How Magnum Technical Services Boosted Efficiency with Sage HCM

Magnum Technical Services (MTS) is an engineering contractor based in Houston, TX, delivering turnkey projects for specialty chemical companies and other complex industries. With about 150 employees, the team manages every phase of their 600 active projects from concept and design to startup and commissioning.

When their legacy tools became unsupportable, MTS knew it was time to modernize.

Without a dedicated HCM platform, they were relying on an outdated ERP and a custom time-tracking system no one could repair if it failed. They also needed to streamline payroll and job costing at scale and connect seamlessly with a new ERP (Sage).

Sage provided the solution.

To explore how, we spoke with:

• Devin Guice, CFO (oversees accounting and HR)
• Gigi Pinachio, HR Manager
• Dave Hartman, Engineering Manager

“There wasn't a lot that we were going to be able to throw at Sage HCM that they couldn't handle.” — Devin Guice, CFO

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Challenges

Before implementing Sage HCM, Magnum Technical Services (MTS) relied on outdated tools and manual processes to manage their operations.

Payroll ran through Dynamics for years, but when Microsoft announced the retirement of their particular version, the team faced a looming deadline to replace it.

At the same time, their timekeeping depended on a homegrown tool that fed data into Signature (a Winsoft add-on for job costing). But after a company acquisition, MTS lost access to the developers who built that tool, leaving them with limited support if it failed. The entire setup had become unsustainable.

Payroll was also a heavy lift. The process took about six hours each week, handled by one person from start to finish. Ad-hoc runs like commissions or PTO payouts had to be done separately, creating even more work.

With 600 active jobs and roughly 40 cost codes per job, MTS needed a more reliable system that could cut down admin work and deliver accurate, detailed job-cost tracking at scale.

“When we picked systems, we were looking for things that were going to streamline our current workflow and get us out of some of the mundane administrative tasks.” — Devin Guice, CFO

Solution

Magnum Technical Services officially went live with Sage HCM in July 2025. Today, MTS uses all three core Sage HCM modules (HR, Payroll, and Talent Engagement), with plans to add Learning Management in the near future.

MTS launched the search for a new system in 2024, using a formal RFP process to find a new HR platform that could manage the complexity of its engineering and construction projects.

Sage HCM quickly rose to the top of the pack for several reasons:

• Proven ability to manage complex engineering and construction demands
• Reliable performance handling high volumes of small-hour transactions
• Seamless ERP integration
• Flexible configuration, adapting easily to unique workflows

“I had really liked Sage HCM… I felt like they understood some of the nuances and the complexities of an entity in the construction space, but that also worked well for engineering.” — Devin Guice, CFO

Ultimately, Sage HCM made and delivered on promises that other vendors couldn’t offer upfront.

Once selected, the Sage HCM implementation went smoothly with close assistance from Sage HCM’s support team. Devin noted that her consultants “had a lot of passion” and were “very invested in the product.” Both Gigi and Dave agreed the transition from their previous systems was “pretty smooth.”

“This is the fifth payroll implementation I've done in my career — and Richa and Artem are absolutely the best implementation consultants I have EVER worked with.” — Devin Guice, CFO

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Results

Since using Sage HCM, MTS noticed several improvements:

Payroll is 97% Faster

One of the biggest changes for MTS was the speed and accuracy of their new payroll process.

Before, running payroll was slow and manual. Not counting prep work, the process took 4–6 hours. Plus, only one person could complete the task from start to finish, creating a constant bottleneck.

Now, the difference is night and day.

“The week before last, I ran payroll, still training the payroll administrator, and it took me 11 minutes.” — Devin Guice, CFO

Once time data is clean and all timesheets are approved, the entire process at MTS (from calculation to bank upload) now takes just 11 minutes.  That’s nearly a 97% increase in efficiency.

That process also included 7–9 terminations, PTO payouts, a bonus, and multiple commission payments.

Their new workflow not only saves hours each week but also reduces errors. Now, MTS is confident that payroll will be completed accurately and on time.

“Payroll has really gotten much more efficient for us.” — Dave Hartman

Seamless Sage Intacct Integration

The seamless integration between Sage HCM and Sage Intacct integration unites payroll and finance to save time while boosting accuracy and visibility across departments.

“It works very nicely.” — Devin Guice, CFO

Once payroll is complete, the general ledger report (now including PTO accrual) posts directly to Sage.
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(This diagram represents  the standard Sage Intacct + Sage HCM data flow. For MTS, this integration was customized even further).

From Sage HCM to Sage Intacct, time entries also transfer over with fully burdened job costing.

From there, the integration:

• Posts job costs to the correct project
• Posts the offset to the income statement
• Creates a job change order for time-and-material jobs

This setup gives MTS a clear financial view from time entry to project accounting, eliminating duplicate entry and manual uploads.

While Sage HCM has a proven Sage Intacct integration, MTS’s configuration is unique. With Sage HCM’s open API and close collaboration between the two platforms, MTS was able to build a connection that met their exact needs.

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Better Financial Visibility

With Sage HCM, MTS finally has clear, accurate visibility into job costs at scale. Even with hundreds of active jobs and multiple cost codes per project, the system delivers powerful custom job-cost coding.

“A lot of systems couldn't or weren't willing to do that.” — Devin Guice, CFO

Each transaction now includes base wages and fringe costs (taxes, benefits, insurance, liability, etc.). That data flows directly into Sage Intacct, along with general ledger reports.

With the ability to create job change orders in Sage, MTS leadership now has complete financial visibility across every project — even down to the cost per material, hour, and minute. This has given leadership the insight they need to make faster, more informed decisions.

“It's pretty seamless… the ability for us to fully job cost our entire suite of work is important.” — Devin Guice, CFO

Improved Admin Workflows

With Sage HCM, MTS has reshaped how HR and accounting operate each day. The platform saves time across both teams, reducing repetitive work and streamlining every process.

“[The HR module] goes well, which saves us an abundance of time. It also saves us money because we don't have as many errors.” — Devin Guice, CFO

With payroll, job costing, and employee data connected in one new system, errors at MTS have dropped. The platform has also brought greater transparency and more accurate reporting.

For Gigi’s HR team, the biggest improvement has been easier data entry and recordkeeping. Having all employee files, compliance data, and tracking tools in one secure, cloud-based platform has simplified their work and given them confidence they need to scale the system.

“It's been really good. I love it.” — Gigi Pinachio, HR Manager

A Smarter HCM for Engineering Contractors

Where other platforms fell short, Sage HCM proved to be the perfect fit for Magnum’s evolving HR and payroll needs.

With a unified platform, MTS can now manage construction-style complexities with ease. Today, the team operates on a connected, future-ready system that bridges the gap between people and finances.

If your construction or engineering firm is having trouble dealing with complex job costing or inefficient workflows, Sage HCM’s unified HR platform (now part of the Sage family) can transform how you work.

Want to see it in action? Book a Sage HCM today.