Raspal Oy transforms home construction with congrid
Lappeenranta-based Raspal Oy has been experiencing rapid growth despite the unique challenges in the construction market. The company specializes in building and renovating homes, utilizing Congrid to streamline project planning and execution. Production Engineer Alvari Einola shares insights on how Congrid enhances their workflow efficiency.
Building Homes with Customer Needs at the Forefront
Operating in the Lappeenranta, Lahti, and Tampere regions, Raspal Oy delivers a variety of new construction and renovation projects centered on people’s needs. Their typical projects include residential buildings and commercial spaces.
Alvari Einola, a production engineer working in the Tampere area, handles tasks related to site planning, safety, and quality control weekly. Raspal Oy thrives in competitive bidding contracts, focusing on creating efficient spaces tailored to customer requirements.
We undertake many competitive bidding projects, which strongly determine the nature of our job sites at any given time. We have done quite a few service and commercial space contracts, where the spaces are built for people’s use. I believe that one can succeed in competitive bidding projects by planning the construction work efficiently and by precisely meeting the customer’s needs,” says Einola.
Einola first encountered Congrid during his studies in the 2010s, where the use of mobile apps for quality checks and safety measurements was introduced. He found Congrid user-friendly, requiring minimal learning effort, even during his internships.
Using a smartphone for construction work seemed like a logical idea to me. During the internships included in my studies, I noticed that Congrid was easy to use and required very little learning on my part,” Einola recalls.
Comparing past and current industry practices, Einola notes significant time savings with Congrid.
I remember doing a final inspection of a site’s post-cleanup. It took 30 minutes to inspect one floor and another 30 minutes to prepare the report. With Congrid, the report preparation is eliminated, cutting the work time in half. Supervision and reporting are efficient when actions can be tracked on a phone. In the past, a lot of effective working time in the construction industry was spent on making reports,” Einola reflects on the change
Raspal emphasizes that digital tools should offer tangible business benefits. They adopt software that enhances their work efficiency and is actively used by the team.
We believe that all digital tools should start from our needs. We acquire software that somehow improves our workflow and will actually be used,” Einola summarizes Raspal’s expectations for new digital tools.
Enhancing project flow and autonomy
Raspal utilized Congrid in a student housing renovation project in Tampere, initiated as a turnkey service. The project was quickly set up in the software using client-provided blueprints and materials. Congrid’s customizable quality matrix allowed Raspal to integrate their processes seamlessly.
In this project, we created environments from the client-provided floor plans and materials, which allowed the project to be quickly set up in the software. Our quality matrix includes preset options, but it is also customizable for individual clients and their projects. This way, we can flexibly incorporate the company’s own processes into the workflow,” explains Juho Anttila, Raspal Oy’s contact person on the Congrid team.
The software’s error and deficiency list features, along with tailored reporting filters, provided Raspal Oy with precise and useful reporting capabilities. Pre-planning and task management became straightforward, reducing the need for on-site adjustments.
We were able to pre-create and plan a well-functioning setup for us. We haven’t needed to adjust any settings as the project progressed. Everything has been easy from the start, and preparations for the upcoming new site are already underway,” Einola describes the smooth collaboration.
In renovation projects, unforeseen tasks often arise. Congrid’s task lists enable pre-emptive planning and clear documentation, ensuring smooth execution.
The management can conduct a preliminary assessment of the task’s scope and mark everything that needs fixing. For example, at this site, we had windows that were not part of the contract but needed repair. The manager documented the condition of the windows needing repair in Congrid, so the repairman knew the required quality of the upcoming work,” Einola explains with a practical example.
According to Juho Anttila, responsibility issues are clearer in renovation projects because Congrid allows for verification and identification of changes made by other contractors during the new renovation project or in the building’s history. Raspal Oy’s Einola highlights that one important aspect of project management is the ability for construction companies to increase the self-direction of work.
We are able to create clear task packages. Necessary preparations can be done calmly, and information can be easily shared. The tasks are clear, and there are fewer uncertainties. When the work is done carefully, no one needs to make separate calls to verify status. This reduces the burden of management,” Einola concludes.