The Austrian traditional company Pittel+Brausewetter is saying goodbye to manual processes. Astrid Kirschner, head of the innovation department, relies on products from the Nemetschek Group: NEVARIS for calculation and project management, 123onsite for documentation on the construction site.
Astrid Kirschner knows the challenges on the construction site firsthand. She heads the Innovation and Technology department at Pittel+Brausewetter. As a former construction manager, she knows exactly how time-consuming and inefficient multiple data entry on construction sites can be.
For me, it’s a personal concern to digitize the construction site because I know how tedious it is when information has to be recorded multiple times – twice would be manageable. But when it happens even more frequently, it’s simply not what we want.
Astrid Kirschner
Head of Innovation and Technology
Kirschner refers to situations where, for example, a foreman makes handwritten notes on a piece of paper, then photographs them or hands them over to the construction manager, who then has to manually type the information into a computer program. Her search for digital support led her through the Nemetschek Group, and due to the already used NEVARIS software (known for calculation and ERP software) soon to 123onsite.
200 Construction Managers and Co. Use the App on the Construction Site
With over 150 years of company history, Pittel+Brausewetter is one of Austria’s most traditional construction companies. The family-owned company, founded in 1870, is today a modern full-service provider for construction services and realizes demanding projects in almost all construction sectors. Around 1,000 employees work for the company, 200 of whom can now use the construction site app 123onsite. This means that a large proportion of all construction managers, technicians, foremen, deputy foremen, and supervisors of the company are already equipped with the mobile construction site app 123onsite.
Astrid Kirschner’s innovation team decided to introduce 123onsite gradually. In the first step, the Quality and Task management was implemented, as it offered the easiest entry point.
| Without 123onsite 🙄 | With 123onsite 😍 |
| Photos were taken with private phones and sent to the foreman via WhatsApp, among other methods | Central photo storage with direct project reference |
| Construction daily reports on paper or in Excel spreadsheets | Digital recording directly on the construction site |
| Multiple recording of the same data | One-time recording in the system and digital processing |
| Difficult tracking of complaints | Seamless, chronological documentation with localization and categorization for faster retrieval |
Documentation Seamless and Traceable
Particularly important to her was the intuitive photo Feature of 123onsite: “Instead of sending photos via WhatsApp, for example, and later laboriously assigning them to a date and/or project, we can now capture them directly with location tagging and project reference. This is a huge step forward for seamless and traceable documentation.”
We wanted a solution that digitally represents construction site management holistically, but without overwhelming employees with functions. We clearly focus on quality and Task management as well as on construction daily reports.
Astrid Kirschner
Head of Innovation Technology Department
Simpler, more Transparent, more Efficient – Thanks to Interface with NEVARIS
In addition to improved Photo documentation, 123onsite brings further benefits: Checklists help to reliably complete daily tasks – such as work steps like concreting, cutting joints, or reworking. The daily back and forth between paper, Excel, and various tools is eliminated.
In the future, hourly performance recording will also be integrated to bridge the gap to the existing construction software NEVARIS. “NEVARIS is our central construction software – from calculation to final billing and from post-calculation to controlling. 123onsite is the construction site management with tasks, quality and defect management including performance recording in the form of construction daily reports.”
The three most important functions for Astrid Kirschner, head of the Innovation and Technology department at Pittel+Brausewetter:
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Change also Brings Challenges
The transition to digital processes is not without hurdles. “The feedback is mixed: From ‘Great, we finally have something!’ to ‘We still need time’,” reports Kirschner. A particular challenge is convincing employees of preventive quality management.
Take Quality Pictures, not Defect Pictures as the Motto
According to Kirschner, many still think they only need to document when the construction site is finished, essentially for defect recording. “That’s why I say: You shouldn’t record defects, but quality. It hasn’t yet sunk in everywhere that it’s advisable to document extremely early in order to be able to prove the work carried out in case of disputes.”
“As simple and intuitive as the system is – especially at the beginning of a project, it requires additional effort from the construction manager. He must assign the appropriate master data to each project. In contrast, the daily performance recording by the foreman is much simpler and more efficient. The team is convinced: The initial extra effort pays off in the long run.
NEVARIS and 123onsite in Combination
Although Pittel+Brausewetter is still at the beginning of the digital construction site, the goal is clear: In the coming months, employees should be enthusiastically and actively involved in the digital transformation to noticeably ease their work.
Image credits: Pittel Brausewetter GmbH
