Inside Cevotec's journey to smarter, sharper, project cost control with real-time budgeting

Cevotec, a German engineering company specializing in automated composite manufacturing through fiber patch placement, faced the common growing pains of scaling from a development-focused startup to a production-oriented business. Managing costs, tracking employee time across multiple complex projects, and ensuring legal compliance with working hours were critical challenges. Beebole became the central pillar of Cevotec's reporting infrastructure, enabling the company to monitor project budgets in real-time, reduce administrative overhead, and make smarter data-backed decisions.

#The challenge: From startup spreadsheets to scalable reporting

Cevotec was founded as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich, developing robotics and software for the automated manufacturing of aerospace parts and hydrogen pressure vessels. With clients in one of the most conservative and highly regulated industries, Cevotec needed robust internal operations to support growth.

But the way the team tracked time and project costs wasn't keeping pace. Initially, everything was run out of Excel, which meant:

• Employees manually entered hours

• They relied heavily on macros in Excel to pull data together

• Visibility into projects was limited, and scaling wasn't manageable

Germany's legal requirement to record working time pushed the need for a professional solution. Beyond compliance, Cevotec wanted deeper insights into:

1. How much time employees spent on development versus administration

2. Whether project budgets were at risk of being exceeded

3. How to allocate costs fairly across multiple cost centers

Head of operations Christian Fleischfresser put it plainly: "Excel can only take you so far. We needed a professional tool."

#The solution: Customizable, granular, and integrated

After testing several tools, Christian chose Beebole for its ability to track time at multiple levels—cost centers, projects, and even tasks. This granularity was essential for Cevotec, whose engineers often work on four to five different projects in a single day.

Here are the key ways Cevotec uses Beebole today:

• Cost center tracking: Every activity is assigned to a cost center, ensuring total visibility.

• Project-level reporting: Projects within cost centers are tracked for budget vs. actual hours.

• API Integration: Beebole data is pulled into Excel-based reporting tools and compared against Zoho Projects for planning and budgeting.

The flexibility to customize fields and adapt the system without external consultants was decisive. For Fleischfresser, it was important not to be held back by a tool that wouldn't let him easily adjust it on his own.

#The implementation: Fast setup, smooth support

Fleischfresser set up Beebole himself, completing the first version of the configuration in about two weeks. It was straightforward and customizable at a granular level, which meant he could build the exact system he needed.

When questions came up—especially around setting up API calls and custom fields—Beebole's support team was quick and effective.

For employees, daily time tracking is simple: at the end of each day, they log hours to the appropriate cost centers and projects. Simple and user-friendly enough not to get employee complaints. You can't ask for much more than that.

#The results: From blind spots to informed decisions

Beebole quickly became what Fleischfresser called a "decisive pillar" of Cevotec's reporting ecosystem. By using Beebole, Cevotec has:

• Real-time budget control: Project managers can identify when efforts exceed planned budgets and raise red flags early.

• Improved forecasting: Historical data helps Cevotec budget future projects more accurately.

• Better resource allocation: By comparing the time spent on administration versus development, leadership can take steps to reduce overhead.

• Fair employee policies: The time tracking data supports Cevotec's "hour bank," allowing employees to exchange overtime for extra time off.

Christian summed it up best: "Beebole doesn't just record hours; it helps us understand reality. That's how we make better decisions."

#Key takeaways

• Excel-based reporting wasn't scalable for a growing engineering company with complex cost structures.

• Beebole's flexibility and granularity allowed Cevotec to gain full visibility into projects and budgets.

• With API integrations, the team consolidated Beebole data into their reporting systems, enhancing accuracy and efficiency.

• The result: smarter project budgeting, real-time oversight, and a foundation for scaling operations in a highly demanding industry.