Contractor’s use of full suite of HCSS products over last 20 years has helped them fully invest in future technology.
By Krysten Powers
Achen-Gardner knows exactly how important technology is to their business.
The Arizona-based heavy civil general contractor, which specializes in wet utility, roadway, and highway construction, has fully invested in the future by turning to HCSS software to manage nearly every aspect of the business for the past 20 years.
Achen-Gardner started with HCSS HeavyBid to streamline estimating and manage bid day. They followed that up with HeavyJob, the natural next step in job management software.
“HCSS products have certainly created a lot better efficiency,” Vice President and General Manager Kevin Nunez said. “HeavyBid was easy to implement because we had estimators who were already computer savvy. Once we got past the little challenges in implementing the other products, it just opened up a whole new reality as far as what you can do and how quick you can see it.”
Achen-Gardner also implemented Equipment360 to help the shop stay on track of maintenance, and HCSS Dispatcher helps Field Operations Manager John Broderick manage fleet and crew locations.
“I schedule all the crews and equipment needs, and our equipment manager fills those needs,” Broderick said. “I manage all the crews and move them around in HCSS Dispatcher so ownership can see who is where on any given day.”
Broderick said he ditched the notepads, whiteboard, and magnets he had previously used to keep track of crews and equipment. HCSS Dispatcher’s similar features made it easy to quickly learn and understand the software.
“It’s a big timesaver,” Broderick said. “All my grading crews and underground crews are color-coded.”
Achen-Gardner also implemented FuelerPlus, HCSS Safety and HCSS Telematics.
Nunez said the safety management software, which integrates with HeavyJob, felt like the natural next step.
He said they’ve also been converting all their old third-party GPS equipment to HCSS’s hardware and software because it integrates with HeavyJob, HCSS Dispatcher, Equipment360, and FuelerPlus.
“We’ve had GPS in our fleet for a long time,” he said. “With new regulations that came out, we had to switch the modules out anyway. So we just decided to go ahead and fully integrated into the HCSS system.”
In two decades of riding the cutting edge of construction technology, Achen-Gardner has had a few road bumps, mainly getting everyone comfortable with using computers. Before HeavyBid and HeavyJob, project and activity requirements were tracked on paper, and time cards were handwritten and turned in to the office.
“Now we can keep all that information in one area and not have to find something two years later by digging through files,” Broderick said. “The process has just been streamlined—the administrative time, the correctness, and the oversight. We see ourselves getting more accurate and timely reporting on utilization and costs.”
ACHEN-GARDNER OVERVIEW:
• Uses HeavyBid, HeavyJob, Equipment360, HCSS Dispatcher, FuelerPlus, HCSS Safety, and HCSS Telematics products
• Arizona-based heavy civil general contractor
• Specializes in wet utility, roadway, and highway construction
HOW HCSS SOFTWARE HELPED:
• HeavyBid treamlines estimating and manages bid day
• HeavyJob tracks crew and job production
• Equipment360 helps stay on track of maintenance
• HCSS Dispatcher shows where crews and equipment are at any given time
• HCSS Telematics integrates with HeavyJob, Equipment360, HCSS Dispatcher, and FuelerPlus
• HCSS Safety allows for easy communication and reporting
RESULT:
• All information kept up-to-date in one location
• Streamlined operations in field and office
• More accurate and timely reporting on utilization and costs
“The process has just been streamlined. We see ourselves getting more accurate and timely reporting on utilization and costs.”
Manage Your Operations from Bid to Completion.
Since 1986, HCSS has been the gold standard in construction software for the heavy, highway, and utility construction industries. HeavyBid estimating software boasts 50,000 daily users bidding everything from small projects to the largest, most complex joint ventures in North America. Bid more work in less time, reduce data entry, and reduce risk with HeavyBid.
HeavyJob time card and job reporting software allows you to increase efficiency, productivity, and profit while reducing unexpected issues by analyzing daily job costs and comparing production rates so you can make real-time changes.
Equipment360 and FuelerPlus help you automate your shop, plan preventative maintenance, and monitor fuel usage and costs. HCSS Dispastcher scheduling software helps you track equipment, trucks, employees, tools, and inventory so you can reduce waste and manage your resources efficiently. And HCSS Telematics integrates with your other HCSS equipment software to track location, run time, speed, mileage, and more so you can run your fleet more efficiently and improve profits.
Analyze risk across multiple jobs and crews, organize records and paperwork, stay up to date on regulations, report incidents and near misses, and track employee skills and certifications using HCSS Safety.
HCSS: Innovative, high-quality software and 24-7 instant customer support.