Construction and Engineering

Two engineers in safety gear reviewing data on a laptop in an industrial setting.

Transform Your Engineering Workflows with Smart Information Management

Seamlessly manage CAD files, technical drawings, specifications, and project documents with precision and efficiency using effective document management solutions that enhance engineering workflows and streamline project information management.

Woman multitasking with phone and notes, surrounded by project management interface elements.

Project Information Management

Deliver projects on time, on budget, and at high quality with document management solutions that enhance knowledge work automation. Organize project information management for stakeholder needs, automate engineering workflows, track progress, and boost engagement with accurate project data access.

Use-Case Feature: HEB Construction

About

HEB Construction, a leading civil construction company in New Zealand, manages major infrastructure projects across diverse settings. With a field-based workforce and heavy compliance requirements, the company faced challenges with time-consuming and error-prone paperwork. However, since adopting M-Files, HEB has implemented effective document management solutions that have cut costs, streamlined engineering workflows, automated processes, and enhanced both employee experience and customer service through improved project information management.

Construction Engineering Management

Large Document Sets

HEB Construction, employing 1,200 field workers across New Zealand, relies on comprehensive documentation for quality control, particularly within their engineering workflows. Prior to implementing M-Files, their files were scattered across various platforms such as OneDrive, SharePoint, and Outlook. This dispersion led to version issues, duplication, and challenges in locating documents, especially during litigation. Their previous paper-based processes were not only time-consuming and error-prone but also susceptible to weather damage on-site. By utilizing M-Files as a document management solution, HEB centralized and streamlined project information management, effectively resolving these challenges.

Administrative Times

Large projects and joint ventures often require more extensive document management solutions than smaller projects. At the end of the project, all the documentation generated across different teams and sites must be collated, which is crucial for effective project information management. Depending on the size of the project, this process can take months due to the complexity of engineering workflows.

Travel times

HEB Construction’s projects often require daily documentation, especially for road-surfacing jobs that involve effective traffic management. Before implementing document management solutions, engineers had to drive to the office to collect and return physical documents, resulting in a time-consuming and inefficient process for their engineering workflows. Now, with improved project information management, this process has become much more streamlined.

Compliance

Government projects involve additional complexity due to the formalized communication between engineers, stakeholders, and government bodies. Effective document management solutions are essential, as correspondence must be tracked, numbered, and cross-referenced. This adds to the already sizable document sets that need to be stored, referenced, and archived, all of which are critical for efficient engineering workflows and robust project information management.

The M-Files Solution

M-Files partner Manux developed a proof of concept to digitize and automate project quality plan packs, which enhanced project information management by allowing engineers to directly access data on-site without needing to collect paperwork from the office. This innovation saved engineers significant time, particularly during early mornings and late afternoons, and eliminated unnecessary travel, resulting in HEB Construction saving $80,000 annually.

HEB later expanded M-Files document management solutions across the business to improve workflows and streamline processes. Tony Cooke emphasized that the success of digital transformation relies on how effectively teams utilize the available tools. The solution offers a single source of truth, automating status updates, reminders, and due dates, while ensuring compliance and easy discoverability.

Digitized image solutions

Photographs are crucial for compliance in construction projects, but before implementing document management solutions like M-Files, images were scattered across various platforms, leading to versioning issues and a lack of central tracking. Engineers would upload photos to Google Photos and then share them on OneDrive, creating multiple versions without a single source of truth. M-Files centralizes images, automatically tagging them with relevant project metadata, and tracks who viewed, shared, and accessed each image, enhancing engineering workflows. Additionally, Manux improved this process by extracting EXIF data, including GPS coordinates, which allows photos to be mapped and pinpointed in real time, further supporting efficient project information management.

Streamlined processes

M-Files has transformed how HEB Construction manages project information and tracks employees across multiple sites. Previously, site supervisors relied on paper logs to monitor sign-ins, which were often damaged or incomplete. With M-Files, all employees, from remote site supervisors to engineers, utilize the same document management solutions to input and access project data uniformly. The system is intuitive, enabling anyone to log in from any device, anywhere in New Zealand. Furthermore, M-Files integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Power BI, providing real-time insights into engineering workflows for both daily operations and long-term strategic decisions.

The Result?

M-Files provides HEB Construction with a comprehensive 360-degree view into their business. All project information management, including data and documents associated with each project, is organized and tagged, ensuring there is one point of reference for the entire project.

Information is captured closer to the event that generates it, resulting in significantly greater accuracy. With real-time data and integrated application programming interfaces that utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning, employees are empowered to make better decisions.

All documentation is captured, stored, and processed within a single platform, ensuring that documents are discoverable, defensible, and comply with regulatory conditions—a crucial factor in case of litigation. M-Files also streamlines engineering workflows by reducing the number of people, platforms, systems, and processes that employees must navigate, resulting in substantial savings in both time and revenue.