Consti wins "Pipe Repair/Line Renovation of the Year" award with GBuilder

And the winner is…

The winner of the Pipe Repair/Line Renovation of the Year competition aimed at housing companies was announced in connection with the Finnbuild trade fair on October 5, 2022.

The main theme of the competition was orientation towards the future. In particular, its visibility in the entire line renovation process. In addition, the evaluation emphasized the life cycle economy, the benefits achieved by the customer, the success of the renovation, cooperation, and information, as well as the improvement of energy efficiency and cyber security.‍

‍Consti’s ”As Oy Puotilantie 8” extensive pipeline renovation project, was awarded as the winner.
As GBuilder was proud to be part of this project, we wanted to congratulate Consti, and go back and look on how it all came together, and how successful digitalisation and cooperation has helped Consti to become the most successful (and now “award winning”) renovation company in Finland.

First: the challenge

There is a schedule to keep

"We needed a platform with which we can smoothly guide the customers' material choices, and a proper communication channel between the various stakeholders. Our own system came to an end and a replacement was needed. We got to know different service providers and, of course, compared them a lot, because if this kind of integration with another platform doesn't work properly right from the start, only more problems will arise."

Kati Viinikka, Service Engineer, Consti Oyj

A pipeline renovation is the most expensive and longest renovation project during the life cycle of an apartment building.  In addition to the water pipelines and sewers, surfaces and waterproofing in bathrooms are usually renovated as well. In a project as big and complicated as this, it is crucial that all is done exactly right from the planning phase up until the handover and warranty period.

There is a resident in stress

Scheduled construction, especially when the residents are trying to live their lives in the middle of it all, is very challenging. It’s their homes that are being renovated, and a large part of their assets are tied to those homes.
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A close contact with the residents is prerequisites for the customer's success, and success of the project in general. To achieve this, you need better communication channel than just bulk emails and notes on the housing association's notice board.

There is the danger of fragmented information

Success in renovation (and especially in pipeline renovation, it being the hardest of them all) often depends on very small things, and even the smallest mistakes accumulate towards the end. Everyone needs to cooperate seamlessly, and everything needs to tick on time like a Swiss clock.

There are many parties involved in the pipeline renovation, and every resident needs to be involved in a process as well. Cooperation between all the stakeholders during the renovation is not an easy task, especially when the old methods, phono calls, emails and excels are in use.

The more information about the project is communicated, more fractured and siloed this information is in danger to become. Incomplete or inconsistent data can lead to costly errors, delayed schedule and friction with suppliers, subcontractors, and residents.

How GBuilder Helped

"We decided on GBuilder because of the flexibility and versatility of the platform. It clearly stood out from its competitors by allowing itself to be incorporated with Consti’s own platform that already hosts many other solutions in project management, occupational safety supervision and in Consti's internal processes."

Kata Ruoppa, Site Manager, Consti Oyj

The room card explained:

Each apartment receives a room card, in which has the needed information about the schedule and material choices. With room card in use, Consti gets the material lists straight to the worksite: what is needed, how much is needed, and when it is needed.

The room card includes modification work and quantity calculation. The worksite has access to reports and real-time updated information with either browser or native (iOS/Android) applications. Built in BIM based pricing tool enables worksite to create and report detailed cost and profit estimations. This is a great help when you want to work both efficiently and to avoid unnecessary installation errors, also material waste is greatly reduced.

The communication explained:

Consti also uses GBuilder as communication channel between all stakeholders. Mass messages, documents, update schedules and events are handled through the GBuilder’s platform. This makes communication more efficient and life so much easier for the residents, and water outages, for example, will not come as a surprise to anyone.

For the owners and residents, it’s not just a pipeline renovation, it’s also a great time to create a bathroom of your dreams.

To make this go smoothly for everyone involved, Consti wanted to offer an efficient and reliable way for the residents and owners to make choices on different materials and alterations.

Whether it's a bathroom tile, a shower wall, or a kitchen faucet, with the help of GBuilder’s platform, customers can choose the materials they like with great accuracy and clear understanding of pricing, and even without visiting Consti's office.

The Results

Less frustration

GBuilder's platform enables real-time information flow between different stakeholders without the frustration brought by the fragmentation of information. When all the information is maintained in the same place, it can be trusted. The schedule can be kept with precise and reliable communication.

Using GBuilder has reduced the workload of Consti’s customer service considerably. There are fewer phone calls and never-ending e-mail chains. With all the up-to-date information at hand, there is less hassle and misunderstandings at the worksite, also material waste is greatly reduced.

More transparency

A clear communication channel between stakeholders is what makes these kinds of challenging projects prosper. Consti’s customers appreciate the transparency with the material options and pricing. This also gives them the freedom to choose and express their own creativity - as they are already accustomed to in other areas of life - and to know exactly if they are still within the budget.

Flawless handover

"Consti has always had their customer at heart, and we are always looking for better ways to serve them. This is one of “the secrets” of our success, although I don’t think it is a secret at all. No matter what the industry or the business, companies with happy customers tend to thrive."

Kati Viinikka, Service Engineer, Consti Oyj

Getting the recognition in a form a winning is great, of course. But at the end of day, it’s the customer satisfaction that matters the most. And with the help of successful digitalisation and all the modern tools in use, Consti have been able to achieve just that - a flawless handover.

Project details:

‍As Oy Puotilantie 8

Year of construction 1963
Six 4-story houses
A total of 112 apartments
Living space 7880 m2
Duration of pipe repair 3/2020 - 5/2021

The project included the renewal of HVAC systems (not heating) and the basic improvement of the wet rooms and common areas of the apartments, as well as the drainage of the buildings.