The sheet metal industry is about to see major changes in the way components are ordered and estimated, thanks to Webduct, a completely web-based system that marks the first major innovation in sheet metal for decades.
Forty years ago the Internet was a U.S.-military-funded research network called Arpanet that connected four computers and a handful of computer scientists. Today, two billion users consume information online using 500 million computers spread out over every country.
In the fourth quarter of 2010, Canadians spent almost 44 hours per month online— almost double the global average of 23.1 hours per month. Canadian ecommerce sales surpassed $16.6-billion in 2011 and are expected to hit $22.8-billion by 2012. In the U.S., $166.3 billion in ecommerce sales are expected in 2012.
The implications of this on business go without saying, but the effect on the construction industry is still in limbo. While most businesses are slowly moving toward a technologically illuminated future, a culture of hesitance still exists in many sectors.
The sheet metal industry, however, is about to see major changes in the way components are ordered and estimated, thanks to Webduct, a completely web- based system that marks the first major innovation in sheet metal in decades.
The use of technology in the construction sector has grown exponentially over the past 10 years, albeit at a slower pace than in other industries. Notebooks and fax machines have started to make way for smartphones and tablets—as of the fourth quarter of 2011, there were close to a hundred iPhone apps created specifically for users in the construction industry.
In 2006, Viaduct Sheet Metal, one of B.C.’s largest sheet metal manufacturing companies, pushed forward with a vision to change the way business is conducted in the sheet metal industry forever. Inspired by the Internet’s growth, a passion for improvement, and several years of successful business practices, Viaduct’s management team began exploring the possibility of creating a web-based, online ordering system that would help standardise its operations.
“I remember watching a wood-frame condo project being built in our neighbourhood,” says Mark Halvorsen, owner of Viaduct Sheet Metal. “Every weekend the site was open with many people working six or seven days a week. When do these people get to see their families? The thought and spark of insight into what Webduct could accomplish was born from watching those construction workers, rain or shine, put in seven days a week of work.”
“Convenience would be the key,” says Halvorsen. “We had to offer a better life. If a person could order and price ductwork online he should be able to free up some of his most valuable asset—his time.”
Today, Webduct allows users to log in from anywhere using a computer or smartphone with Internet access and price or order ducting components and their accessories instantly. The program is available 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
The development team got it right. There are no downloads, plug-and-play accessories, or proprietary hardware/software; no annual royalty payments or reliance on the fax machine. The program exists “in the cloud” meaning a laptop or smartphone and an Internet connection are the only requirements to get into and start using the program.
Unlike anything else on the market, Webduct is built from the shop floor up—placing efficiency, productivity, and precision in the hands of field personnel, foremen, and fabricators with an easy-to-use, completely web-based remote system using cutting edge technology that is virtually unbreakable.
Back in February of 2010, when Webduct started its beta testing, “the key to a smooth transition for Viaduct was choosing a few champions who were keen to try a new system and who, by the nature of their own enthusiasm, were likely to succeed,” says Dallas Vogels, chief technology officer for Point One Media, Webduct’s development team. “The program was deployed to a few foremen at a time, and after a review period, all 12 were gathered for straightforward feedback.”
The most prominent message was that besides performing its intended function without problem, Webduct was effective and user-friendly enough to bridge that gap between people who readily adapted to technology and those who were somewhat resistant. The system, in fact, surpassed its expectations by mending a disconnect between the way shop and field people communicated and functioned.
Webduct’s success today is centered on its complete offering, meaning everything the foremen order is included in the program. The program is architected with the flexibility to seamlessly accommodate future Internet and technology-related evolutions including system design and 3-D imaging. The program’s architecture is flexible, broad-reaching, and holistic and future versions could, essentially, replace a company’s entire software suite, providing a complete business solution for any company that uses it.
For more information please visit www.webduct.com.
