Georgia-based Precision Concrete Construction is a full-service concrete contractor for industrial and manufacturing, as well as multi-family residential, sports, commercial and institutions. Precision has earned a reputation for meeting aggressive schedules that quickly convert projects into revenue generating spaces. The company ranks among ENR’s Top 600 Specialty Contractors and Concrete Construction’s Top100 Concrete Contractors.

Before

• Site conditions and VPNs impacted connectivity when accessing Vista™ ERP data from on premise servers
• Management of on premise hardware, software and data strained IT department resources
• Concerns existed around the migration of data to the cloud and potential for process change impacts on end users
• Double handling of data and manual processes was needed to bridge the gap between apps not natively integrated with Vista
• Procore’s® operations data and workflow not comprehensively and bi-directionally integrated with Vista’s accounting data and job financials
• Expensive project revenue based licensing and multiple vendor contracts kept software costs elevated

After

• Fast and issue-free cloud data migration with zero process change impacts on end users
• Anywhere, anytime access to ensure business continuity
• Reduced IT strain, avoidance of future server refresh cycles and the ability for IT to concentrate on high-value activities
• Mobile tools tightly integrated with Vista replacing spreadsheets and manual processes for greater efficiency
• A single system, from a single vendor, that’s natively integrated for seamless accounting and operations data flow
• Expected six-figure cost saving by moving to Trimble Construction One™
• Unlocked further gains in profitability and efficiency with self-serve job financials reporting and analytics

Challenge

Precision’s Vista™ ERP data and workflow, stored on company-owned servers was accessed from the jobsite trailer via a VPN. Often the first contractor on site, VPN connectivity issues were common due to limited internet and cell service. Additionally, the demands of on premise data management, which included managing server hardware, data backups, software updates, security, business continuity and ensuring data availability, strained the IT department’s resources. Although cloud hosting was viewed as the best path forward, concerns around migrating data and process change impacts to end users, caused delay.

A combination of email-centric communication, spreadsheets, double handling of data and manual processes were being used to bridge the gap between apps that weren’t natively integrated with Vista. These processes consumed the back office and field’s time and efficiency. The use of a Procore® developed Vista connector for job financials, which was not comprehensively and bi-directionally integrated, resulted in a disconnect between accounting and operations. Additionally, expensive project revenue based project management licensing and contracts from multiple vendors, which did not yield bundling discounts, kept software costs elevated.

Solution

An on-premise Vista customer since 2013, Precision Concrete Construction is implementing Trimble Construction One™ to replace manual processes and software disconnected from Vista, and to transform their business by hosting data in the cloud.

“We were drawn to a single source of truth for all data and information, no APIs, connectors or imports, as well as quite a bit of cost savings too,” said accounting specialist, Juliana Ferrara.

Trimble Construction One’s role-based licensing simplified the buying process. In place of monolithic licensing that heaps on capabilities — and costs — with features that users don’t need, Trimble Construction One’s role based approach enabled Precision to select the right mix of office, project management, field and employee users and bundle access to the information and workflow required by their teams.

“We assessed our project teams and thought about what information our people need, as well as where they’ll be accessing data from,” Ferrara said.

Meanwhile, Jeff Jayne, Precision’s IT manager, noted the move to Trimble Construction One helped save costs per user. “Lower costs for the field and employee user license types are reflect in the slimmed down capabilities set,” Jayne said. “Back office power users get access to everything, but there’s only a handful of those.”

Results

Precisions’ cloud data migration began on a Friday and finished on the Sunday. “I can’t say enough good things about how the cloud transformation went, as there were no issues whatsoever,” Ferrara said.

The company also reported zero process change impacts on end users. “As a Vista power user, I didn’t notice anything different,” Ferrara added. “Our people can now access Vista from anywhere in the world, no VPNs, no issues. If there’s a snow storm, we no longer need worry about how payroll is getting done.”

Cloud hosting will enable Precision to avoid future server refresh cycles and enables the IT department to concentrate on higher value activities as the company’s hardware and software management needs have been vastly reduced.

While currently in the process of implementing the full Trimble Construction One suite, today crews are able to self-serve employment, benefits and pay information direct from Vista on a mobile device. “Employees can access their personal information, which saves our administrative team a tremendous amount of time,” Ferrara said. In place of disconnected apps and spreadsheets, data flows through a single integrated platform which speeds up processes and improves efficiency. Payroll, for example, is entered into a crew timecard from the field. The data then flows through Vista’s regular payroll process in real time.

“Trimble Construction One is a single system, from a single vendor, that’s natively integrated for seamless accounting and operations data flow,” Jayne said. “The expectation is a six-figure saving by moving to Trimble Construction One.”

After undergoing its digital transformation, Precision is also looking to a data transformation in order to unlock further gains in profitability and efficiency. Viewpoint Analytics™ for example, part of the Trimble Construction One suite, provides powerful self-service reporting and analytics capabilities. Today, Precision’s SQL reporting skills are concentrated in a few key employees, but the company is excited about what it could do with Viewpoint Analytics. “Self-serve job financials reporting will give project managers the power to better analyze their data for greater project success,” Jayne said.