CASE STUDY
Hitemco’s Strategic Weapon: Operational Efficiency
Hitemco manufactures advanced coatings for high-performance, high-stress applications—including aerospace and defense. Faced with regulatory pressure, operational growing pains, and IT systems buckling under the weight of success, they needed more than a tech vendor. They needed a strategic partner. That’s where DataBright came in.
The Challenge
Hitemco was in crisis when they came to DataBright. Enormous regulatory pressure was being applied by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) regarding ITAR compliance. Their homegrown systems were crashing several times a day and, even when they were running, were slow, difficult to use, and out of date.
While the factory was seriously underutilized, they couldn’t grow because their systems couldn’t even handle the current business load. But they couldn’t just shut down to fix it all.
Hitemco had reached its breaking point. What was once a competitive advantage was now causing an existential threat.
- Growth outpaced the system – Rapid expansion across the company made the CEO’s direct involvement in IT unsustainable. Dana Barnard (the CEO) could no longer run the company and manage IT.
- Compliance risk loomed – Hitemco operates under ITAR regulations, requiring airtight control and documentation. ITAR is a 400-page regulation that DataBright developed into operational software. Violating ITAR risked jail for the executives.
- System performance collapsed – The core database was slow, unstable, and a growing source of user frustration. The User Interface (UI) was complex, hard to use, and didn’t reflect the needs of the operational staff.
- Internal support was stretched – The company could no longer support the system in-house.
Everyone was frustrated and the company itself threatened by their overburdened system.
It is not an overstatement to say that the DataBright team saved our butts in the early years of our relationship when we found ourselves in a sudden IT crisis. They kept us running during the day and continuously fed us structural upgrades at night. Looking back, it was an incredible effort and well-executed under enormous pressure.
The Turning Point
In the midst of this crisis, Hitemco made a pivotal decision: sunset internal development and partner fully with DataBright.
DataBright embedded with Hitemco, learning every department’s needs, aligning with leadership, and acting as a true strategic partner, much more than an IT outsourcing company.
DataBright performed beyond our expectations.
The Fix (and the Foundation for Growth)
DataBright rebuilt the system from the ground up—while keeping it running during business hours. Key outcomes included:
- A redesigned, high-performance core database
- Implemented the DataBright 2-second rule: every screen must be live in two seconds or less.
- Streamlined, intuitive user interfaces for every department
- A compliance-ready “ITAR module” for defense contracts
- Custom dashboards for sales, ops, quality, engineering, and accounting
- An innovative internal cloud-based Document Management and Backup system
- Future-ready architecture enabling mobile CRM and OPS tools
We now consider our digital operational system a key strategic weapon that gives us a competitive advantage.
Strategic IT as a Competitive Advantage
After emerging from crisis mode, Hitemco and DataBright shifted to strategic planning. A major milestone was the development of a proprietary internal cloud system, reflecting Hitemco’s preference for control and independence over reliance on third-party platforms like AWS or Salesforce.
In keeping with our values, we’ve increasingly moved towards an ‘internal cloud’ system—a model more high-tech private companies should consider.
Even in the middle of the crisis, we shared our ultimate vision with Lenny: Ops and CRM on mobile. At the time it seemed impossible. But here we are.
TQ White, one of DataBright’s senior experts in databases and connectors, enabled Hitemco to realize their mobile vision even in the harsh environment of their shop floor, where dust from their operations would normally require ruggedized PCs. Instead, they were able to use iPads, which reduced capital costs and further increased the utility of their system.
Enduring Impact
Today, years later, Hitemco is a larger, more sophisticated company with a system that just works. More than that, the IT system continues to evolve alongside the business.
The development of our CRM and OPS applications has been one of the most gratifying achievements of our IT vision. We’re proud of what we’ve built with DataBright.
It’s a common story: a system that once enabled growth becomes a bottleneck. The difference lies in how a company responds.
Hitemco chose to treat IT not as an operational cost, but as strategic infrastructure. They didn’t just patch a problem—they rebuilt the foundation.
They partnered with a team who understood the business, embedded with staff, and aligned every piece of technology with long-term goals. And who had the expertise to re-engineer their systems with ZERO downtime.
That’s how IT becomes a strategic weapon. That’s what DataBright delivers.
Seeing our initial vision realized—and growing stronger year after year—has been incredibly rewarding.