Background
Lord & Sons has supplied construction materials to contractors for over 70 years. Historically, the company operated as a distributor, contractors would place orders and the company would fulfill and deliver the materials.
To expand its capabilities, the company launched SSI, an engineering division focused on designing solutions that specify the materials used in construction projects. By providing engineering expertise alongside materials supply, SSI became involved earlier in the project lifecycle and could deliver more value to contractors.
However, this shift introduced new operational complexity.
The Challenge
The company’s existing ERP system was designed primarily for order processing and delivery tracking. While it worked well for distribution operations, it was not built to support engineering-driven project workflows.
SSI engineers often manage multiple projects simultaneously, coordinating engineering work, materials, and delivery timelines across teams. Without a centralized system designed for engineering workflows, project visibility relied heavily on spreadsheets, manual coordination, and frequent status inquiries.
This created inefficiencies and limited the operational oversight needed to scale the engineering division confidently.
“Without a better system, we didn’t have the oversight needed to grow the team.” - Derek Avrit, VP of Engineering
BNMA’s Solution
BNMA designed and implemented a custom project management system tailored to SSI’s engineering workflow while integrating with the company’s existing ERP.
The platform introduced:
- Unified Project Dashboard - engineers can view all projects and priorities in one place.
- ERP Integration Layer - relevant order and delivery data flows automatically from the ERP.
- Engineer-Focused Workflow - designed for high-volume engineering environments where statuses change frequently.
- Leadership Visibility - management gains clear insight into project progress and team workload.
Results
The new system gives SSI engineers a centralized view of project activity, reducing the need for manual tracking and internal follow-ups. Engineers can now focus more on completing engineering work rather than gathering information across systems.
“It allows us to focus less on tracking tasks and more on completing them.” - Derek Avrit, VP of Engineering
With improved operational visibility, leadership now has the insight needed to support the continued growth of the engineering division while maintaining efficient project coordination.
