Hours saved managing purchase orders
Reduction in errors
Company Overview
General Sheet Metal (GSM) is a leading construction and manufacturing company that specializes in delivering high-quality sheet metal solutions for commercial and industrial projects. Known for its innovative spirit and commitment to efficiency, GSM continuously seeks new ways to streamline operations and improve collaboration across teams.
Challenge: Gray Work Slows Progress
Like many in the construction and manufacturing space, GSM struggled with “gray work”—the manual, time-consuming tasks required just to keep operations moving. These included rekeying data into spreadsheets, chasing down status updates across disconnected systems, and relying on error-prone email chains.
“Accounting system, Smartsheet in the cloud, folders on servers, folders on Dropbox—it was just a lot to keep track of,” said Jen Clark, Integration Manager at General Sheet Metal. “If you don’t have all of your tools connecting… it’s a time-consuming and manual process to keep things up to date.”
Employees spent 3–4 hours per week updating spreadsheets, while project managers hunted for scattered data to track project progress. This lack of integration created inefficiencies, errors, and frustration across the organization.
Solution: Building a Better System with Quickbase
GSM explored several solutions—from Smartsheet and spreadsheets to industry-specific tools and Microsoft PowerApps—but none met their need for customization, ERP integration, and scalability.
These options didn’t really fit what we were looking for. Anyone who works in construction knows there are a lot of specific workflows, and we were having a hard time finding something that integrated with our ERP.
The breakthrough came when GSM used Quickbase to overhaul its purchase order process. Previously, POs were submitted through multiple disconnected methods, leading to delays and inconsistencies.
With Quickbase:
- Field staff submit POs directly into the system and receive a PO number instantly.
- The purchasing manager reviews and marks orders for import into the ERP system.
- Cost data is automatically synced between Quickbase and the ERP.
- Teams can track cost reporting from the initial PO through to final invoice.
“That’s just asking for things to be inconsistent and full of errors,” Jen said of the old process. “Now, we can see everything in one place and it all connects.”
Implementation took just a couple of weeks, and the system has continued to evolve.
One of the best parts of it is that you can change things as you grow and evolve. One thing I want to do is create a QR code process where someone at a job site can scan a code that says, ‘Hey, I need a new box of screws’—and a couple weeks later, it shows up.
Impact: From Gray Work to Smart Work
Quickbase has transformed the way GSM operates. What once took hours of manual labor is now automated and integrated. Staff have real-time access to information, the business has reduced errors, and the team can scale and adapt workflows as needed.
Now we can say, ‘How should this work for General Sheet Metal?’ and Quickbase delivers what we want—rather than making us force a tool to fit with our operations.
By eliminating gray work, GSM has not only improved operational efficiency but also laid the foundation for continuous innovation across its business.