All interviews will follow a similar structure: we start by introducing the company. In the middle section we want to learn more about resource planning in the construction industry, and finally we ask a few questions about working with Vanillaplan.
Our new series opens with Habisreutinger Gebäudehülle GmbH from Huttwil in the canton of Bern.
Habisreutinger Gebäudehülle GmbH – the company
From the founding to specialisation
Habisreutinger Gebäudehülle GmbH was founded in 2004 by Daniela and Bruno Habisreutinger. The company's success is based on specialising in several trades, such as the renovation or new construction of pitched and flat roofs, tinsmith and sheet-metal work, and balcony coatings.
Several trades from a single source
The advantage of this specialisation in individual trades is that roof renovations, complex roofscapes or building envelopes can be delivered from a single source and in high quality. For the client and architect, this means a shorter construction phase, fewer interfaces and careful advice and support for the project from just one contact person.
Further training and working culture
Daniela and Bruno Habisreutinger attach great importance to the further training and working culture of their more than thirty employees, so that quality and enjoyment of the work always remain high. All employees have jointly drawn up a mission statement whose values they adhere to at work and in the company. The daily work with its challenges, the further training and the many social events outside work weld the team together and increase quality as well as customer satisfaction.
And the chosen path is paying off: in 2016 the Anliker farmhouse in Affoltern im Emmental received the Swiss and the European Solar Prize; Habisreutinger Gebäudehülle GmbH was responsible for the roof covering with integrated solar modules.
Interview with Bruno Habisreutinger
Mr Habisreutinger, what was the highlight of the past year?
The year turned out much better than we initially thought. Despite the pandemic there was a great deal of work, especially during the fine autumn. Our work on the roof is very weather-dependent.
Where did you learn resource planning?
I learned the basics at master craftsman school. But after that, through experience on the job.
How did you learn deployment and capacity planning?
Mainly by learning by doing, and to some extent you have to have it in you: thinking in combinations.
Is there further training in this field too?
No idea, I have never seen it offered anywhere, and I also teach at the master craftsman school.
How did you hear about Vanillaplan?
I often go to trade fairs in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. I was looking for something like this, which is why I went to the Swissbau Innovation Lab in 2020, where I came across Vanillaplan's small stand.
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 was really satisfactory. The Excel spreadsheet was not flexible enough either, 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 trial version, planned a few projects in it and saw that it works.
What were the challenges?
The challenge was the initial preparation of the data for all of the more than one hundred ongoing projects. But to say it up front: the effort was worth it. A new project is easy to enter, but the projects that were in progress at the time had to be prepared first.
Who is responsible for resource planning?
I am the super user, or supervisor. 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?
All project managers meet every Friday for the weekly meeting, currently via Teams because of coronavirus. Communication between us is really very important.
When a project manager enters a new project that will be carried out in two or three months, he immediately assigns his available employees, without considering special skills. Shortly before the project is carried out, a suitable employee is then swapped in as required.
By the weekly meetings, all assignments for the next one to two weeks have already been settled bilaterally. Only individual additions or bottlenecks are still discussed.
Every morning, as super user, I check that all employees are assigned and nobody is left over. The morning meetings no longer take place, partly because of coronavirus. At 7:00 all employees arrive at the company. Every employee knows where they are going, with whom and in which vehicle.
Employees see their assignments on the digital display board the day before. Two employees who are responsible for small orders and are on the road a lot have the mobile app.
What do you like about Vanillaplan?
Vanillaplan has been very well received by the project managers and employees.
I like that long-term planning can easily be turned into short-term assignments. The flexibility too. And the younger project managers can see better what they are doing, unlike before, when a lot was only in people's heads, so allocating resources has become easier for them.
What is your benefit?
Deployment and capacity planning has become visible to everyone, including in the office and the warehouse.
The office can promptly give the project managers additional organisational support, for example by making restaurant reservations because of coronavirus. The warehouse manager has an overview of all vehicles and drivers and knows, if a fine ever arrives, who was driving.
Another advantage is planning certainty. Long-term planning allowed us to accept orders this autumn, because we could see in Vanillaplan that we still had 10 to 15 percent spare capacity. In other years we turned orders down because we only planned roughly 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.
