Maestro Technologies - Intelligent management software for the construction industry.

Consolidating business management solutions to improve the end result.

St-Catharines, Ontario, Canada Read short version

Based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Cotton Inc. is a business experiencing steady and strong expansion. Founded in 1987, it has tripled its size, activities and staff over the past 10 years. Integrating six distinct companies, Cotton makes optimal use of maestro* systems.

Gerald Penney, general manager at Cotton, answers our questions.

What prompted your organization to assess and subsequently invest in implementing maestro*? What was the situation prior to implementing maestro*?

G.P.: We wanted something flexible. In my view, maestro* offered us exactly what we needed. Windows came along at that time and offered even more flexibility. Maestro* ran on Windows; something we considered a major asset. But mostly, the people behind maestro* were dynamic and extremely helpful. They were the key factor in the final decision. They didn’t hand me a line; they were straightforward and specific. I met so many marketing representatives at the time, that when I met the people from Maestro Technologies, the decision became very easy. They told me exactly what was needed and I took it from there. The human factor made all the difference. I knew I could rely on Maestro’s people.

What other requirements were important for you?

G.P.: Versatility was also very important. Maestro* is very versatile; the system adapts easily to other software languages and handles import or export data smoothly depending on the other applications in use. We work with two applications right now: Winfuel and MPAQ. These two software applications provide highly specialized features for our fuel management and concrete production. Maestro interfaces very well with these applications, providing us with an easy-to-use solution that eliminates duplication. Everything is working well.

When you implemented maestro*, what was your main objective?

G.P.: The first objective was related to accounting. Our second concern was to accommodate customers. The trucking business involves thousands of daily transactions. We didn’t have a system that could account for each transaction or each piece of data (like the type of stone sold, the customer, the accounts receivable and payable). Maestro was able to come up with a system that could do all that, and do it quite economically. We worked together with Maestro for about six months to implement the system. It took about a year to implement it in all six of our companies, which are very diversified: property management; home-building; trucking; construction; forming and ready-mix cement, which was as a stand-alone at the time. Maestro was able to accommodate all these divisions with a single solution while ensuring reliable integration with our two other systems.

And all of this quite economically, as you said. So it was not a big step for Cotton to go forward with the purchase.

G.P.: At the time we had three other companies proposing their own software. Maestro* was the more advanced technologically, a very good price, excellent service and reliable follow-up.

Can you give us an example of a specific problem maestro* helped you solve?

G.P.: We have a very complicated trucking system. We purchase our stone at about 15 different quarries, but we cannot download data directly from their individual databases. We had to find a system to track transactions accurately, from the quarry to the customer, and to invoice them precisely. Maestro proposed the solution to enter the supplier’s ticket only once, with the system designed to track it directly to the customer. So every time a stone is loaded onto a truck, it is invoiced to our customer. With maestro*, receivables and payables are entered at the same time; there is no duplication, no loss of time – only maestro* offers this capability. This data is the highest volume of data we produce - the number of tickets we enter into the system and subsequently track to payables and receivables. It all works well. In the past we lost data, but with maestro* we don’t lose track of a single penny. We invoice weekly. Everything we buy and sell goes directly to the right places simply by entering a single ticket. These tickets have individual numbers and they can be reconciled to the invoices issued by the quarries, the trucker invoices and the invoices that we issue to our customers. So we know exactly what each transaction involves. In our business, losing track of a single transaction could eliminate the profitability of a truck for an entire day.

So from the very beginning you felt a difference with maestro* as far as day-to-day management is concerned?

G.P.: It’s reassuring to know that you are not missing anything. What we implemented most recently from maestro* is the garage management system that tracks the scheduling of vehicle maintenance. We track every kilometre, every drop of fuel and all other maintenance costs. It works well and is very easy to maintain.

Do you feel that with maestro* you are closer to creating actual budgets?

G.P.: Usually, our projects are smaller and short in duration, no more than a month. Budget projections are input manually. Additional costs are factored in, as are sales projections. This allows for monitoring on a monthly or weekly basis. We now involved in more complex projects generated for municipalities, some of which can take up to six months. The entire proposal is entered into maestro* line by line, from an estimate sheet and we are currently working on creating a template for these types of projects, so that we can monitor every stage of the project as it goes along. We work consistently with maestro* and are sure to find the right solution. Tracking actual time, costs and working conditions against initial budgets allows us to bid more competitively on future contracts. We know that with maestro* we are more accurate in our pricing than our competitors can be. We can bid on a job with more precision. As we proceed with larger projects, we can very easily process and retrieve data through maestro*. Maestro* can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. It’s up to you. Either way, the result is the same: tracking your job costs and your project management. That’s what it’s all about.

Do you have an in-house maestro* expert?

G.P.: At the outset, I was the key person for maestro* transactions. Now two of us are able to train other staff members. Maestro* is very simple to understand and use. You don’t have to be a computer systems genius – but you do have to be patient. The applications you create are as simple or as complicated as you want to make them. The final result depends on the initial input. The user is the middleman, so to speak.

Do you think that in the past you were unaware of some operational aspects?

G.P.: No, but things weren’t tracked as closely as they are now. When you bid on a project, your objective is to make a profit – now we know exactly how much we can make.

That’s a huge difference – to know how much money you can potentially make.

G.P.: It’s crucial. Probably the most important thing is the knowledge you carry forward to the next job so you can manage profit margins and be more competitive.

As a manager it is important to know where the money is and to make decisions based on solid facts. Knowing precisely where the money goes has a huge impact.

G.P.: Our Company is very diversified. Maestro* is a perfect fit. It was the ideal choice. Other suppliers said they could do it, but trials proved otherwise. I tried a few, like Conac, and a program called Peveroll. I used Peveroll here for almost a year, but when it came to handling our most complicated division, the trucking division, it failed to meet expectations. I waited for the software to improve but the application never worked. It was the same for Peveroll – a nightmare. After a year, we dropped it and that’s when Maestro came in. The alternative didn’t handle billing concrete or garage management. It did address some aspects of property management, but that was about it. Maestro* handles all of these issues in one system. Even if I am working in a particular division, I have simple and direct access to all my companies. I am completely sold on Maestro*.

Did you have any system issues?

G.P.: Occasionally. Updates, for example. Usually they went well but sometimes they didn’t. With Maestro, when they do an update, they send along the instructions. So 99% of the time, it works well. It’s easy to set up a test system so that updates can be tested prior to going onto your live system. Maestro always keeps up with new technology and changes are generally based on what clients are requesting. And that’s what we need. Maestro stays in tune with technology. They have chosen Microsoft for their platform and Microsoft is evolving continuously. Maestro keeps up with these changes. This encourages their clients to do likewise. That is excellent because we need to evolve, too. Cotton is still growing. Who would have thought two years ago that we would have expanded into the site-servicing sector? Or even four years ago, that we would have our own fleet of trucks, do our own servicing and use our own mechanics. All of these activities need tracking and maestro* does it.

Did maestro* have an impact on your employees?

G.P.: All our accounting staff finds maestro* easy to work with. Most people use PCs at home and are familiar with Microsoft applications, so it’s easy for them to understand and work with maestro*. Using the Microsoft platform makes it easy to transfer documents, files or reports to the bank, for example. When there are problems, our staff gets in touch with the staff at Maestro and there is always someone to help out and answer questions.

What would you recommend to someone evaluating or assessing requirements for accounting software?

G.P.: What I was looking for in the first place was personal contact. It was important to me that someone took the time to show me how the software worked and to listen to my requirements. Then I wanted to use the software for some time and if I didn’t like it, I wanted to be able to return it. If I did like it, I could work with it, I could see it work and I could work with the people providing the software. Although maestro* had no user’s manual, it seemed very user-friendly. In the beginning, one of the sales representatives had so many screens open at the same time, I was afraid of getting lost. But now I am doing the exact same thing: even if I have 10 screens open and am working on only one, nothing gets lost. It’s amazing. Maestro* shows you exactly where you can go and that‘s just what I wanted.

Do you think that working with the right ERP software can enable a business to expand more successfully?

G.P.: Of course. Take our estimating department, for example. Our staff has grown from two to seven. When we expanded into larger municipal projects, maestro* helped us do that. As long as I work here, I hope to work with maestro*.

You trained your staff on maestro* and you said it was easy.

G.P.: They were surprised at how easy it was. I’m referring to data entry, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, ID entry, dispatching, and all the types of entries that are basically clerical. Our staff couldn’t believe how simple and seamless it was. Our biggest department here is trucking. We have many trucks going to many different quarries. We even track the type of stone provided by each quarry so that we set up a different product code for each quarry. In the past our staff had to maintain hard copy lists and jump around between multiple systems. With maestro* everything is done once, in a single system, even payroll.

Do you mean that you can invoice your clients without waiting for the quarries’ invoices?

G.P.: We couldn’t without maestro*. Now we can. The tickets come in Monday morning and the invoices go out on Friday. We can invoice weekly. The concrete division, which I thought would present a major problem, turned out to be the easiest transition we ever made. Maestro came and took a look at it; they did it on the phone actually. I said we have a concrete plant, we have the software; they gave us a download file definition. I faxed that to Maestro and, in 48 hours, they sent a fax back to explain what to do. We introduced it, tested it and it worked in a week. No issues. None. We are a company that wants to keep in step with the latest technology and that’s where Maestro is crucial. Maestro keeps up with state-of-the-art technology and helps us to keep in step. We don’t check on a daily basis to see what competitors offer their customers, but Maestro works hard for us and we will stay with them. One of the things that Maestro suggested is e-mailing invoices. We will get on board eventually. We have direct deposit now; we pay people through their banks instead of issuing cheques. Our suppliers get a notice of payment at the end of the week. No more paper: that is one of our major goals.

Have you ever been surprised by a particular maestro* application?

G.P.: Maestro* is fully integrated, not a patchwork but one streamlined system of applications. Every time you introduce a new application, you can easily build on the knowledge gained from previous applications. The basics have already been established. Recently, a potential Maestro client called to ask if a transaction could be tracked for auditing purposes and if it had been altered or deleted, if such changes would be traceable. I said there were a few possibilities. You can delete a transaction before it has been posted to accounting but not after. Maestro*’s auditing features are excellent. There is always a sequence number, which is important for accounting and for security purposes. With maestro* security, you give specific individuals access only to specific functions. Every transaction can be traced back to a user, so if there is something wrong you can track it back and inform the user of the error. I can just click on my most vital issues from any division when I come in the morning. I am much more relaxed and comfortable. I can look at reports and analyze accounts and be confident of their accuracy. I am still impressed with maestro*.

That’s a success story.

G.P.: Definitely.