Bath Engineering Gets Real-time Visibility Across the Firm with Deltek

An Interview with Phillip Rothstein, Principal, Bath Engineering Corporation

Summary: Bath Engineering Principal, Phil Rothstein, describes how his firm’s efficiency benefited from Deltek’s real-time business management information. Founded in 1957, Bath’s primary practice is the design of waterworks projects, manufacturing plants, petrochemical refineries, military facilities, and commercial buildings, while also providing professional commissioning services and process safety management services to clients throughout the US and Mexico.

Q: I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of technology systems since you opened your doors in 1957.  How are you leveraging technology enhancements in your firm today?

Phil Rothstein: We definitely have seen a lot of changes! Design evolved from ink on vellum to three dimensional digital images. Business management evolved from a handwritten paper bookkeeping journal to a cloud-based, real time digital system. Both design and business management advanced through several steps from what now seems to be their rudimentary stages to their current status. For most of Bath’s 60+ years, financial reports and project management reports were printed after the closing of each month. By then, the data was five or six weeks old, so it was of little value. Our project managers often ignored the firm’s reports because they found they could maintain more timely information on spreadsheets. When Bath converted to Deltek Ajera about ten years ago, our project managers gained direct access to real-time information. They no longer have to ask a bookkeeper for information or wait until the books close after the end of each month. Now, they have instant access to information on their computers or iPads. C-level managers similarly have access to real-time business management information. Easy to customize widgets and reports give corporate managers the ability to see data in tabular or graphic format. Best of all, project managers and corporate managers trust the data because it isn’t hidden in a “black box” in the accounting department.

Deltek Ajera is really the heart of our management system. Since implementing the software, it's been a real game changer for our company and has changed the way we run our business.

Real-time Visibility Across the Entire Firm is a Game Changer for Bath Engineering

 

 

Q: What kind of benefits have you seen across your firm?

Phil Rothstein: Our business is so much different now than it used to be. Every project is managed through Deltek Ajera. We manage employee time, project costs, budget and schedules. And, of course, forecasting—forecasting for each project rolls up into forecasting for each department and then forecasting for the entire company.

At our board meetings, we cast Deltek up on a screen and we look at real live data; we’re not looking at month-end data from several days prior. We are looking at data from that moment in time, which is changing while we're talking. It’s an amazing tool!

Q: How have these efficiencies helped you serve your clients better?

Phil Rothstein: As an engineering company we’re focused on solving problems for our clients. Many of our clients are repeat clients that come to us over and over because they trust us and know that we can solve their complex problems. Sometimes it's designing a new facility; sometimes it's streamlining a facility or optimizing a deep bottleneck within a facility. Deltek Ajera lets us mine our huge database so we can manage our clients’ projects effectively.

Q: Tell me more about your approach to project problem solving.

Phil Rothstein: Regardless of the specific project or the specific client, our approach always considers budget, time and quality. Deltek Ajera helps us manage the budget so that our staff can focus on the time and quality goals of the project. That helps us deliver better solutions to our clients. Deltek has really made a significant difference in our ability to meet our clients’ objectives.

About Phillip Rothstein

Phil Rothstein is Principal at Bath Engineering Corporation. He has managed refinery expansions, manufacturing plants, university buildings, healthcare facilities, military projects, waterworks facilities, and municipal projects. He has designed and managed projects throughout the United States and Mexico for clients such as General Motors, Chevron, Lexmark, Phelps Dodge, ITT, and Burlington. Phil is a licensed Professional Engineer, a certified Commissioning Authority, and a LEED Accredited Professional. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree from New Mexico State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Southern Methodist University. For more information on Bath Engineering visit https://www.bathgroup.com.