Cutting paperwork, instant project and finance tracking: How firms move to the cloud to accelerate growth

THE bigger a business grows, the harder it is to keep its moving parts aligned. This is often true for firms whose IT systems have become complex because they were set up separately over time.

This was precisely the situation for UEMS Solutions, an integrated facilities management (IFM) company that serves the healthcare, commercial, industrial, education, hospitality and property sectors, and has grown to employ a workforce of nearly 3,000 employees.

Kaitlynn Tan, UEMS Solutions director for finance and procurement, says consolidating business systems to the cloud has helped her company standardise processes, accelerate reporting and grow more efficiently.

“Our legacy systems were fragmented, and simply were not very sustainable in a growing and fast-paced environment,” says Tan.

Founded in 1988, UEMS Solutions offers services ranging from environmental and hospitality to procurement-heavy functions such as smart integrated facilities management and project management – all of which depend on efficient business processes to maximise revenue.

Any breakdown in procurement or billing impacts frontline service delivery and service revenue. For example, cleaners may not have access to the supplies they need, or inefficient billing processes can delay receipts from customers.

In 2024, UEMS Solutions decided to revamp the systems it used to manage important business functions such as finance, procurement and more.

It switched to Oracle NetSuite, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.

As an all-in-one platform that offers real-time visibility to core business operations, the system gave UEMS Solutions the agility and scalability to build a smarter and more resilient business.

Laying the foundation for growth

By consolidating processes on a single integrated ERP system, UEMS Solutions now has real-time visibility of its financials, operations and project performance, and has been able to improve transparency and compliance in heavily-regulated sectors like healthcare.

Suppliers can now onboard themselves through a self-service portal, upload compliance documents, and submit invoices that are automatically matched against approved purchase orders and goods receipts.

“This has reduced invoice disputes, and most importantly, eliminated manual workflows across departments,” says Tan.

The system also improved the firm’s procure-to-pay and project billing processes. With many contracts involving billable purchases, UEMS Solutions can tag every purchase order to the corresponding project accurately, track the completion of jobs and trigger timely billing.

“This not only ensures revenue is captured without delay but also gives us real-time margin visibility at the project level, enabling faster intervention when billings are not raised on time,” says Tan.

“NetSuite doesn’t just automate workflows – it connects them,” she adds. “That has provided us with better insights to improve decision-making, and positioned us to take on new opportunities with confidence.”

The software’s cloud-native architecture gave UEMS Solutions the ability to manage its entire business from anywhere in a single cloud environment – critical in a business where teams are dispersed across multiple sites.

“NetSuite will scale our business as we continue to grow. Its innovative features and embedded AI capabilities have allowed us to standardise and automate key processes, enabling consistent service delivery and faster reporting cycles across our healthcare and IFM portfolios,” says Tan.

Creating new pathways for opportunities 

To support adoption, UEMS Solutions leveraged the NetSuite Learning Cloud Support Company Pass.

This subscription-based training service gives NetSuite users access to continuous learning resources such as on-demand courses, hands-on labs, and interactive webinars to help them learn new skills and stay up to date with new features. 

Some employees were doubtful at first, Tan acknowledges.

“What helped us overcome the initial resistance was making the ‘why’ behind the system clear – how NetSuite helps reduce manual workload, improves accuracy and positions us for long-term growth,” she adds.

Teams in procurement and finance quickly saw the benefits of having a unified system. Tasks that previously required manual follow-ups, spreadsheets, and multiple systems are now streamlined and tracked end-to-end.

“As users began to experience those benefits first-hand, confidence grew.”

NetSuite’s Singapore customers can also tap government-backed support to strengthen their ERP capabilities. For example, through the Career Conversion Programme (CCP), companies can receive funding to upskill existing staff or hire mid-career talent for ERP roles.

Customers can offset both training and manpower costs during the transition phase – with salary support of up to 70 to 90 per cent for three to six months for roles such as project coordinators or finance transformation analysts.

The technology, says Tan, is just part of the equation and it is impossible to perfect every process overnight.

“It’s about equipping your business with the tools to operate smarter, respond faster and grow stronger.”

Learn more about Oracle NetSuite here.