Customer story - SugarCRM exit, AI, Clay

EMA: five tools replaced, then AI on top

One HubSpot system instead of five disconnected tools - and the same foundation now runs an AI prospecting agent and Clay enrichment.

Client
EMA Design Automation
Industry
Semiconductor & Electronics
Migrated from
SugarCRM
Scope
Migration, implementation, AI agents, Clay + retainer
Regions
NAM, EMEA

The challenge

EMA has spent 30+ years selling software, services, and training for engineers designing electronics - from phones to satellites. Its systems had not kept pace: only one or two people could navigate the legacy CRM, sales, marketing, and support had no visibility into each other's work, and Sugar Market, Zapier, Mailchimp, Mandrill, Hootsuite, and Vidyard ran side by side without true integration.

There was no single source of truth, so reporting was inconsistent and decisions were slow.

“You don't just solve problems - you get into the weeds and make it better than imagined. We couldn't be happier.”
Chris Banton, VP Marketing, EMA Design Automation

What we did

Penguin ran discovery and strategic planning, migrated and cleaned the legacy dataset, set up HubSpot CRM with pipelines for sales and marketing, and trained every department. Custom workflows automated lead nurturing, ticketing, and sales follow-up. Five tools were retired into one system.

The relationship did not stop at go-live. Under an ongoing retainer, Penguin keeps extending the platform: a HubSpot AI prospecting agent piloted in 2026 that drafts outreach in EMA's voice, and a Clay enrichment build that recovers real work emails from free-email contact records - so the sales team works identified accounts, not gaps.

The impact

Five tools replaced by one HubSpot system, cutting licensing costs. Cross-department visibility where there was none, and real-time dashboards in place of inconsistent reporting. The same foundation now carries EMA's AI prospecting and Clay enrichment work.

“We finally have a system that works for everyone. It's a huge shift in how we operate.” - Chris Banton

About the client

EMA is a software reseller and software company operating for over 30 years, focused on electronics and hardware design. They sell software, services, and training for engineers building electronic devices - from phones to satellites.

About Penguin Strategies

Penguin Strategies is an Elite HubSpot Solution Partner and Clay Partner specializing in complex revenue operations, customer relationship management architecture, and data-driven business systems. We help mid-market and enterprise teams stabilize fragmented processes, enforce operational discipline, and build revenue engines designed for scale.

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