As part of the digitization process, the Mönchengladbach-based WHP Tiefbaugesellschaft mbH & Co. KG aimed to present all technical and commercial processes as transparently as possible. To achieve this, the company introduced the mobile construction site management system 123onsite in early 2021. In addition to Time tracking, they also use the construction site documentation.
Introduction by Work Crews
Since the technical managing director Dominik Backhaus was familiar with 123onsite from his previous employer and found it to be good, he presented the program to his colleagues. It impressed them both in terms of functionality and ease of use. In January 2021, they decided to introduce it crew by crew. After the first crew passed the practical test, WHP equipped the remaining crew leaders with tablets and smartphones on which the 123onsite app was installed.
The Advantages Quickly Became Apparent
After a very short time, colleagues recognized the simplicity of the new way of working and were glad that they no longer had to write time sheets by hand.
Adaptation of Commercial and Technical Processes
WHP stored its individual calendars with different work and break times in the software for both industrial and commercial employees. For the latter, there is a model for working in the office and working from home, with different hours for full-time and part-time employees.
The Mönchengladbach-based company also digitally mapped the entire vacation request process in 123onsite. This allows each employee to fill out their request in the system and receive a message once it is approved. They can also see their remaining vacation days through the app.
Using the interface set up by WHP, the projects and construction sites created in the commercial program are automatically transferred with the cost centers to the app, so that the data is available on the construction sites.
To facilitate work, the road and civil engineering company uses the forms available in the system, which it adapted to the company’s internal requirements. “Currently, we have three forms that deal with work safety. The reports resulting from the contents of the various forms are centrally stored for each project, so that we can access them immediately during an inspection”, says commercial manager Denis Bödeker.
Real-time Cost Overview
The commercial employees are divided into different crews. Eight large project crews work on longer-running construction sites and project measures. There, the start and end of work are the same every day. In the morning, the foreman logs in his crew within a radius of about 100 meters on the construction site and logs out again in the evening. The small crews, which take care of renovation, maintenance, and repair work, log in and out at the company and receive their orders for the day there. The management has also determined for these crews an average hourly rate for the employees, including the permanently assigned equipment and construction machinery. From this, they can at any time and not just at closing time determine how many costs are accumulating for the corresponding measure and thus control the projects.
Current State of the Construction Site Immediately Available via Photo in the Office
WHP documents the processes on the construction site using photos, among other things. The employees record the current state and document all steps in the construction process up to the completion of the project by photo. The foremen or site managers also enter additional remarks and notes into the app.
Denis Bödeker
Commercial Managing Director
Now the daily construction reports with photos notes are directly available in the office and assigned to the corresponding construction site.
Denis Bödeker
Commercial Managing Director
WHP Tiefbaugesellschaft mbH Co. KG
Civil Engineering
Clear Overview for the Client
Since the implementation of 123onsite, the processes at WHP have become much more structured and better documented. Today, the company can document to the client at any time what was done when and how. The company has also become leaner, more transparent, and faster in both technical and commercial processes. Another advantage is the time- and location-independent use of data. Especially during the Corona pandemic, this has led to an enormous work relief. However, according to the two managing directors, good work preparation is important for successful use of the system, so that employees are guided stringently through the app and need to spend little time on data entry.
The payroll department no longer has to process handwritten notes and laboriously enter data manually. The effort for control has been significantly reduced, and erroneous data entries are now a thing of the past.
Advantageous for WHP is the structured design of the application. According to Dominik Backhaus, it is easy for an IT-savvy user to create forms themselves and adapt them to internal needs. This allows the company to maintain the system itself without having to consult an IT expert.
About WHP
Founded in 1946, WHP offers services in civil engineering for supply lines in the areas of gas, water, electricity, and telecommunications, as well as the associated electrical and pipeline construction assemblies. In addition, the company, which employs 95 people, realizes street lighting and floodlight systems for public facilities. In 2020, the municipal utility company NEW AG, which operates in the fields of energy, water, and wastewater in the Mönchengladbach region and on the Lower Rhine, took over WHP.
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Image credits: Petra Brinkmann/www.focus-blue.de; WHP Tiefbaugesellschaft mbH Co. KG.
