Company Overview

Critchfield Mechanical, Inc. of Southern California (CMISC) is a leading multi-trade mechanical contractor specializing in piping and sheet metal work. As part of the larger Critchfield organization with a northern California mothership office, CMISC operates independently while maintaining close coordination with their northern counterpart for accounting and administrative support.

With approximately 20 foremen managing crews across 75-100 union workers, CMISC handles complex commercial and industrial projects throughout Southern California. The company maintains a nimble approach that allows them to pilot new solutions before potentially rolling them out company-wide to the northern California division.

The Challenge

CMISC faced significant operational inefficiencies rooted in their Excel-heavy, manual timekeeping processes that were consuming massive amounts of administrative time and creating delays in payroll processing.

Excel-Dependent Weekly Timekeeping

The company relied entirely on spreadsheet-based timekeeping where foremen spent approximately 2 hours per week manually entering time for their crews across multiple cost codes. This crew-based approach required foremen to track time for any worker who spent 2-3 days on their project during the week.

Massive Administrative Burden

The time-consuming approval workflow created significant bottlenecks: each foreman spent 2 hours on timesheets, superintendents spent 1-2 hours reviewing and approving, and administrative staff spent 10-15 hours per week gathering and organizing timecards. Combined with accounting’s full day of data entry into Sage Timberline 300, CMISC was losing over 40 hours per week just processing timesheets.

“We’re so Excel heavy with everything that we do…It takes the foreman at least two hours to go through timesheets. It takes a superintendent maybe an hour to two hours just to put a signature on everything and it takes our admin 10 to 15 hours a week just assisting and gathering time cards. So we’re already at 20 hours a week.”

— Seth Wijnhamer, Project Engineer, CMISC

Disconnected Production Tracking

CMISC tracked production separately through their own Excel models, requiring project engineers to manually reconcile labor costs against production progress on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. This divorced process meant they couldn’t see real-time correlations between hours worked and work accomplished.

Limited Cost Code Granularity

Due to the complexity of their manual system, CMISC intentionally kept their cost code structure simple—typically just “sheet metal field” or “piping” categories. They recognized that with a better solution, they could implement more granular tracking to gain better project insights.

Complex Union Requirements

As a union contractor operating across multiple counties in California, CMISC needed to track union affiliations, classification changes, break requirements, and wage requirements like prevailing wage laws—complexities that many timekeeping solutions simply didn’t understand.

The Solution

After evaluating multiple platforms including Workyard and Raken, CMISC selected Rhumbix for its deep understanding of union mechanical contractor operations and its comprehensive field operations platform that balanced ease of use for field teams with powerful project controls for the office.

Why Rhumbix Won:

1. Built for Union Contractors: Unlike competitors who didn’t understand how union mechanical contracting operates, Rhumbix was designed specifically to handle union affiliations, classification changes, multi-county requirements, prevailing wage tracking, and California’s complex break requirements including mandatory documentation of start times and breaks within 5 hours.
2. Mobile-First Crew-Based Timekeeping: Rhumbix’s intuitive mobile interface allowed foremen to quickly enter time for their entire crew with bulk selection features, copy time from previous days, and complete weekly timesheets in minutes rather than hours. The system supported both crew-based entry (foreman-led) and individual clock-in/clock-out options via kiosk.
3. Integrated Production Tracking: Rather than maintaining separate Excel models, Rhumbix couples timekeeping with production tracking using the same cost codes. Foremen enter hours against cost codes and immediately document what work was accomplished, while project engineers can perform weekly true-ups to ensure accuracy.
4. Seamless Sage 300 & Autodesk Build Integration: Rhumbix integrates natively with both Sage Timberline 300 (CMISC’s ERP) and Autodesk Build (their emerging project management platform). Projects, cost codes, and employee data automatically sync from Sage to Rhumbix every hour, eliminating duplicate data entry. Hours and quantities flow directly to Autodesk Build’s forecast and cost management modules for real-time PM visibility.
5. Shift Extras & Expense Tracking: The platform handles the reality of field operations—tracking per diem reimbursements, parking costs, supply store purchases, and change in trade classifications. Workers can photograph receipts directly in the app and attach them to their time entries, streamlining reimbursement processes.
6. Digital Signatures & Compliance: Rhumbix supports California’s requirement for worker signatures on time cards through flexible options: workers can sign directly on the foreman’s device, or receive end-of-day text messages to review and digitally sign their time cards with customizable attestation language covering breaks, injuries, and stretch-and-flex requirements.
7. Voice-to-Text & Smart Features: Every field in Rhumbix supports voice-to-text entry, allowing foremen to dictate notes rather than type on small screens. The platform enables bulk time adjustments, copy-forward functionality, and configurable break schedules that automatically populate based on start times.
8. Flexible Approval Workflows: CMISC can configure multi-tier approval workflows where time flows from foreman submission to superintendent approval to payroll verification. Role-based permissions ensure sheet metal superintendents only see sheet metal crews, while piping superintendents only see piping teams. Group structures support separate SoCal and NorCal divisions with independent or shared workflows.
9. Office Staff Integration: Unlike field-only solutions, Rhumbix offers discounted office worker licenses allowing administrative and PM staff to enter their own time through web-based interfaces, maintaining a single unified timekeeping system across the entire organization.

The Implementation Approach

CMISC took a strategic, phased approach to implementation designed to prove value in their Southern California division before potentially rolling out to the Northern California mothership office.

Phase 1: Solution Evaluation (Early 2025)

• Project Engineer Seth Wijnhamer led vendor evaluation across multiple timekeeping platforms.
• Assessed Workyard, Raken, and Rhumbix for fit with union mechanical contractor operations.
• Prioritized solutions that understood complex union requirements and California compliance needs.
• Evaluated based on ease of use, integration capabilities, and total cost of ownership.

Phase 2: Focused Pilot (Proposed)

Rather than a company-wide rollout, CMISC planned to strategically pilot with:

• 40 core users: 20 foremen and 20 additional admin/PM users for time entry and approval workflows.
• 20 office staff: Discounted licenses for administrative personnel and office-based employees.
• 75-100 workers: Field workers whose time would be tracked via foreman-led crew entry.
• Potential kiosk option: Clock-in/clock-out functionality for sites requiring individual time tracking.

Key Success Factors

• Leadership buy-in from VP level ensuring cross-functional support.
• Focus on core timekeeping pain first before expanding to advanced features.
• Leverage existing Autodesk Build investment for seamless project management integration.
• Maintain flexibility for future Northern California rollout with proven SoCal success.

Projected Results

Immediate Time Savings

Foreman Efficiency: Reduce foreman timesheet time from 2 hours to approximately 15-20 minutes per week through bulk selection, copy-forward features, and mobile-first interface, saving 40+ foreman hours weekly.

Administrative Relief: Eliminate 10-15 hours per week of admin time gathering and organizing time cards through automated digital workflows and centralized web-based approval.

Superintendent Streamlining: Reduce superintendent approval time through role-based access, bulk approval capabilities, and real-time visibility into submitted time cards.

Accounting Acceleration: Simplify payroll processing through configured CSV exports that match Sage 300 import requirements, eliminating manual data re-entry.

Enhanced Data Quality & Insights

Real-Time Production Correlation: Couple timekeeping and production tracking in a single workflow, enabling immediate visibility into labor efficiency, earned vs. actual hours, and cost code performance without waiting for weekly PE reconciliation.

Granular Cost Code Tracking: Enable more sophisticated cost code structures without adding complexity for field teams, improving project cost visibility and enabling better estimating for future work.

Automated Compliance Documentation: Capture digital signatures, start/end times, break compliance, and union classification changes automatically, protecting against California wage-hour lawsuits and class action risks.

Unified Data Platform: Replace divorced Excel-based tracking models with integrated dashboards showing percent complete vs. percent spent, budget performance, and labor ramp throughout project lifecycle.

Strategic Benefits

Foundation for Digital Transformation: Position CMISC to consolidate Excel-heavy processes across timekeeping, production tracking, and project controls into modern, integrated software solutions.

Autodesk Ecosystem Integration: Leverage Rhumbix’s partnership with Autodesk (an investor) to create seamless data flow between field operations (Rhumbix) and project management (Autodesk Build), with native integrations that competitors lack.

Scalability Across Organization: Prove value in nimble SoCal division before rolling out to NorCal mothership, with group structures supporting independent or unified workflows as needed.

Future-Proof ERP Strategy: Maintain flexibility if CMISC eventually migrates from Sage 300 to modern ERP systems—Rhumbix integrates with all major construction accounting platforms.

Key Takeaways

Industry-Specific Expertise Matters

CMISC’s evaluation revealed that many timekeeping vendors simply didn’t understand how union mechanical contractors operate. Rhumbix’s foundation—built by Navy Seabees who managed field labor on military bases—translated into deep knowledge of crew-based tracking, union complexity, and California compliance requirements that competitors lacked.

Start Simple, Then Expand

Rather than trying to implement every feature immediately, CMISC focused on solving their biggest pain point first: Excel-based weekly timekeeping. This pragmatic approach—prove core value, then expand to production tracking, T&M tickets, and advanced analytics—increases adoption success rates.

Mobile-First Is Non-Negotiable

Foremen need tools designed for how they actually work—on job sites, in field conditions, often without reliable connectivity. Rhumbix’s mobile-first design with offline capability, voice-to-text, and intuitive interfaces ensures high adoption rates rather than forcing field teams to adapt to office-designed software.

Integration Eliminates Duplicate Entry

For contractors using Sage, Viewpoint, or other ERP systems, seamless integration isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Rhumbix’s approach of syncing projects, cost codes, and employee data from the ERP while pushing hours and production back eliminates the duplicate data entry that plagues Excel-based workflows.

Calculate the True Cost of Manual Processes

When CMISC calculated that they spent over 40 hours per week just processing timesheets—20 foremen at 2 hours each, plus superintendent and admin time—the ROI of modern timekeeping software became immediately clear. At average union wages, manual timesheet processing was costing tens of thousands of dollars annually.

“All I got to do is figure out how much we spend a week…those hours add up. That is crazy. That’s 40 hours a week just for foremen alone.”

— Seth Wijnhamer, Project Engineer, CMISC

Looking Ahead

CMISC represents a growing segment of forward-thinking mechanical contractors who recognize that field operations technology is not just about digitizing paper—it’s about gaining real-time insights that drive better business decisions, eliminating wasted administrative time, and creating a foundation for enterprise-wide digital transformation.

With Rhumbix, CMISC has the foundation to:

• Reclaim 40+ hours per week currently lost to manual timesheet processing.
• Couple timekeeping with production tracking for real-time labor efficiency insights.
• Protect against California wage-hour compliance risks through automated documentation.
• Enable more granular cost code tracking without adding field complexity.
• Create unified timekeeping across field crews and office staff.
• Build a scalable solution that can expand from SoCal to NorCal divisions.
• Integrate seamlessly with Autodesk Build and Sage 300 to eliminate duplicate entry.

Ready to modernize your field timekeeping?