Innovation: Delivering Better Client Experiences with New Field Technologies

At Opus, we are passionate about innovating to deliver value for our clients. It’s been in our DNA since the very beginning when Gerry Rauenhorst founded the company. We remain committed to building a culture of innovation at Opus, which is why we’ve mobilized associates and teams to identify and drive positive changes, embracing innovation in an even bigger, more deliberate way. With our sights set on the ultimate goal of delighting our clients, we went to work evaluating and making changes in a few initial areas, including our construction job sites.

Moving information to and around the job site is imperative to an efficient operation that delivers quality products for our clients. Our Field Focused Technology (FFT) project focused on packaging and distributing the right mix of digital technology to our job sites, boosting efficiency and ensuring superintendents and field associates always have access to the most up-to-date information.

In early 2016, the FFT packages—which contained “technology in a box” capabilities and equipment right-sized for each job site based on the size and duration of the project—were deployed to the field, and recently we evaluated their impact. Compared to the prior state where job sites relied on rolls of paper plans printed version after version each time there were changes, and usually only accessible in or near the job trailer, the real-time information access and communication enabled by FFT has resulted in significant time savings. The amount of time freed up for our superintendents to focus on our client and the things that matter most has been phenomenal. Based on our data, the majority of superintendents are experiencing an average savings of 8.75 hour per week with some as high as 15 or even 19 hours, as they no longer have to wait for technology.

“With tablets and digital technology, we can move information, drawings and photos around the job site faster than ever,” said Jack Puncochar, senior superintendent for Opus Design Build, L.L.C., who is currently the lead site superintendent for 365 Nicollet in downtown Minneapolis. “It used to eat up a lot of time. For example, when working on high-rise, multi-story projects, it could be a 20-minute elevator ride down to the trailer for documentation and a 20-minute ride back up. Meanwhile six to 10 guys were up there waiting for information. With tablets and Wi-Fi, we can access and move information around the job site in a matter of seconds.”

“New technologies at job sites make Opus more efficient and competitive,” said Greg Swanson, field coordinator for Opus Design Build, L.L.C. “We are always looking for better, more innovative ways to get the job done, with our sights set firmly on delivering value for our clients on time and within budget.”

By working together to consistently find better ways, it’s possible to deliver even more value to our clients.