UGMY Uses Quickbooks Connector to Bridge Field and Office

The Challenge

UGMY’s projects rely on closely followed financials and require the tracking of myriad line-items against budget. Before implementation of Procore, UGMY’s process for field-to-office financial tracking was laborious and inefficient. The accounting team was often frustrated by the amount of time and effort required to keep project financials current.

The Solution

UGMY discovered the Quickbooks Connector in Procore's App Marketplace. Once implemented, the connector allowed UGMY project teams to open an effective communication channel between field and office, making real-time financial information available to onsite management. The tool finally put the PM and accounting department on the same page.

United Glass Metal Yapi: Taming Complexity

UGMY’s expertise in the design, engineering, and manufacture of custom facade systems has involved them in marquee projects like Turkevi and One Willoughby Square in New York City. As design ingenuity makes modern buildings more aesthetically striking, the scope of work complexity involved in a typical UGMY façade contract rises in kind. On such jobs, document management, standardized processes, and worker autonomy are key — and best served by a centralized project management platform that organizes and makes available all the project data the field team needs to do their job.

Corralling Submittals, Connecting Financials

"The architect has a vision, and we make that vision a reality by engineering a façade system that meets the design criteria," says UGMY Project Manager Mike Janicki. "We procure all the raw materials, the glass, the extrusions, et cetera. We go through a very heavy submittal process with the architect. Controlling this submittals process is a critical element of success at any curtain wall or facade company." Controlling and tracking the project’s financials is equally critical to project success. When UGMY took advantage of Procore’s Quickbooks connector, communications between field and accounting office began to flow, providing the real-time financial data that drives informed decisions. 

"The Quickbooks connector is an important component to managing the project budget," Mike says. "It allows our accounting department to deal with invoicing and billing requisitions seamlessly—it really streamlines everything."  Mike has worn many hats when it comes to façade contracts. Having previously worked for some of the biggest names in curtainwall, he has an appreciation for all the complexities, details, and moving parts involved in managing a façade contract. Through his experience, he understands the value a digital ecosystem can bring to a company which relies heavily on effective project management.

"Everything really has to be in sync; it has to be seamlessly coordinated, or it just doesn't work. That’s why I’m very enthusiastic about the implementation of Procore at UGMY. It enables us to bring everything together in one platform. In effect, we manage and collaborate more efficiently."

What you need when you need it

Key to success on these complex jobs is having actionable information at your disposal—and at the moment you require it. 

"Procore will save your PM time," Mike says simply. "And if your project managers are saving time, your company is saving money."

A transparent, project-consolidating construction management platform also confers a level of autonomy—freeing everyone up to get what they need to focus on the work. "People don't have to come to me with questions every time," Mike says. "All the data is available for them in Procore's cloud, and they know exactly where to find it. That enables all of us to work better together." The virtues of a digital platform in the specialty contractor realm are as clear as glass. Still, some have their doubts. Digital detractors are quick to point out, for instance, that the pre-digital Empire State Building came in on time and under budget. Mike Janicki—project manager—responds. "Yeah, of course buildings were built before Procore. But buildings are getting more complicated. We need tools like Procore that allow us to manage that complexity."