MegChem automates reporting, saving time and providing live data to all stakeholders

For over 30 years, MegChem has been helping companies in the

petrochemical and industrial sectors tackle their most complex

engineering challenges. A privately owned consulting firm, MegChem

works with some of South Africa’s largest refineries, including Sasol

and Astron Energy, providing expertise in Greenfields, Brownfields,

and Integration projects.

The pain of manual reporting

“In our Cape Town office, we have what we call an Innovation Hub.

Through this initiative, we continuously look for ways to improve our

internal processes and solve challenges using technology,” shares

Frank Saieva, Principal Project Manager at MegChem. This team set

out to tackle a major company challenge: manual reporting and lack

of automation. Previously, project data was siloed. Employees had to

manually export data into spreadsheets, then clean and format it

before generating reports. This led to issues like accidental data

deletions and having multiple versions of the same file. Static data

would also quickly become outdated. “This process was extremely

time-consuming. If anything went wrong, it delayed our reports,

sometimes significantly,” adds Saieva.

As with any company in the petrochemical industry, reporting is a

critical necessity for MegChem. With frequently changing budgets,

the company needs up-to-date data to inform clients, obtain

approvals, and adjust project plans, resources, and cost allocations as

needed. “Another factor is resource availability. Just because you

make a change today doesn’t mean the necessary personnel will be

available tomorrow. So having real-time data is crucial for managing

resources efficiently,” adds Saieva.

Building a centralised, agile solution

The team evaluated several solutions to solve its reporting challenge.

Since some employees were already using Smartsheet for project

management, it quickly became a strong contender. Saieva

continues, “As more people began recognising the benefits, usage

expanded. We realised Smartsheet was the natural choice,” shares

Saieva. The company reached out to Project Plan Services (PPS), a

Smartsheet Platinum Partner and a team of corporate portfolio,

programme, and project management specialists with a presence in

South Africa, to help with the implementation. “They wanted to

explore more of Smartsheet’s potential, and just needed some

guidance to steer them in the right direction,” says Michelle Basson,

Senior Solution Consultant at PPS.

The primary goal was to break down data silos and integrate all key,

value-add information into Smartsheet. PPS worked with MegChem’s

internal team to standardise how the data was structured, ensuring

seamless data flow. Next, PPS integrated Data Shuttle to automate

data transfers from MegChem’s internal system on a scheduled basis.

To do this smoothly, the PPS team helped point out any modifications

needed in the internal system and elements needed in Smartsheet

for the integration to work. With this foundation in place, MegChem

was free to build customised real-time visual dashboards for their

clients. “One of the biggest advantages of Smartsheet is its flexibility.

Unlike rigid cost reporting software, which often requires

back-and-forth communication with providers to make even minor

adjustments, Smartsheet allows us to generate and visualise data in

whatever format suits our needs,” notes Saieva.

Empowered team, informed clients

PPS conducted several demos to introduce the solution to the team.

“MegChem employees were so engaged throughout the

development process—participating in weekly reviews and providing

clear, actionable feedback, making adoption much smoother,” recalls

Basson. “They were genuinely excited to find solutions that would

make their work easier.”

Today, company data is automatically populated and updated on a

daily basis. A client-facing dashboard shows key project elements in

real time, such as progress, budget status, and other key metrics.

Previously, we had to manually filter and format data sheets before

sending them to clients. With Smartsheet, clients can access the

reports themselves whenever they need them,” says Saieva. “They

can choose a high-level summary or dive into the details as needed.

We even include photos from the site so they can see the project

progress without having to visit in person.”

Eliminating unnecessary costs and risk

From the dashboard, team members can enter new data into the risk

or tracking system using a simple form, eliminating the need to

search through files or spreadsheets. “With Smartsheet, our

employees have become more diligent about documenting

changes,” notes Saieva. They also easily log their hours in a timesheet,

allowing managers to compare budgeted versus actual hours.

Today, MegChem has constant oversight of its projects and resources.

Instead of manually checking each timesheet and comparing it to

the budget, managers rely on automated notifications or

colour-coded indicators to identify cost overruns or address issues

before they escalate. “Previously, we weren’t properly documenting

and tracking changes, which led to significant financial disputes,

delays, or additional costs,” explains Saieva. “With Smartsheet,

everything is documented and visible.” If disputes still arise with

contractors, MegChem can easily look through its past reports to

identify the cause and find a remedy.

When something needs to be amended, customers can be involved

early, ensuring alignment before any adjustments are made. “This

way, the client trusts us more and feels more comfortable with

project decisions, allowing us to build a stronger working

relationship,” adds Saieva. “Thanks to live dashboards and the

transparency they bring, negative comments from customers have

mostly disappeared, which means that things are running smoothly.”

Efficient, productive staff

With automated data transfer and reporting, MegChem employees have freed up valuable time. “A weekly report used to take me 8 to 12 hours—now, it’s done in an hour. The monthly report, which once took a full day, now takes just 90 minutes,” shares Saieva. MegChem now generates customer-facing reports in half the

time using Smartsheet, eliminating the need to manually create slides. This even cuts down the time spent in client meetings. “Customers can now preview our dashboards before our meetings so that nothing in the discussion is new to them. This lets us focus on key points of interest instead of nitty-gritty details. This way, we spend 30 minutes in a meeting instead of the usual 60–90,” adds Saieva.

Using an integrated tool like Smartsheet brought the project team closer by giving everyone access to the same information. “Our goal was to work from a single source of truth, which meant the team could see all aspects of the project in one place. This has greatly improved collaboration,” Saieva adds. Saieva gives credit to PPS for this successful migration. “The PPS team is extremely knowledgeable, accommodating, and professional,” shares Saieva. “They had a very short window to understand our challenge and deploy a solution, yet they did it exceptionally well. We built a strong working relationship, and having someone local, with whom we could communicate in the local language, clearly made a difference.”

Doubling down on success

MegChem has strategic plans to further improve how it interprets both project and company data using Smartsheet. Drawing on lessons learned from the current implementation, the team aims to enhance the accuracy of internal reporting and, most importantly, add more value to its client service offering. “We’re continuing to explore new ways to automate and streamline our workflows with Smartsheet,” says Saieva.

If you're interested in transforming your reporting processes, improving collaboration, and gaining real-time insights like MegChem, contact us today to learn how we can help you do the same.