"Sitelife was a
stroke of luck."
Interview with Philipp Martin and Alicia Kraft from Lang Bau GmbH & Co. KG about their experiences with the new construction site software.
Alicia Kraft
Team Lead BIM Building Construction
Lang Bau GmbH & Co. KG
Alicia Kraft and Philipp Martin got to know Sitelife at the digitalBAU trade fair in Cologne in 2022 and were immediately impressed. The new construction site software has now been in use at the company for around a year - time for an interim review.
Philipp Martin
BIM-Coordinator
Lang Bau GmbH & Co. KG
Let's start at the beginning: What brought you to digitalBAU last year?
Philipp Martin: Everyone is talking about how the construction industry is changing. The requirements are increasing. Of course, we are also noticing this in our company. That's why we wanted to look around at digitalBAU for new solutions that could help us to position ourselves even better for the future.
What are the specific requirements?
Philipp Martin: Firstly, the projects themselves are becoming increasingly complex and customer requirements are growing. Then there is the high deadline pressure, rising prices and, especially in the last year, delivery bottlenecks and staff shortages. You have to juggle a lot of things to ensure that construction projects still run economically.
How did you become aware of Sitelife against this background?
Alicia Kraft: When it comes to efficiency, this is only possible if you have the construction site well under control from start to finish. And that's why we looked around for tools that can support us in this area. But we are not yet extremely digital when it comes to construction work. Simplicity was therefore very important to us. And the Sitelife construction site software was a stroke of luck because it is so simple to understand and so easy to use. It gives us this acceptance out on the construction site. You can't do without it!
And what added value does Sitelife offer there?
Philipp Martin: The foremen make intensive use of the photo documentation and automatic weather entries. That saves them a lot of time. They also have the option of working with the 3D model. The foreman can use the model to digitally record the construction progress. That's something we didn't have before and it helps us enormously.
How do you generally approach the topic of digitalisation at Lang Bau?
Alicia Kraft: As I said at the beginning, our focus in the entire Reif Group is naturally on digitalising ourselves for the future so that we can continue to handle our projects efficiently. But we don't want to radically digitalise ourselves in all areas - that would be too much and too fast - instead, we want to take small steps and see that we do that well. That's the only way it can work in the long term.
And how does Sitelife fit into this digitalisation strategy?
Philipp Martin: It's important that we don't ignore the day-to-day business. Because that's where the figures come to us. That's why we're taking a step-by-step approach to digitalisation, one use case at a time. This has proved successful so far. And Sitelife is one such use case. With the digital construction diary, we have successfully brought the first module to the construction site and paved the way, so to speak. From there, the journey continues.
"We want to position ourselves even more digitally for the future in order to continue handling our projects efficiently."
Realising construction projects in a contemporary way has always been an important credo of Lang Bau GmbH & Co. KG. The introduction of the Sitelife construction management software is a milestone for the Ettlingen-based company as it positions itself for the future "with sense and understanding".
Keyword "brought to the construction site": How did the introduction of Sitelife go?
Alicia Kraft: It went really well and, above all, it went really quickly. First of all, we presented the programme in general and then arranged appointments on site at the construction site. In some cases, we sat down with the people in the construction container and were always available to answer their questions during the day. But understanding then came automatically anyway, because Sitelife is really self-explanatory. That's why it was very well received right from the start.
The added value was quickly noticeable for the construction site team: construction documentation that is simple, fast and clean.
And what do your people outside say?
Philipp Martin: The feedback from the construction site has been consistently positive. Many foremen have been waiting to do the construction process digitally anyway. In this respect, it was really very welcome. And the time it saves is particularly well received.
"The feedback from the construction site is consistently positive"
You want to expand the use of Sitelife, and the Doka team is supporting you. How is the collaboration going and where is the journey heading?
Alicia Kraft: The collaboration is definitely great. I would say it works perfectly.
You could see that the other day at the joint workshop. And yes, it was about how the tool can be further developed for us. For example, with planning and analyses, target/actual comparisons, etc. This is something that will be addressed in the near future. We are already very excited about that.
We will ask our colleague about the status of things right away. Thank you very much for the nice conversation!
...and this is what Jürgen Kaindl says
From the Sitelife team
As Sales Manager DACH - Digital Services, Jürgen Kaindl and his team have been supporting Lang Bau GmbH & Co. KG from day one with the implementation of the Sitelife construction site software. Following the successful introduction at the company, the cooperation is now entering its second phase.
Jürgen, you and your team not only supported the customer Lang Bau with the introduction of Sitelife, but also brought them on board for its further development. Why did you do that?
Jürgen Kaindl: Because we always develop our solutions for our customers, who of course know best what they need and what a tool needs to be able to do in order to be useful. It doesn't help if we as developers come up with something that works in theory but still fails to meet real needs. And these needs also change over time. That's why it's important for us to involve our customers in further development.
What are these needs that you worked out together in the workshop?
Jürgen Kaindl: We put together a lot of interesting ideas, which was really very productive. One point was how the data that is entered into the system for documentation purposes can then be used even more effectively. In other words, the analysis area. We already have a lot of analyses here that make it easier for those involved in the construction to gain an overview of the project, and we will look at where there is still potential in time management on the construction site. We will also continue to develop the existing links with the 3D model, as this will become increasingly important. Lang Bau is an ideal sparring partner here, as they already work a lot with this method.
What do you mean by sparring partner?
Jürgen Kaindl: What I mean by this is that we meet as equals, on the same level. We (i.e. Lang Bau and Doka / CONTAKT) are both professionals in our respective fields, and when we incorporate our expertise, experience and challenges into the software, both sides benefit in the end. So it's a win-win.
A great final word. Thank you, Jürgen, and in terms of Sitelife: Keep us updated!
Sitelife is a joint development of b.i.m.m GmbH and Umdasch Group Ventures GmbH.
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