Global Manufacturing Firm

Client Background

HRchitect partnered with the North American division of a global manufacturing organization to define a payroll systems strategy and guide the evaluation and selection of a modern, cloud-based payroll solution. The organization had grown significantly through acquisition, resulting in a complex and fragmented payroll environment.

At the outset of the project, the client was operating multiple payroll systems, including ADP and Ceridian, while also maintaining a global SAP database managed by its European headquarters. This multi-system environment created inefficiencies and complexity, particularly as the organization sought to align regional operations with global standards while addressing North America-specific payroll needs.

The Challenge

The client’s payroll landscape was highly fragmented due to growth through acquisition, requiring the organization to manage multiple payroll systems across North America. This resulted in inefficiencies, inconsistent processes, and increased administrative burden for payroll and HR teams.

Additionally, the requirement to maintain alignment with global systems and IT strategies added another layer of complexity. The client needed to balance global standardization with regional flexibility, particularly given the unique payroll requirements across the United States and Canada.

A key challenge was building a compelling business case to justify the selection of a dedicated North American payroll system, separate from the global infrastructure. The organization required a solution that could streamline payroll operations, integrate effectively with existing systems, and support future growth.

Client Profile

• Global manufacturing company

• North American headquarters in Iowa

• Over 5,000 employees across the U.S. and Canada

• Operations in 48 U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinces

The Project

HRchitect began the engagement by collaborating with the client’s Global IT team to understand existing systems, strategies, and decision drivers. Using these insights, HRchitect developed a payroll strategy tailored to North American operations and built a business case to support the selection of a new, region-specific payroll system.

Following approval, HRchitect led a comprehensive discovery phase, which included detailed project definition, assessment of current systems and processes, and identification of future state requirements. A marketplace workshop was conducted to align stakeholders on available solutions and capabilities.

Based on this discovery, HRchitect developed and distributed a detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) to six targeted vendors. The RFP required vendors to demonstrate how their solutions would meet both current and future state requirements, enabling the client to conduct a thorough and structured evaluation process.

Key Benefits

• Streamlined payroll operations across North America

• Reduced complexity from multiple legacy systems

• Established scalable, cloud-based payroll solution

• Improved alignment between global and regional strategies

• Enabled more efficient payroll processing and support

• Continued partnership for implementation and optimization

The Results

Through its partnership with HRchitect, the client successfully defined and executed a payroll strategy tailored to its North American operations. The organization was able to navigate complex global and regional requirements, ultimately securing approval to move forward with a dedicated payroll solution.

By leveraging a structured evaluation and selection process, the client selected a cloud-based payroll vendor that aligned with both its operational needs and long-term growth strategy. The engagement also established a strong foundation for continued transformation, as the client retained HRchitect to support change management, payroll operations, and the technical implementation of the new system.