HRchitect Guides Marine Terminal Operator Client Through HCM Modernization

Client Background

Our Client is a premier, diversified provider of ports and logistics solutions, offering creative, innovative, and fully integrated infrastructure solutions for ports, cargo carriers, and cargo owners. Guided by three foundational principles, High Performance rooted in safety, Integrity upheld through the highest ethical standards, and Partnership fostered through unified teamwork, our Client delivers end-to-end operational excellence across its national footprint. With approximately 1,450 employees across 17 U.S. states, operating in over 33 ports and 70 locations, our Client is powered by its people and driven to deliver safe, sustainable, and future-ready solutions.

When our Client approached HRchitect, the organization was preparing to renew its UKG contract. With UKG Central approaching end of life and growing uncertainty around system fit, functionality, and long-term scalability, our Client sought strategic support to objectively evaluate its options and chart a path forward that aligned with both current needs and future growth.

The Challenge

Although UKG had been in place for several years, our Client faced a number of system limitations and operational challenges that hindered efficiency and user adoption. With the UKG contract coming up for renewal, leadership wanted to understand whether UKG was still the right solution or if moving to another vendor would better fit their long-term goals. Additionally, the impending phase-out of UKG Central posed a critical decision: should they migrate to UKG Pro WFM now or wait?

Across HR, payroll, operations, and talent management, several challenges were becoming increasingly difficult to overlook:

• Manual processes and insufficient automation causing delays and errors
• Disparate payroll and time systems creating inefficiencies and higher costs
• Limited employee and manager self-service reducing transparency and slowing workflows
• Minimal mobile capabilities hindering engagement for a dispersed workforce
• Inadequate training leading to inconsistent system use and low adoption rates
• A growing need for more robust talent and learning tools to support workforce development

Our Client needed a strategic advisor who understood UKG but could also objectively evaluate alternative solutions. Because HRchitect is one of the only UKG partners with a dedicated Advisory Services team, they were selected to lead a comprehensive evaluation and selection project.

Client Profile

• Our Client offers port, logistics, and infrastructure solutions
• Headquartered in Morristown, NJ
• Approximately 1,450 full-time employees along with thousands of contract workers
• Contacted HRchitect about their upcoming UKG renewal

The Project

HRchitect partnered with our Client to conduct a full evaluation and selection project focused on uncovering gaps, defining future-state requirements, and identifying the best HCM and related talent technologies to support long-term business objectives.

Through a detailed PPOA process, HRchitect’s team conducted stakeholder interviews, deep-dive discovery sessions, system assessments, and workflow analysis across HR, Payroll, Time, Recruiting, Onboarding, and Performance. This process uncovered major pain points affecting accuracy, efficiency, and user experience.

Key issues included:

• Minimal workflow automation, driving time-consuming, error-prone manual work.
• Low adoption of employee and manager self-service, resulting in unnecessary administrative burden.
• Disparate systems preventing integration and creating data silos.
• Underutilization of existing UKG capabilities due to insufficient training.

Based on this assessment, HRchitect recommended a strategic roadmap centered on:

• Optimizing our Client’s existing UKG Pro configuration
• Upgrading to UKG Pro WFM
• Consolidating payroll and time systems for improved accuracy and cost savings
• Implementing a modern Talent Management and Learning solution
• Leveraging their existing CompXL contract to eliminate manual compensation processes
• Incorporating targeted change management and role-based training to drive adoption and improve user experience

This holistic approach ensured alignment between technology, processes, and organizational goals, while preparing our Client for future growth.

Key Benefits

Once implemented, HRchitect’s recommendations would offer our Client significant improvements across its HCM ecosystem, including:

• Greater Payroll Accuracy: Consolidated systems and standardized workflows improve data integrity and reduce costly errors.
• Enhanced Employee & Manager Experience: Better self-service tools and mobile access increase transparency, engagement, and adoption.
• Increased Cost Savings: Eliminating redundant systems and manual processes reduces administrative overhead.
• Scalability for Future Growth: A modernized HCM framework supports long-term organizational needs and workforce development.
• Stronger Talent Development: A modern Talent & Learning platform enables improved training, career development, and retention.

The Results

Following HRchitect’s comprehensive evaluation and structured vendor selection process, our Client chose to renew its contract with UKG and continue forward with improvement efforts. At the time of the project’s completion, the organization was still assessing its timeline for migrating from Central to UKG Pro WFM, but with full clarity on the implications, benefits, and readiness factors involved.

As part of the strategic roadmap, HRchitect also conducted a detailed Talent Management & Learning Marketplace assessment. Through demos, deep-dive sessions, and rigorous evaluation, our Client selected Cornerstone as the best-fit solution to support enterprise-wide learning, skills development, and performance growth.

Midway through the assessment project, our Client added a new Director of Talent to the team. While this required a brief pause to bring her up to speed, her extensive background in Talent and Learning systems ultimately strengthened the evaluation process. Her insights enriched the team’s discussions and contributed significantly to identifying the best long-term solution. As the project ended, our Client’s project team expressed appreciation for HRchitect’s expertise, guidance, and commitment throughout the engagement:

“My personal thanks for all your support for this. I feel you and the team at HRchitect have gone well beyond what any one of us expected. Thank you for sticking with us through this project.” — HRIS Administrator, Marine Terminal Operator Client

“We’re very grateful for all the support our HRchitect consultants have given us over the past year. Your guidance has been invaluable. We’ll absolutely reach out if we need anything else in the future.” — Director of HR Operations, Marine Terminal Operator Client

Our Client concluded the project confident in their technology direction, supported by a clear roadmap, improved alignment of processes and systems, and a trusted partner in HRchitect to guide future phases of their HCM transformation.