Transforming safety and efficiency with real-time updates

The Challenge

With sites throughout Australia, Solgen manages hundreds of subcontractors required to complete projects on budget and on time. Previously, since the company was relying on emails, shared folders and multiple spreadsheets, there was no access to real-time site updates and collaboration suffered. As a previous user of Procore, Clayton Eigenmann was tasked with evaluating project management platforms for the company and was aware of the benefits Procore could deliver.

The Solution

Following a review of multiple solutions, the business selected Procore for Project Management and Quality and Safety. According to Eigenmann, Procore met Solgen’s business requirements and its flexible user policy better suited their budget. "We had conflict risks around document control and project drawings. Procore enhances all of our value-adds and gives us real-time updates and access to safety documentation, inspections and observations. We use Procore from tender site inspections to project delivery and post-project delivery."

The Story

Solgen had recruited Clayton Eigenmann to head the project management team responsible for successfully delivering many commercial solar projects across Australia. Before Procore, paper-based safety documents were completed manually and once a project was final, these documents were scanned and emailed or transferred to head office. Due to various factors ranging from illegible handwriting to watermarks, dirt and missing pages, there was little confidence in the level of compliance and documentation. Following the implementation of the Procore platform, Solgen project managers and project engineers now start their day, ensuring site teams have executed daily pre-start forms, risk assessments and documented any site meetings. "Anytime anyone goes to a site, they use Procore for site risk assessments and take photos to make sure they are stored with summary reports," he said.

Transparency builds a positive safety reputation

 All site personnel with access to Procore are part of the Solgen Safety Collaboration Unit. When an incident occurs, they share safety alerts with all staff, not only the people involved. "We have 100% confidence that our safety processes are being documented. Everyone has been trained to access and execute safety documentation and understands the impact of ISO compliance for all project stakeholders. This mandate and our on-the-spot audit capability by any project stakeholder have raised the bar on our culture and commitment to safety," said Clayton.

Increasing efficiencies within the business

Procore is a hit with Solgen’s client base who appreciate its one-stop-shop capabilities for all project-related information. Everything from issuing drawings and product submittals is easy to access. Clients can go on-site, identify a hazard, or create an observation, and receive consistent updates until the issue is rectified. "We have set up an operational KPI report that tracks main project delivery components like cycle times, engineering times and safety KPIs. For the Solgen team, this frees us up to focus more on the delivery of higher safety standards and better-quality projects," said Clayton. With the Solgen business classified as ‘critical works’ during COVID-19, most projects did not face lockdown issues. For Clayton, the extra benefit of Procore, which proved indispensable for continuing projects while Solgen project managers and engineers maintained oversight remotely. Procore’s ability to keep teams connected in real-time strengthened collaboration. "The challenges ahead for the construction sector are to be operationally ready to deal with economic recovery and an increase in workload and revenue. Procore has provided an opportunity to increase the efficiencies within our business and build more capabilities for the future," he said. Solgen is planning to extend the benefits of the Procore platform by adding the Correspondence management tool and reviewing integrated partners from the Procore marketplace. "It would be hard to manage a project without Procore now. This is everything project management software entails," Clayton concluded.