The digitization process is an investment!

We have visited DVS Entreprenør, who are specialists in the rehabilitation and upgrading of buildings. Here we have heard how they simplify their everyday lives with digitalisation.

– The digitization process, which I have started to call the modernization process, is an investment after all. One must be aware that the return does not necessarily come in the next term, says IT manager Morten Braathen at DVS Entreprenør.

– We see it more as an investment into the future!

DVS Entreprenør adopted SmartDok in 2020 as a documentation system, and has not looked back since.

– We have had systems before, but when it comes to the part where we have adopted SmartDok, which is very important to our production, it has taken us far into the digitization age or the modernization process, says Morten.

– SmartDok has taken over a great deal of the unstructured data methods we used, and the documentation requirements for each project force the need for systematization through, says Morten.

DVS Entreprenør was started in 1998, and thus turns 25 this year – Hooray! The company now houses almost 80 employees. DVS Entreprenør is organized as a normal contractor with administration, production and a board, which primarily consists of the Swedish owners Fasadgruppen.

What kind of work do you do?

– 95% of what we do is about the rehabilitation of facades. It also includes doors, windows and roofs. In short, we are a facade contractor that takes on larger, complex and complicated jobs, primarily for housing associations and condominiums, says Morten.

Becoming a preferred contractor among customers requires a good reputation and quality in all aspects.

– We are experts in complex rehabilitation projects, and have the necessary experience and expertise!

Morten is aware that a project is only successful when the customers are satisfied.

– When the cooperation between the customer and us has gone smoothly throughout the project, and there have been minimal challenges and complaints, and that we have delivered what we promised through the contract, then that is a success.

This is almost impossible to achieve without experience and competence, and not least good documentation.

In 2020, the company saw itself as having to simplify and improve its work with documentation, and the company acquired SmartDok.

Change in everyday working life is something we often associate with something negative, and when Morten and the company were to start implementing a digital system for documentation of hours, HSEQ and crew lists, he agreed that the employees had to be involved – if this was going to be a success.

– We started by involving the employees in the process of how to use the system, and getting them to take ownership by creating new routines and processes.

– I’m not going to say that there weren’t challenges along the way, but there’s no doubt that it was a good strategy all in all, says Morten.

Many DVS employees are experienced craftsmen who have worked in the trade for a lifetime, and are therefore perhaps not the ones one would initially think embrace technological changes right away. But the introduction should turn out to go well.

– I am impressed by how well the employees have taken this.

DVS Entreprenør started with time registration in SmartDok and then proceeded with other modules in the software.

– I would like to highlight the app for SmartDok. It is easy to use and it is a huge plus that you can have the timekeeping in your pocket at all times!

Something Morten can confirm has resulted in better control.

– We have got a much better overview of the lessons than before, both historically and visually.

Easier communication between the different parts of the company is part of the success of DVS Entreprenør. Morten is a big fan of the notice board in SmartDok.

– I have seen that communication between all parts of the company flows better through a system like SmartDok, be it HSE/KS or something as simple as the Notice board.

– Getting the information out to everyone on the same platform through push notifications has been a big challenge in the past. Now we have it easy in SmartDok, says Morten.

The result is a more efficient everyday life.

– The communication in the projects and the flow of information both ways has improved, and the documentation that we get between all the links.

By using the notice board, DVS Entreprenør has also ensured that the information reaches everyone in the company in the same way.

– When the general manager has to give information to 5 project managers, and they in turn pass it on to 7 construction managers out in production, there is a potential danger that mistakes can happen along the way. It’s about quality assurance of communication, and I feel we have that with this tool, says Morten.

DVS Entreprenør has a strong focus on health, environment and safety (HSEQ), and the opportunity to share and collaborate on documents with other people or teams involved in the project, regardless of where they are located, has been important to the company. This makes it easier to communicate and collaborate on safety procedures and protocols, which can help reduce the risk of accidents and other incidents.

– We have received a huge boost in our HSE work after adopting SmartDok, says Morten.

– Having the HSE handbook digital and available via mobile is gold. It is continuously updated with new routines, and documentation is thus available on all units at the same time.

– Previously, we printed this out in A5 format, and not something that fit into anyone’s pockets exactly. After all, they were more or less out of date the moment they came out of the printing house, so we have done a job in HSEQ there – which SmartDok has helped us with.

Also within KS, DVS Entreprenør has improved communication after adopting the document center and image documentation in SmartDok.

– As the saying goes, pictures are worth more than 1,000 words, and our KS work has really benefited from this.

Morten gives a good example of how you can see the quality of the work via pictures.

– With photo documentation, the project managers are able to keep up to date on what the guys are doing and what they are good at. As managers, we don’t always see what is being done, but via the pictures the workers send in of work done, we understand that we are dealing with highly skilled craftsmen, says a proud Morten.

– Photo documentation is a very good tool according to potential complaints.

Morten would also like to add that by using electronic crew lists in SmartDok, you have an overview of everyone who is in the workplace at all times.

– It is extremely important for us to have an overview of who is inside the work area at all times. It is actually an important part of the HSE work!

In a time where increased costs have really started to eat away at many in the construction industry, DVS Entreprenør is well prepared, says Morten. They have control over the documentation and are constantly working on streamlining.

– We believe we are well equipped with continuous efficiency improvement processes and good planning. But the most important thing is to make use of the expertise and experience we have among our workers. These know how to make things more efficient and how to keep costs down, says Morten.

What is the biggest challenge in the industry today? What can topple a project?

– It’s bad planning!

– But we are very well prepared due to all the experience we have. We have good calculators who come in as the first part who are good at anticipating problems and challenges. So I think it takes a lot for a project to fall over.

Does the same apply to a decreasing amount of assignments?

We all notice that the number of projects that are out for tender is decreasing, but as I said, we have good calculators who have anticipated and hunted down a number of strategic projects to secure jobs over a longer period of time, says Morten.

It is safe to choose DVS Entreprenør for your rehabilitation project, and if there is something you are really looking for these days, it is security and experience.