LOCATION
Cincinnati, Ohio
CONTRACTOR TYPE
Specialty
TRADE
Industrial Mechanical
NO. OF EMPLOYEES
200+
ERP Integration
ERP
Computer Ease
Built for High-Stakes Industrial Projects: Meet Complete Mechanical
Complete Mechanical is a full-service industrial mechanical contractor delivering projects from concept to completion. Known for solving complex mechanical and process challenges, they self-perform the majority of their work, including process piping, structural steel, and equipment installation. With more than 200 employees and over 50 active projects at any given time, they are built for scale, precision, and speed. Their work spans the chemical, food, beverage, and manufacturing sectors, where safety, accountability, and execution are non-negotiable.
CHALLENGES
Spotting the Gaps Before the Biggest Project Yet
Nick Macke, Vice President of Business Development at Complete Mechanical, had a clear view of how their time tracking system was falling short. The team used FieldEase, a digital extension of their accounting software, ComputerEASE, where supervisors manually entered hours, often at the end of the day or week, with no way to verify who was actually on site.
“There was no verification of whether employees truly worked 40 or 50 hours that week, or whether they were there for eight hours that day,” said Macke. “We saw a lot of round numbers…even though we knew people were sometimes not onsite for a full day.”
As the company prepared to take on its largest project to date, the strain on the system became more obvious. Payroll was taking up to two and a half days to process each week. Errors were common, and approvals relied entirely on trust. Macke and his team knew they needed a more accurate and scalable solution, one that wouldn’t slow down the pace of the field.
SOLUTION
A Time Tracking System That Could Scale With the Company
BWC TERMINALS – Refined Corn Oil Expansion Project
When Complete Mechanical landed the largest job in company history, they knew the old system wouldn’t hold up. After months of evaluating tools, SmartBarrel was the only one that met their needs. “We demoed six or seven [tools]…SmartBarrel was the only program that seemed to check every single box,” said Macke. It provided AI-powered photo-based clock-ins, verified time tracking, and clean CSV exports that worked with their existing payroll setup, all without adding complexity in the field. The system integrated cleanly with their ERP and project platforms, including ComputerEase and Procore. Through Procore, SmartBarrel helped the team manage crews and workforce planning more effectively across active job sites.
“The number one most important aspect was that it would format a report, and we could take that report and upload it directly to our accounting system,” said Macke. “The fact that not only would it take their picture, but it would do the verification for us. That was huge.”
Implementation started with their highest-priority job site and rolled out gradually. Macke focused on change management and team buy-in. Brady Hobbs, Strategic Business Analyst and Tech Integrator, led much of the field implementation directly.
“I got a lot of pushback at first from people who had been doing it the same way for 20 years,” said Hobbs. “But once they saw how much time it saved, it made a big difference.”
Take Back Control of Your Time Keeping
RESULTS
Verified Results That Scaled With the Workload
SmartBarrel gave Complete Mechanical the accuracy and efficiency they needed to support a growing workload. The impact was immediate and measurable.
“SmartBarrel is 100% worth the investment,” said Nick Macke, Vice President of Business Development, Complete Mechanical
Payroll processing time dropped by 80%, going from two and a half days to just a half day each week. “It used to be very painful,” said Macke. “Now it’s a quick half day. We have several people cross-trained because it’s so easy to do.”
With more than 25 supervisors in the field, each saving 20 to 30 minutes a day, the supers gained back over 2.5 hours per week saving the company 12 hours on a daily basis. “They’re spending more time on the project instead of entering time,” Macke said.
SmartBarrel also helped reduce inflated time and prevent time theft by flagging late arrivals and early departures. “If someone is 30 minutes late, they only get paid for the time they’re there,” said Macke. “We figured there’s probably hundreds of thousands of dollars of savings per year,” Macke said. Based on their labor volume and past trends, much of that came from hours that previously went unverified.
SmartBarrel also gave the team a way to quickly resolve hour disputes. “If somebody comes in and says, ‘Hey, I worked 40 hours this week,’ we simply show them their time report with punches,” said Macke.
Payroll accuracy improved dramatically. Before SmartBarrel, one employee a week might have had a paycheck issue. “We don’t really see that anymore,” Macke said.
Take Back Control of Your Time Keeping
Why SmartBarrel Works for High-Stakes Subcontractors
For a self-performing contractor managing 50+ active projects, SmartBarrel delivered the right mix of field-ready simplicity, accountability, and control. Facial verification gave the team confidence in every hour worked. Clean CSV exports made payroll fast and repeatable. Even long-time crews used to the old system adopted SmartBarrel quickly in the field.
SmartBarrel also supported key workflows like per diem tracking and productivity reporting. The team configured per diem payments directly into their payroll export process, eliminating manual steps. Cost code carry-over and dropdown options helped supervisors log time more accurately and avoid coding errors.
“In our old [solution] FieldEase, you actually had to manually enter those job numbers,” Macke explained. “So you’re leaving it up for human error…the dropdown in SmartBarrel has helped eliminate these errors.”
Hobbs noted the support team’s responsiveness during rollout and configuration. “They’ve helped a ton,” he said. “We were able to get everything implemented that we needed.”
The benefits extended beyond time tracking. Verified labor data now plays a role in project estimating and labor rate refinement. Supervisors and managers use SmartBarrel reports to follow up on repeat issues, support performance reviews, and reinforce accountability across the field.
“It’s a powerful tool,” said Macke. “We’d be lost without it.”
Ready to modernize your timekeeping?
Contact us today to schedule a demo and see how SmartBarrel can eliminate inefficiencies, improve payroll accuracy, and help keep your projects on track.
