Streamlining onsite construction processes and reducing paper usage with Nutrient
Use case
The customer sought to eliminate paper-based blueprint management and enable seamless digital access for construction teams in the field.
Challenge
- Uncertainty in document security: Relying on paper at job sites increased the risk of lost or damaged blueprints, adding unnecessary operational costs.
Solutions
- Seamless offline functionality: Nutrient enabled teams to access, annotate, and save PDF blueprints without an internet connection, ensuring continuous productivity.
- Standardized digital workflows: The ability to customize the software allowed supervisors to implement a consistent, site-independent process across all projects.
- Improved document reliability: By digitizing blueprints, Nutrient reduced the risk of loss while streamlining access and collaboration.
Results
- Improved accessibility: Field teams can now retrieve and annotate blueprints instantly, regardless of internet connectivity.
- Operational efficiency: Standardized workflows have reduced inefficiencies, allowing supervisors to manage multiple sites with greater ease.
- Reduced costs: Moving away from paper-based documentation has cut printing expenses and minimized the risk of lost documents.
In the construction industry, accuracy and efficiency are essential to keeping projects on track. For one logging and processing company, managing blueprints and documents onsite was a cumbersome process. Paper-based documentation was still the norm, with blueprints shared via fax or physical copies. This created inefficiencies, increased costs, and introduced the risk of losing critical documents.
Inefficient paper-based processes
Without a digital platform, teams had to rely on physical blueprints at job sites. Whenever changes were needed, hard copies had to be updated and redistributed, and the resulting delays placed an extra burden on both field workers and customers. Eventually, the company recognized the need for a digital solution to streamline document management and improve onsite coordination.
Our customer faced unique challenges, including the fact that “there are sometimes places on construction sites where there is no signal, so we had to consider cases where the app would have to be used offline.” Without an app that could be used offline, different work processes were required, depending on the available reception. This placed additional pressure on onsite workers and customers in terms of how they operated.
Additionally, site supervisors are required to simultaneously manage multiple sites, making it difficult for them to switch between projects if the app didn’t let them edit online and offline. According to our customer, “the goal is to efficiently digitize drawings that can be viewed and added to onsite and to confirm them with customers, thereby reducing the use of paper onsite.” In light of the factors the company encountered, it actively searched for a resolution that would encompass all of these issues.
Implementing the right solution
During the early stages of developing a new application, the customer was introduced to Nutrient by a vendor specializing in drawing-viewing software. Nutrient stood out because of its ability to address the company’s core challenges, particularly by enabling functionality for teams working offline in remote locations. “It’s great that this solution allows field workers to easily carry out their work anywhere,” the customer shared. Nutrient’s smooth annotation tools allow users to mark up documents directly within the platform, reducing the need for paper-based edits. Additionally, Nutrient provided the company the ability to customize the solution to fit its unique construction workflows.
Accessibility
Field workers can now access and annotate blueprints anywhere, reducing reliance on paper.
Consistency
A standardized digital workflow ensures supervisors manage multiple sites more efficiently.
Cost savings
The move toward digital documentation helps offset printing expenses and document loss risks.
Looking ahead
As the logging and processing company refines its digital strategy, it’s prioritizing the improvement of performance and usability. Currently, the company is making the switch from iOS to a progressive web app (PWA), as it believes this is a critical step toward a more flexible and efficient workflow. Upcoming enhancements will focus on increasing application speed and ensuring seamless functionality on all devices.
With digital tools now at the core of its operations, this customer is confident in its ability to drive further efficiencies and stay ahead of industry demands. Nutrient remains a key partner in this journey, providing support to ensure the customer’s solution evolves with the growing market needs.
