How Samunnati Boosted Efficiency and Visibility with ProjectBase

About Sammunati

Company: Samunnati
Industry: MEP ( Electrical, Fire Safety & Plumbing)
Employees: 50–55 

Samunnati is a growing player in the MEP industry, specializing in electrical systems, fire safety, and plumbing solutions. Headquartered in Navi Mumbai with a regional office in Udupi, Karnataka, the company employs between 50 and 55 professionals and generates annual revenues in the range of ₹10–15 crore. Despite its steady growth, Samunnati relied on outdated tools like Excel and Tally Prime to manage operations, creating inefficiencies and placing strain on project tracking and reconciliation processes. In June 2024, the company implemented ProjectBase to centralize workflows, improve efficiency, and provide real-time visibility across locations.

Key Challenges before ProjectBase

Prior to adopting ProjectBase, Samunnati faced several operational hurdles:

• Fragmented systems: While Tally Prime offered basic inventory management, it could not support project reconciliations, billing, or progress tracking. Teams had to manually update Excel sheets, which consumed valuable time and introduced risks of error.
  
• Manual reconciliations: Procurement and billing processes involved repetitive manual data entry. Any mismatch required tedious back-and-forth checks across Excel and Tally.
  
• Limited visibility: Management lacked real-time insights into procurement, material requests, and billing. Updates often depended on manual reporting, leading to delays in decision-making.
  
• Site management inefficiencies: With projects spread across multiple locations, central monitoring was difficult. Teams had to depend on phone calls, site reports, and manual coordination to track progress.
  

These challenges slowed down operations and placed unnecessary strain on both the procurement and accounts departments.

Solutions Implemented by ProjectBase

Samunnati transitioned to ProjectBase in June 2024, completing onboarding in about 3–6 months. While the initial learning curve was challenging, the team quickly adapted, and ProjectBase became an integral part of their operations. Several key solutions were implemented:

• Centralized system: ProjectBase replaced multiple Excel sheets and manual reconciliations with a single, integrated platform. This enabled centralized control across procurement, billing, and reporting.
  
• Purchase history tracking: The ability to instantly view historical purchase rates empowered Samunnati to negotiate better with vendors. What was once a manual search through spreadsheets is now available in real time.
  
• Real-time reporting: Management gained immediate access to accurate, up-to-date data. This improved decision-making and eliminated the need for constant follow-ups with site teams.
  
• Process automation: Tasks like material requests, purchase order creation, and invoice generation were automated within the platform. This not only saved time but also ensured accuracy.
  
• Cross-location visibility: Whether in Navi Mumbai or Udupi, teams could now access the same centralized information, creating consistency and reducing duplication.
  

Results & Outcomes

The shift to ProjectBase brought measurable and significant results for Samunnati:

• Time savings: Manual work was drastically reduced across departments. Material Request preparation is now 30% faster, Purchase Order creation is 50% faster, and vendor invoice generation has improved by an impressive 90%. This automation freed up employees to focus on higher-value tasks.
  
• Improved negotiation power: With access to purchase history, the procurement team can instantly compare past rates and negotiate more effectively with suppliers. This has resulted in better cost control.
  
• Real-time oversight: Centralized reporting has provided leadership with transparency and confidence. The management team can now track procurement, billing, and overall project progress without depending on site-specific updates.
  
• User adoption and comfort: Although onboarding initially required effort, within a few months the team grew fully comfortable with the system. Today, staff describe ProjectBase as very user-friendly.
  
• Cross-team productivity: The accounts team particularly benefited from ProjectBase’s automation. Earlier, they had to rely on 10 Excel files to generate a single bill. Now, invoicing is streamlined and efficient, reducing delays and avoiding synchronization issues that once plagued shared files.
  
• Positive feedback loop: The system has encouraged continuous improvement. The addition of new features in recent updates—such as quantity multipliers and enhanced estimation sheets—has been well received by Samunnati’s team.

Team Feedback and Adoption

Mr. Umesh Acharya, Operations Manager at Samunnati shared his perspective on the system’s broader value:

“With ProjectBase, everything is centralized and we have real-time visibility across multiple locations. Management can track every step clearly, which was not possible with Excel and Tally. I would definitely recommend ProjectBase to other contractors, no other software gives this level of control.”

Conclusion: Efficiency and Visibility Achieved

For Samunnati, the adoption of ProjectBase has been transformative. By automating routine processes, centralizing operations, and providing real-time insights, the software has brought clarity, accountability, and efficiency across the organization.

Mr. Acharya summarized the impact:

“The purchase history feature and real-time reporting have saved us both time and money. Material requests are 30% faster, purchase orders are 50% faster, and invoice generation is 90% faster. Earlier, everything had to be entered manually, but now most of it is automated.”

Looking ahead, Samunnati is also excited about AI-driven features on the horizon, confident that these innovations will take their operational efficiency even further.

Samunnati’s journey highlights how embracing a modern project management platform can replace inefficiencies, boost productivity, and strengthen management control. For growing businesses in the MEP sector, ProjectBase has proven to be not just a tool, but a catalyst for long-term scalability and success.