Streamlining Daily Operations for a Construction Material Supply Company
Background
Mountainside Materials is a construction materials supplier and dirt broker specializing in coordinating material delivery and earth-moving services for commercial construction projects. As a key intermediary between material suppliers and construction sites, they manage complex logistics involving multiple jobs, trucking vendors, and material suppliers daily.
Problem
The company relied heavily on paper-based processes and basic digital tools like Google Sheets to manage its operations. Their previous system required multiple manual data entries for each job across different platforms, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors.
Challenges:
- Multiple manual entries are required for each job across different systems
- Time-consuming individual text messages to coordinate with trucking vendors
- The paper-based workflow created tracking and visibility issues
- Lack of a centralized job management system
- Basic digital tools couldn't handle their unique business requirements
Solution
Ace Workflow implemented their 'Minimize Manual' process to create a centralized operations platform:
- Centralized Job Management: Created a single-entry system in Airtable that automatically pushes data to all required systems
- Automated Dispatch: Implemented bulk SMS notifications to trucking vendors with job details
- QuickBooks Integration: Automated invoice creation and synchronization
- Custom Field Operations: Developed specialized workflows for tracking job progress and material movement
The main daily management was very time consuming. Before, we would have one person enter the job, someone else would have to enter it in the template, someone else would have to add it into QuickBooks. Now we just enter it in one spot and it flows directly through with a click of a button
Kara Stratton, Vice President
The Transformation
From: Managing 10-25 daily jobs through paper-based processes, multiple manual data entries, and individual text messages to vendors, creating significant administrative overhead.
To: A streamlined operation with single-point data entry, automated communications, and centralized job management, enabling efficient handling of variable daily workloads with reduced administrative staff.
Direct Impact
- Eliminated need for full-time administrative position
- Reduced data entry errors through automation
- Improved job visibility through centralized management
- Enhanced dispatch efficiency with automated vendor communications
- Processing 10-25 jobs daily with significantly reduced manual effort
- Achieved better operational control and oversight
