With regional roots in Wissen, the Rhinelander decided to train at medium-sized KLEUSBERG in 2009. The rest is history: In 2012, she switched to project purchasing and still enjoys the variety of tasks in her job today. As a female, she says she has never felt outnumbered or disadvantaged.
Not only in terms of equality does the traditional company act progressively - constant process optimisation carries a lot of weight. That is why the project purchasing department decided to streamline the offer request process with 12Build back in 2017. Together with Julia Wiechoczek we look back, compare the before and after and cast our gaze into the future.
Thanks to her years of experience, Julia Wiechoczek remembers the processes before 12Build well, but not fondly: "Before 12Build, we wrote an email and sent it out to the subcontractors one by one. If 30 subcontractors were requested, 30 emails had to be sent." Inboxes were overflowing due to the flood of messages. In addition, there was an unmanageable amount of project-related data.
Changes in the service specifications were a painpoint in the process. "When something changed, we had to start looking for the needle in the haystack. We needed to check who had received which version and individually inform each recipient about the changes via e-mail," the purchaser remembers.
Bottom line: Requesting the right subcontractors without the digital support of a software tool was a massive time drain. ”Picking out the right contacts, composing the individual messages and uploading all relevant attachments used to take 1-2 hours and up to half a day for complicated projects before 12Build."
With the switch to 12Build, everything became much easier. Instead of 30 separate e-mails, all it takes now is a few clicks: "We upload the documents once, then look for the right subcontractors and write a singular cover letter - with one click, all subcontractors are requested.”
Changes in the service specifications can now be communicated quickly and specifically: “We upload the new files and attach them to the offer directly in 12Build. The 12Build platform allows us to send the update exclusively to relevant subcontractors: those who already have submitted a bid or those who have signalled they will. Just as with the offer request itself, everything is handled with a single click.
With 12Build, updates are documented and everything becomes very transparent." Open and clear communication with subcontractors prevents misunderstandings, disagreements and even discord between project participants.
“Now we can complete uncomplicated standard requests in fifteen minutes, and complicated ones take no longer than half an hour or an hour at the most. The time savings are enormous.”
When a process becomes faster, simpler and clearer, the time saved can be put into strategic considerations and project quality. KLEUSBERG, for example, cleverly uses the optimised process to expand its own network.
Just like any other company in the industry, KLEUSBERG too heavily depends on its reliable network of subcontractors and suppliers to be successful. Constantly expanding the existing network and establishing new connections is key to rolling with the punches and flexibly reacting to unforeseen circumstances.
“90% of our known subcontractors were already represented in 12Build’s database. Having said that, we consciously look for new subcontractors in the system as well”, the purchaser confirms.
That's why Ms. Wiechoczek appreciates the filter function of our platform: By entering a keyword or a specialisation, the matching subcontractors are displayed immediately.
In particular, simultaneously setting different criteria speeds up the search: “I can specify various criteria at the same time, but also use them flexibly. For example: I can change the radius of the distance from company location to the construction project in order to generate more hits," explains Wiechoczek.
Not only does 12Build optimise communication with subcontractors, but also internal collaboration. Project managers can now get an overview at any time. Teams can easily coordinate projects between departments and employees.
“Internally, it helps us a lot to be able to see who is currently working on what. For example, if a colleague from purchasing is unavailable at short notice, we can see at a glance which requests have been sent, find out what still needs to be done and decide how to redistribute the work," explains the purchasing expert.
Currently KLEUSBERG is particularly benefiting from this ability to communicate asynchronously, digitally and transparently: When the COVID crisis hit, the switch to home office was easy and regular tasks could continue seamlessly thanks to digital systems, says Julia Wiechoczek.
The construction industry is designed for constant change. Does the current crisis raise unforeseen paradigm shifts? According to Julia Wiechoczek, KLEUSBERG was able to respond quickly to the onset of the crisis thanks to well-digitised processes. Employees’ work could immediately be transferred home and daily business continued almost seamlessly.
KLEUSBERG’s agility during unforeseen circumstances might just be the reason for Julia Wiechoczek’s optimistic outlook when it comes to the future of the world of construction: "I think there will definitely be certain standards that have to be covered. In addition, the focus will move away from open-plan offices that were in high demand before. At the moment, schools and kindergartens are very much on the rise as far as construction projects are concerned. Just now I had a colleague on the phone whose client first wanted to commission an open-plan office, but then ultimately decided in favor of partitions. We just don't know what's coming at the moment."
Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain: good communication, transparent data management and smoothly functioning processes are always in demand. Only with sensible digitization can we tackle the "new normal", react quickly enough to unforeseen events and make necessary course corrections.
Julia Wiechoczek
Buyer at KLEUSBERG