Maestro Technologies - Intelligent management software for the construction industry.

Making the right moves to manage growth

Victoriaville, Québec, Canada Read short version

Founded in May 1987, Plombaction is a Canadian general contracting company, which specifically provides building services. The company’s expertise includes air conditioning, refrigeration, ventilation, heating, plumbing, process mechanics and industrial piping. Over the years Plombaction has used its ingenuity to flourish and become a leader in its field in the Canadian market. Dynamic and innovative, Plombaction is equipped with a quality control program that uses the ISO 9001: 2000 standards as a frame of reference. Plombaction has been using maestro* in a multi-company context since 2003.

Roger Courtois, director of operations, and Marie-Ève Hermkens give us some examples of their experience with maestro*.

Can you describe to us the growth process of the company?

R.C.: Plombaction was founded by three shareholders in 1987. The company grew progressively and, after five years, it began to custom machine piping and to manufacture components for building site facilities. The prefabrication of piping allowed us to save a great deal of time at job sites. At our facilities, we manufacture our products under ideal conditions. Because of our expertise, our sales figures now exceed 30 million dollars and we specialize in state-of-the-art technologies.

Notably, Plombaction has worked on power plants, hospitals, universities and many large building sites. We employ specialists in air-conditioning, heating and piping, and recently we have begun to work with and install new technologies such as solar energy panels and geothermal energy systems. Plombaction is a very dynamic company and we are always expanding. In the beginning, for our accounting needs, we used an in-house computer system. However, we made the decision to use maestro* because our system was old-fashioned and we were not “live”. We had to wait until the end of the month for the data to be compiled – we couldn’t have the data in real-time. In 2003, we decided to install a system, which could systematically compile all of our data on a daily basis. We wanted an up-to-date system. This is why we integrated maestro*. In the beginning it was difficult at times, but we achieved a result that is quite satisfactory. I would never take this system away from my internal staff. Maestro* saves us an enormous amount of time.

In the beginning, all of our companies had independent accounting systems. Maestro* has allowed us to eliminate this. Our goal was to connect all of the information from all of the sectors of our different companies. We have just made the last link – our tools. We now have a single accounting center that does billing, as well as accounts payable, for all of our companies. There is also a system for inventory and buying. All of the companies are able to access it. That’s the beauty of the system. It’s true that there are still adjustments to be made, and with each version change, the employees must adapt. However, we will never go back. Maestro* is used throughout the company. A company that is growing as quickly as ours is cannot allow itself to stagnate; we are continually advancing and at times it is our employees who ask for a new version, like the control panel that allows us to view and interpret results more easily, giving us a quick overview of the company. The president can easily use it and we don’t need to keep going to the accounting department each time we wish to produce a report. Additionally, if there is a problem, we see it quickly and easily.

How many people use maestro* on a daily basis?

M-È H.: We have thirty people that can use it, 25 of whom use it full-time.

We have also evolved. We have hired a person who is solely responsible for the system, its development, implementation as well as training our personnel in its use. This year, our objective is to teach people how to use maestro* even better – there are still some employees who use only a few of its functions that they learned in the beginning. We want them to use maestro* to its full potential. For example, there are reports that people should be using to improve their work and become more efficient. We now also have a full-time computer technician who also works on maintenance and prevention. We have new systems, including a GPS system to keep track of our trucks. With the new maestro* control panel, it’s even better: we see the trends at a glance and can react more quickly.

Have you met any resistance to the implementation of the new system?

R.C.: From time to time we have had to make changes to the team. In the beginning, we were rather behind the times. However, in 2003, we started to codify the inventory. Construction is a field in which tools have all sorts of different names, often in English, and it is one in which people don’t much use computers on a daily basis. We started by cataloguing our inventory in French and we also made a lexicon. This was the first step. It was essential because we had over 42,000 items in inventory! We catalogued these items in a way that was intelligent and easy to interpret. Now, each time we have a new product, it is automatically placed where it belongs. Searches are now easier, and our foremen adore the new system. Now, errors are at a minimum and everyone appreciates it.

Once through the adaptation period, what are the principal advantages that you have identified?

R.C.: In the construction business, each lost day corresponds with enormous amounts of money. If there is an unprofitable day on the job site, we must be able to know about it quickly and to react at once. Maestro* gives us this information. Now we are much more proactive. We can see problems right away and correct them. We can track each truck on each trip and include this information in our billing. We are demanding, but it’s the only way to work with clients like Hydro Quebec, who are very demanding themselves and require rigorous follow-up. We also do periodic inventories. With a monthly follow-up, it’s much easier to track problems and correct them. Maestro* allows us to save histories and track problems.

Has the implementation of maestro* had an impact on the mindset of the team?

R.C.: The foremen have become used to working with the software and cataloguing inventory. They themselves asked us to implement the same system for tools because it is so much more clear and easy. Each module that the company has developed over the past several years has proved itself. The employees have also begun using the system and have realized that it makes their work easier. Now we have very few inventory errors. The system helps us to maintain our tools impeccably with each use. Accuracy is essential because, on each job site, any mistake is extremely costly. We must always move forward and improve, while supporting the employees during the changes. It is also essential that the administration believes in the system and fully supports the process – as in the case of our president.

Does your system allow you to better evaluate your budgets?

R.C.: Indeed, enormously. Since we have been performing periodic evaluations we are able to determine if our budget has been respected – or even improved! Then, when the project is finished, we no longer need to guess what happened in the prior month because we now have monthly reports of our hourly costs. If something was forgotten somewhere, I can see it because all of my equipment and tools are listed in my project report. This makes everyone more aware.

M-È H.: At this point, the system has become so precious that we don’t want to be without it even for an hour!

Do you have anything to add?

R.C.: The people of Maestro are our external team. We count on them. It’s like a business partnership. We are satisfied with our system and the way it works. We are quite demanding and we count on constant technical support. This is why we have chosen a partner that we can trust and one that won’t close its doors in a year. With Maestro, we know that we can go far. We can measure our performance and that is very important in the business world. We only need the tools to help us make decisions. Information is essential. With information, we can not only become, but also remain a leader in one’s industry.