Founded in 1926, the Schneider construction company from Hatzfeld in northern Hesse is now managed by brothers Michael and Frederik Schneider in the fourth generation. With a team of 40 employees, including five apprentices, the company covers a wide range of construction services. To optimize processes, the company relies on digital Time tracking and deployment planning with 123onsite.
“For the employees, digital planning is much more pleasant as they know in advance where and with whom they will be working.” — Michael Schneider, Managing Director Bauunternehmung Schneider
Generational Change and Modernization
The Schneider brothers have taken over the company during a phase of change and have consciously chosen modern ways of work organization. Despite deep roots in the region and their long-standing network with local firms, they focus on innovation. Their openness to digital solutions allows them to simplify processes and be perceived as an attractive employer in the region.
Time tracking: Step-by-Step Digitalization
After Michael Schneider heard a presentation about the use of the time tracking app 123onsite at the builders’ guild in 2019, his interest was piqued. He then gathered detailed information from the software company from Lohne at the digitalBAU in Cologne. After that, he decided to gradually introduce the app with its diverse functions in the company.
Despite the generally difficult phase, the two managing directors of the broadly positioned construction company report a good order situation. The services of the medium-sized company from northern Hesse include complete shell construction work for residential buildings, basements, or extensions, from excavation to foundation, drainage, and masonry to reinforced concrete components such as columns, lintels, ring beams, and ceilings. The construction specialists, with 40 employees including five apprentices, also carry out utility connections for water, sewage, gas, and telephone. The company also covers finishing and renovation work as well as outdoor facilities with its own skilled workers.
Timely Availability of Data
The civil engineer’s main concern was the digital recording of working hours. The aim was to eliminate handwritten records and make the data available in the office in a timely manner. Schneider did not want to have the information from the industrial colleagues only at the end of the month. The recorded times should also be available with current work start and end times, not just the number of hours. The latter required tedious checking of time sheets and sometimes elaborate clarification of any discrepancies. A time-consuming and unsatisfactory undertaking.
| Without 123onsite 🙄 | With 123onsite 😍 |
| Fill out time sheets by hand | Record time via app |
| Manually check time sheets | Automatically transfer times to payroll accounting |
| Time-consuming post-corrections | Real-time plausibility check |
| Employees must submit time sheets | Data is recorded directly after entry |
| Lost or illegible time sheets | Audit-proof documentation of recorded times |
| Delayed recording of working hours | Real-time availability of working hours |
| Complex investigations for discrepancies | Automatic corrections for erroneous entries |
| Manual assignment to projects and cost centers | Automatic project and cost center allocation |
Gradual Implementation
To avoid overwhelming the employees, the construction company introduced the app gradually in 2020. First, the office staff tested 123onsite. Then, it was introduced to some foremen and younger, IT-savvy workers so they could optimally support their colleagues in handling it. After about a year, all commercial employees were equipped with the app on their smartphones. During the implementation process, the usability was constantly optimized. Thus, Michael Schneider can promptly check the data for plausibility, incorrectly booked hours can be directly corrected, and the colleague can be informed about it. According to Schneider, if feedback on an incorrectly booked time sheet comes only weeks later, there is no learning effect. However, if this feedback comes on the same evening, the number of incorrect bookings is significantly reduced.
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Individual Calendars Implemented
In the rule designer of the software, the Schneider construction company implemented their individual calendars with different work and break times. Generally, internal company surcharges for overtime, Sunday, holiday and night work, meal allowances, as well as per diems, distance allowances, seasonal short-time work benefits, weather-related work stoppages, and other expenses and absences can be stored there.
Today, the employee on the construction site only books their attendance time, and the system supplements the recorded hours with the stored information and transmits the resulting data promptly – if there is a radio connection – to the payroll department for further processing. If there is no connection, which happens more often in rural areas, the app transfers the data as soon as a connection is reestablished.
Das Team der Bauunternehmung Schneider ist schon fit im Umgang mit der App.
Digital Employee Deployment Planning: Better Organized, More Transparent
The two brothers also use the software for digital deployment planning, with success for both the management and the employees. Previously, the senior manager manually planned the employees’ schedules daily on paper. This cumbersome activity was time-consuming, as the commercial workers had to wait at the construction yard in the morning for their site assignments.
Deployment Planning Before
The deployment planning was done manually on paper, which was time-consuming. Employees had to wait at the construction yard in the morning for their site assignments.
Planning with 123onsite
Deployment planning is done through 123onsite. Employees know in advance where and with whom they will be working.
Since Schneider has many small construction sites that last from one day to a week, and only a few large ones, employee deployment planning is complex. Changes are routine. Today, the two brothers assign the crews to the construction sites using 123onsite, preferably two weeks in advance. If changes occur, they incorporate them by the evening before at the latest. “For the employees, digital planning is significantly more pleasant and has led to great acceptance of 123onsite, as they now know well in advance where and with whom they will be working”, explains Michael Schneider. And the two company chiefs always have a transparent overview of the planned deployments.
Holiday Planning via App
Holiday planning also runs through the app. Employees can request desired days off via 123onsite and see promptly whether these have been approved.
Well-Connected in the Region
For generations, the Schneider construction company has been deeply rooted in the North Hesse region. Long-standing customer relationships with local companies, maintained over generations, strengthen the company. Schneider often builds for local businesses in multiple phases – first a warehouse, then expansions and further projects.
Successful Training Company with a Broad Range of Expertise
In addition to digitalization, Bauunternehmung Schneider is also known for its successful apprenticeship program. Almost all apprentices are retained after their training and further qualified internally. Through additional training and qualifications, the company can cover various trades such as tilers or bricklayers with its own skilled workers. This reduces the shortage of skilled workers that severely affects other companies in the industry.
The company’s versatile setup, covering both shell construction and interior finishing and renovation work, offers employees long-term prospects and development opportunities. This contributes significantly to low turnover and high employee satisfaction.
Schneider advertises with “digital helpers” to attract apprentices
In its job advertisements for bricklayer apprentices, for example, Schneider promotes 123onsite as software under the keyword “digital helpers in everyday work”.
Future: Digitalization of Construction Site Documentation
As precise documentation becomes increasingly important, the medium-sized company will document the construction site progress with photos in the system in the future, in order to link it with the construction site report and the current weather report. This way, the company can always document proper work in case of damage. The Scheduling of equipment and machines with the 123Geräte module is also planned in the short term to further optimize the utilization of the construction site fleet and its deployment.
Additionally, the Scheduling of equipment and machines will be digitalized with the 123Geräte module to further optimize the utilization of the machine fleet.
Conclusion: Step-by-Step Digitalization for Small and Medium-Sized Construction Companies
Bauunternehmung Schneider demonstrates that low-threshold digitalization can be the key to success, especially for medium-sized construction companies. With the introduction of 123onsite, not only were processes optimized, but transparency and efficiency in the company were also increased.
Image credits: 123onsite/Timo Lutz Werbefotografie.
