All interviews will be structured similarly: at the beginning we introduce the company. In the middle section we want to find out more about resource planning in the construction industry, and finally we ask a few questions about working with Vanillaplan.
Our new series begins with the firm Habisreutinger Gebäudehülle GmbH from Huttwil in the canton of Bern.
The firm Habisreutinger Gebäudehülle GmbH was founded in 2004 by Daniela and Bruno Habisreutinger. The company's success is based on specialising in various trades, such as the refurbishment or new construction of pitched and flat roofs, tinsmithing and sheet metal work as well as balcony coating.
The advantage of this specialisation in individual trades is that roof refurbishments, complex roofscapes or building envelopes can be created from a single source and to a high standard.
The benefit for the client and the architect is a shortened construction phase, fewer interfaces and careful advice and support for the project from just one contact person.
Daniela and Bruno Habisreutinger place great value on the further training and working culture of their more than thirty employees, so that quality and enjoyment of the work can always be maintained. All the employees together drew up a mission statement whose values they adhere to at work and in the business. The daily work with its challenges, the further training and numerous social occasions outside work as well weld the team together and increase quality as well as customer satisfaction. The path they have taken is paying off. In 2016 the Anliker farmhouse in Affoltern im Emmental received the Swiss and European Solar Prize; Habisreutinger Gebäudehülle GmbH was responsible for the roof covering with integrated solar modules.
Mr Habisreutinger: what was the highlight of the past year?
The year turned out much better than we first thought. Despite the pandemic there was a great deal of work, especially in the beautiful autumn. Because our work on the roof is very weather-dependent.
Where did you learn resource planning?
I learned the basics at the master craftsman school. But then on the job, through experience.
How did you learn deployment and capacity planning?
Above all «learning by doing» and, to a degree, you have to have a gift for it, thinking in combinations.
Is there also further training in this field?
No idea; I have not seen it offered anywhere, and I teach at the master craftsman school too.
How did you hear about Vanillaplan?
I often go to trade fairs in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. I had been looking for something like this and so went to the Swissbau Innovation Lab in 2020 and came across Vanillaplan's small stand there.
How did you do resource planning before Vanillaplan?
We did the planning in our heads, and also on a list on a wall. A project manager then created an Excel spreadsheet for it. None of these solutions were all that satisfactory. The Excel spreadsheet was also too inflexible and it would have taken a great deal of effort to make it flexible.
How did getting started with Vanillaplan go?
Getting started was relatively easy. We first tried the test version, planned a few projects in it and saw that it worked.
What were the challenges?
The challenge was preparing the data for all the more than a hundred ongoing projects for the first time. But to say it up front, the effort was worth it. A new project is easy to record, but the projects that were mid-way through at the time had to be prepared first.
Who is responsible for resource planning?
I am the super user, or overseer. All five of our project managers work with Vanillaplan and are responsible for their projects and for assigning their employees. Absences are entered by the office.
How are capacity and deployment planning organised in your business?
Every Friday all the project managers meet for the weekly discussion, at the moment via Teams because of coronavirus. Communication among ourselves really is very important.
When a project manager records a new project that will be carried out in two to three months, they immediately schedule their available employees, without regard to particular skills. Shortly before the project is carried out, a suitable employee is then swapped in as required.
By the weekly discussions, all the assignments for the next one to two weeks have already been dealt with bilaterally. Only individual additions or bottlenecks are still discussed.
Every morning, as super user, I check whether all employees are assigned and nobody is left over. The morning meetings, also because of coronavirus, no longer take place. At 07:00 all employees arrive at the business. Every employee knows where they are going, with whom and in which vehicle.
The employees see their assignments on the digital display board the day before. Two employees who are responsible for small jobs and are out and about a lot have the mobile app.
What do you like about Vanillaplan?
Vanillaplan has gone down very well with the project managers and employees.
What I like is that the long-term planning can easily be changed into short-term assignments. The flexibility, too. And the younger project managers can see better what they are doing, in contrast to before, when much of it was only in people's heads, and that has made assigning resources easier for them.
What is your benefit?
Deployment and capacity planning has become visible to everyone, including the office and the store.
The office can support the project managers promptly with organisational matters, such as making restaurant bookings because of coronavirus. The storekeeper has an overview of all vehicles and drivers and knows, if a fine comes in, who was driving.
Another advantage is planning certainty. The long-term planning meant that we took on jobs this autumn because we could see in Vanillaplan that we still had 10%-15% capacity in reserve. In other years we did not take on jobs because we only planned rudimentarily on the basis of turnover. Thanks to the fine weather and Vanillaplan we were able to achieve a higher turnover.
Many thanks for the interview, Mr Habisreutinger.
https://www.h-g.ch/dachsanierung-aus-einer-hand
In the new year we decided to restructure our series of interviews with Vanillaplan customers, so that you gain an interesting insight into everyday business with Vanillaplan.
