead generation had become unreliable to maintain - Usability friction was creating barriers in the path to product specification ## A defense industry catalog that couldn't support its own sales process ![abaco.svg](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/abaco.svg) A Drupal rebuild with SOLR search, tuned to how procurement engineers hunt for parts. ## Abaco Systems: 45+ components for a defense catalog ![abaco systems teaser](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/2026-09/abaco-systems-teaser.png) [Visit Website](https://www.abaco.com/) ![Abaco-Bannerimage.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/Abaco-Bannerimage.png) ## 45+ ### Components delivered Rigid layouts replaced with a flexible, extensible architecture. ## 100% ### Dynamic navigation Rebuilt from static menus. ## SOLR ### Faceted product search Engineers find products by specification. ## Rebuilt ### CRM integration Custom business rules for a cleaner lead generation flow. ## A defense industry platform built around buyer intent Component flexibility and product discovery improved; lead generation was rebuilt. 45+ flexible components SOLR with faceted filtering Rebuilt with custom business rules The previous site had no page-building flexibility. Specbee built a component-based design system from scratch, with over 45 components for building and updating pages. Navigation was rebuilt as a fully dynamic system, replacing static menus. - 45+ new Drupal site-building components designed and built - Fully dynamic navigation rebuilt from static menus - Component-based page building for editorial flexibility ![abaco-component-based-architecture.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/abaco-component-based-architecture.png) ### Component-based architecture and navigation rebuild The migration covered a vast array of products and numerous site features. Specbee documented site features before migration and customized the necessary modules for Drupal 9. - Full Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 migration - A vast array of products migrated with full data integrity - Modules reconfigured and customized for Drupal 9 - Feature documentation ahead of migration ![abaco-drupal-7-to-9-migration.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/abaco-drupal-7-to-9-migration.png) ### Drupal 7 to 9 migration with full product catalog transfer The CRM integration was rewritten with custom business rules for seamless communication between systems. Site search was rebuilt using Acquia Cloud's on-platform SOLR capabilities, with facets for easier product discovery. - CRM integration rebuilt with custom business rules - Site search rebuilt on Acquia Cloud's on-platform SOLR - Faceted filtering for product discovery - Sales-system modules reconfigured for smoother sales processes ![abaco-crm-integration.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/abaco-crm-integration.png) ### CRM integration rebuild and SOLR faceted search Beyond the site rebuild and migration, Specbee worked to boost Abaco's visibility in organic search using Drupal's built-in SEO capabilities. The goal was to help procurement engineers find Abaco's products when searching on their own, not just after landing on the site. - Improved organic visibility using Drupal's SEO features ![abaco-seo.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/abaco-seo.png) ### SEO improvements ### 45+ components and a catalog engineers can filter New site-building components Dynamic navigation, fully rebuilt Products migrated with full data integrity Faceted search for the product catalog - [2 Websites, 25+ Hospitals, 1 Search: HCG’s patient-first Drupal platform](https://www.specbee.com/work/hcg-hospitals) - [Flat HTML mockups, rebuilt into a reusable Drupal component system for INX International](https://www.specbee.com/work/inx-international) - [An Intelligence Hub for Flipkart's Seller Network, Zero Scroll Required](https://www.specbee.com/work/flipkart-trendstalk)