AUG. PRIEN: for collaborative work on building sites
How Hamburg-based construction company AUG. PRIEN saves time on construction documentation, task management and recording defects with PlanRadar
Founded in 1873, AUG. PRIEN is one of the most versatile and productive construction firms in Northern Germany. With around 700 employees and yearly sales of about €450 million, the company covers a range of sectors from project development to building construction, civil engineering, hydraulic engineering and building renovation. AUG. PRIEN particularly values ethical behaviour, not only towards its own customers and employees but also towards competitors. It therefore looks to achieve success through quality, reliability, fairness and innovation. These efforts can also be seen in the increasing digitalisation of the company. Specifically, AUG. PRIEN uses PlanRadar software to make its construction project processes more efficient.
The challenge: time-consuming and error-prone work that could lead to misunderstandings
Thorsten Hoyer is the Digitalisation and Development Manager at AUG. PRIEN. One of his responsibilities involves making the company’s existing knowledge available digitally. This enables employees to learn the basics of processes or specific knowledge faster. He also oversees the incorporation of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and Learn Management principles into company processes. Some of the key areas that have been digitised at the construction company include defect management, task management and documentation. In the past, this work was mostly done manually and using various tools such as Word, Excel, large paper plans and dictation devices. This was not only time consuming but could also lead to errors and misunderstandings.
The solution: PlanRadar’s intuitive and multifunctional software
AUG. PRIEN has been using PlanRadar software for the tasks mentioned above since the middle of 2020. “We went through a test phase with four different tools and compared what they were like to use. We chose PlanRadar because it is an intuitive tool and it offers us the most added value on the building site. The flexible design of the forms and report templates were key for us”, said Thorsten Hoyer. During the selection process, it was very important to him and his team for the chosen solution to be fully accepted by future users. As a result, the whole test phase was designed to be as transparent as possible and plenty of discussions were held. PlanRadar was introduced via internal training sessions. Because the software is very intuitive and easy to understand, users can also learn from each other as they use the software in day-to-day life. With PlanRadar, data entry recorded in a structured manner via individually customisable forms. On site, employees create tickets on digital plans in which they can save comments, photos and other information. With just one tap, the software brings together all data into bespoke report templates that can be exported as PDFs.
The result: quicker and more efficient cooperation for defect management
PlanRadar is now used by AUG. PRIEN for many construction projects, including for preliminary inspections, to minimise the number of defects that occur during acceptance. Thorsten Hoyer detailed the advantages: “By working collaboratively with PlanRadar, we can complete the necessary defect management steps quicker. We particularly benefit from this in terms of follow-up work. We also save time on quality assurance in the construction process, for example with appropriate checklists.” Communication with subcontractors is also now done mostly via the tool because AUG. PRIEN would like to significantly reduce errors caused by miscommunication. “With PlanRadar, matters are clearly defined and are understandable for everyone involved”, said Thorsten Hoyer.
