How FTC Solar’s upgraded EOR infrastructure unlocks global growth

The challenge: Unsuitable global employment infrastructure

Because their international employee headcount in individual countries was relatively small, FTC Solar could not justify the expense and legal burden of starting their own business entities in each new market — which is why they relied on an Employer of Record (EOR).

But their expansion plans were hampered by inadequate service from their previous vendor, which did not offer the full utility of EOR due to its lack of a dedicated platform or centralized portal for employees or management.

The HR team had no clear picture of their global operations, and critical employee documents like payslips were sent manually via email, which meant they would frequently get missed or sent to junk folders.

Unresponsive and slow support

Indeed, getting any support for onboarding or basic administrative tasks was difficult. The vendor lacked a localized global presence, meaning they were overextended and lacked time-zone alignment, leaving them unresponsive to FTC Solar’s requests. Because of the vendor’s unresponsiveness, gathering necessary operational details and reports for FTC Solar’s US leadership was incredibly difficult.

“Considering the high amount we were paying, we weren’t getting a proper response,” says Vinoth Kumar, HR Operations, FTC Solar.

For the HR team, employees, and executive leadership alike, routine compliance and payroll tasks were agonizingly slow.

“I was spending 10 to 15 days with our old vendor just to receive some documents, verify the details, then go back and forth with emails for approvals and payments,” says Kumar.

To fulfil their growth ambitions, it was clear FTC Solar needed a platform with the modern technology, dedicated key account management, and localized global infrastructure necessary to support their scaling international workforce seamlessly.

The solution: Rapid EOR deployment

“Whatever questions I had I was able to talk to Multiplier in my local language.”

Vinoth Kumar, HR Operations, FTC Solar

FTC Solar solved its global HR challenges by using Multiplier’s EOR platform to completely manage the lifecycle of international employees in key expansion markets like the Philippines, Spain, and Australia.

The transition was executed under time pressure, as FTC Solar’s previous vendor unexpectedly gave them only a 15-day window to migrate their operations.

To ensure the 15-day deadline was met, Multiplier’s local Chennai team physically visited FTC Solar’s office and the teams worked together for 16 hours to feed the necessary employee data into the system.

“Whatever questions I had I was able to talk to Multiplier in my local language, Tamil,” says Kumar. “The connection worked well and within days the portal was live.”

Unlike the previous vendor, Multiplier provided a dedicated Key Account Manager based in India, allowing for seamless communication, quick document retrieval, and a streamlined process for aligning technical terms.

The result: Transparent, efficient global employment

“I can now spend my time on other activities and focus on our employees.”

Vinoth Kumar, HR Operations, FTC Solar

By replacing an unresponsive, opaque vendor with Multiplier’s centralized EOR platform, FTC Solar was able to transform its global HR operations from a frustrating bottleneck into a transparent and efficient machine.

The HR team gained a clearer picture of their operations through the Multiplier portal, where they can instantly view signed documents, statutory forms, appointment letters, and salary divisions. As a result, the time HR spends processing the global workforce plummeted.

“I start the process on the 2nd of every month and by the 5th, I get the approval and send it to finance for payment,” says Kumar. “The payment is usually made by the 8th or 9th at the latest.“

Gathering reports for US leadership is also no longer a struggle. Management can easily be given login access to the portal to view data directly, or HR can quickly download and send the required documents.

Improved employee experience

Employees were granted direct portal access to apply for leave and download their payslips, thus eliminating the previous issue of manual payslips getting lost in email junk folders.

Employees now feel more in control of their basic employment functions, with the ability to independently login and access their payslips within 24 hours of salary creation.

“If there are any issues, I connect with my key account manager, and we have a 30-minute call once a month to resolve them,” says Kumar. “Overall, I spend only one or two days on this process, versus the 15 I used to.”

With Multiplier providing the infrastructure to expand their teams in Australia, Spain, and the Philippines, FTC Solar is entering a period of significant growth. Specifically, they will be using the platform to hire sales personnel and technical product support staff who will travel to sites to fix solar trackers and panels.

“Give Multiplier the requirement and they come with the solution,” says Kumar.