Direct tec case study (dell final)

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Electrical design firm powers up mobile solution with Dell products Mulvey + Banani adds a jolt of efficiency to its workflow by moving on-site inspection process from pencil and paper to Dell tablets

2 Mulvey + Banani knows quite a bit about recharging dated systems with new, more effective processes. The Calgarybased firm has built, updated, and modernized the power and lighting designs for hundreds of buildings and landmarks in Canada, including Centennial Towers, Bankers Court, and Calgary City Hall in the heart of downtown.

The only thing Mulvey + Banani hadn’t modernized in its 35year history was its own on-site electrical building inspection process. The company’s seven inspectors would go to a job site carting large 6 x 8 ft. pads of paper with printed drawings of the building’s electrical system to diligently conduct a physical survey.

Customer Profile Company Mulvey + Banani

International, Inc. Industry

Electrical design engineering

Country

Calgary Alberta, Canada

Website

mulvey-banani.com/

Business Need

When the field team was done with the inspection, they carried their handwritten notes back to the Mulvey + Banani offices where they manually entered modifications into the appropriate software application to share with engineers.

The process was not only time-consuming, but inefficient, frustrating, and prone to errors.

Mulvey + Banani needed to phase out its manual, paper-based building inspection process that was inefficient and unreliable. Inspectors in the field needed full-featured mobile technology and remote access to office applications to increase workflow productivity.

Mobile technology saves times by streamlining workflow

Solution

By 2014, Mulvey + Banani CEO Nick Halls knew he had to find a better way for his inspectors to operate. He tried first to digitize the inspection process using recommendations from his internal tech team and outside consultants. Mulvey + Banani tested a variety of mobile devices from leading technology vendors. When these solutions didn’t deliver the results the company needed, Halls tapped a referral. He reached out to Stacy Adams, president and CEO of Direct Tec, a Calgary-based strategic business IT support and management firm and respected Dell Channel Partner.

Adams met with Mulvey + Banani inspectors to determine the technology needed to do their building surveys more efficiently. “Mulvey + Banani had received a lot of technical recommendations from other resellers, but they were not aligned with the outcomes they wanted,” explains Adams.

“We took a different approach and tried to find out what they wanted to do and what technology would work best vs. just recommending that they buy a lot of computers.”

Direct Tec began mobilizing Mulvey + Banani’s workflow by providing on site inspectors with a Dell Venue tablet. The firm continued to use the Dell Venue tablet on a trial basis.

“Based on the configurations and accessories Dell offered, we did not feel the need to evaluate other solutions,” says Halls. One key reason he liked the Dell Venue 11 was because it allowed his engineers to have two external monitors connected to a single device.

Dell Partner, Direct Tec, delivered an effective mobile strategy using Dell Venue 11 Pro tablets running Windows 8.1, Microsoft Office, and engineering design software. With the Dell tablets, inspectors can modify drawings on site, remotely access data, and take photos with the integrated hi-res camera.

Benefits • Mobile tools increase accuracy by eliminating manual input • Faster building inspections • Inspectors can immediately share drawings with engineers at the office • More collaborative design environment • Paper usage and printing reduced by 60%

Solutions at a Glance Dell Venue 11 Pro tablets, mobile keyboards, stylus, dual monitors, docking stations, Microsoft Office 2013, Microsoft Windows 8.1

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During the trial period, Adams was optimistic that the inspectors would readily see the benefits of transitioning to a mobile solution.

“The engineers were frustrated with the old pencil and paper way of doing inspections,” says Adams. “One inspector told me, ‘I don’t want to do my job four times.’ So we knew we had to eliminate the paper and streamline the workflow in the field.”

Products & Services

Mobility and collaboration sparks innovation

Hardware

After a successful trial period, Mulvey + Banani purchased 13 Dell Venue Pro 11 tablets to use directly on-site. Direct Tec provided a tailored solution set with mobile keyboards, a stylus, dual monitors for office use, and docking stations for full office-to-job-site mobility. The inspectors also requested palm straps to help keep a solid handle on the Dell tablets when they took them into the construction environment.

Dell Venue 11 Pro tablets ----------------------------Mobile keyboards, stylus, battery backup for keyboard, dual monitors, docking stations

Mulvey + Banani chose the Dell Venue 11 Pro tablets for their ease of use and mobility functions. “The technology and Windows-based software they were using on the desktop had to work in the field,” says Adams. “The inspectors had to be productive right away on the tablet. If not, they wouldn’t adopt new technology.” Mulvey + Banani also had a lot of confidence in Dell, as they already relied on Dell network servers and workstations in their office.

The Dell Venue Pro tablets run Windows 8.1 and Microsoft Office along with specialized design software including Blue Beam PDF editing tools, AutoCAD, and Autodesk Revit.

Software Microsoft Office 2013 with 365 platform and licensing ----------------------------Microsoft Windows 8.1

Engineering Software Blue Beam, AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, 3D modeling, and custom apps for managing proposals and projects

Soon after purchasing the Dell Venue 11 Pro tablets, Mulvey + Banani began training inspectors with the new technology. The company also set up collaborative workspaces to encourage an efficient workflow between employees whether they were in the office or in the field. These spaces helped team members quickly and easily share files, so they could seamlessly modify electrical building designs and come up with innovative solutions.

“The collaboration stations with large monitors and the Dell desktops provide easy and open review and conversation around project problems,” says Halls. “These areas enable us to create a collaborative environment for problem resolution.” The workspaces solicit widespread involvement among coworkers, too. “It is not uncommon to see a designer pass another conversation and stop and offer unique insight from their prospective,” he adds.

Venue 11 Pro Tablet On-site productivity decreased inspection time

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Partner Spotlight Dell Channel Partner Venue 11 Pro Accessories Designed to make on-the-go efficiency easy and attainable Going mobile delivers strong ROI The move to mobile delivered an extremely strong ROI, as inspectors using the Dell tablets reduced the time to conduct building inspections and transfer the information onto the Mulvey + Banani network. “Our biggest savings is from not having to repeat work,” says Halls. “The frustration level of having to mark things on paper and then transfer to an electronic format back at the office has been decreased.”

The new processes are also easier on the environment and have decreased paper and printing costs for Mulvey + Banani. The company used to print hundreds of drawings for each building inspection but with their new mobility strategy, they have a reduced office printing by almost 60 percent.

The firm not only reduced inspection times and costs thanks to their Dell mobile solutions, but also set the foundation to remain competitive in the marketplace. “Mulvey + Banani is a progressivethinking organization that wants to adopt new technology. Now they are a leader in how they use mobile technology,” says Adams.

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Mulvey + Banani is a progressive-thinking organization that wants to adopt new technology. Now they are a leader in how they use mobile technology

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Stacy Adams, President and CEO, Direct Tec

Direct Tec

Dell Product Expertise Dell servers, tablets, workstations, desktops, and storage solutions equipped with Microsoft Windows Operating System

Supported Industries Direct Tec works with businesses who are looking to grow. Our clients recognize that they can use technology to improve and understand that a solid IT plan will ensure that they maximize their return on investment. Supported industries include: • Architecture, Engineering, Construction • Professional Services • Manufacturing

Contact Information Suite 202, 2816 11th Street NE Calgary, AB T2E 7S7 (403) 271-0882 contactus@directtec.ca

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