{"id":26125,"date":"2024-06-07T15:31:34","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T22:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/know-what-youve-built-an-interview-with-timo-makkonen-of-congrid\/"},"modified":"2024-06-07T15:31:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T22:31:36","slug":"know-what-youve-built-an-interview-with-timo-makkonen-of-congrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/know-what-youve-built-an-interview-with-timo-makkonen-of-congrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Know What You’ve Built: An Interview with Timo Makkonen of Congrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"-\"<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

\n

Construction contains thousands of big
\nand small tasks. How can a client and contractor know if they have all been
\ncompleted as intended? Congrid offers an answer to that question.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Congrid<\/a> is a Finnish construction software developer. The company provides software for punch lists, quality and safety audits, and design document distribution. It operates in Finland, Sweden, and the U.K.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s founding team members, collectively,
\noffer a combination of expertise in construction management, software
\ndevelopment, and marketing and sales. \u201cI come from the electronics industry. I
\ncame into this business through my old schoolmates,\u201d says Timo Makkonen<\/strong>, Congrid\u2019s CEO. \u201cMy specialty
\nis business development and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Timo
Timo Makkonen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Need Looking for a Solution<\/h2>\n

In 2012, Matti Huusko<\/strong>, one of Congrid\u2019s co-founders, did his thesis work on
\nthe use of digital tools for construction site quality management. He planned a
\nnew process and detailed a software program to carry it out.<\/p>\n

Huusko did an international search to find
\na software tool to fulfill his needs but was left empty-handed. He suggested to
\nhis then-employer, a construction company, that it develop the necessary
\nsoftware. However, the idea did not catch on, as the construction firm did not
\nsee itself as a tech company.<\/p>\n

At the presentation of his thesis work,
\nHuusko met another site manager who talked about the same issue. Together, they
\nturned to Timo Makkonen for help on how to start developing software. Makkonen
\nknew coders who were eager to join in, and the pieces for starting up a
\nconstruction software company were in place.<\/p>\n

Finding Out Where to Start<\/h2>\n

The founders of Congrid had a clear vision of
\nthe product they wanted to design for comprehensive site quality management. In
\n2013, they started to \u201csell with PowerPoints,\u201d as Makkonen puts it.
\nThat proved to be a good strategy because it provided Congrid with insight on
\nwhere to start.<\/p>\n

Instead of covering the whole quality
\nmanagement process at once, customers first wanted to document errors and
\nobservations. They also expressed a need for including safety features to the
\napp.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought that there were already
\ngood tools in place for recording safety issues and doing safety
\nmeasuring,\u201d Makkonen explains. \u201cNevertheless, safety audits became a
\nfulfilling part of our solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Integration and Openness Are
\nthe Keys to Success<\/h2>\n

Capterra, an online software directory,
\ncurrently lists 1150 construction-related products, 320 of which are in the construction
\nmanagement category. Congrid has about 10 direct international competitors in
\nits field. In spite of that, it has been able to gain a 60 percent market share
\nin Finland.<\/p>\n

Congrid provides a single user interface
\nfor safety and quality audits. However, the company does not want to build a
\nclosed garden. Makkonen believes that both all-encompassing solutions and
\nsoftware that integrates well with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
\nwill succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready, in 2016, we had started to offer
\nintegration with ERPs. Customers can create the project and basic information
\nfor Congrid in their enterprise systems,\u201d says Makkonen.<\/p>\n

Congrid\u2019s founders believe in open
\necosystems. That\u2019s why they are involved in Finnish initiatives like Platform
\nof Trust and FIRA Open Data Platform. They also want to promote the philosophy
\nof openness in the U.K., where they entered the market recently.<\/p>\n

\"Congrid\"Congrid<\/figure>\n

Growing Internationally<\/h2>\n

After establishing a strong foothold in Finland,
\nCongrid wanted to start probing international markets. The company\u2019s
\nScandinavian customers offered a channel to the Swedish market. According to Makkonen,
\ngoing to Sweden was a natural choice, as the construction culture and
\nquality-related practices are quite similar in the neighboring countries.<\/p>\n

Market research in Denmark, however,
\nsuggested that Congrid would face tough competition in a construction sector that
\nwould not be as familiar as that of Sweden. The company decided to head out to
\nthe U.K., even though they knew that it too was a very competitive market.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur system supports both an extensive
\nand a lighter quality management approach,\u201d says Makkonen. \u201cQuality
\nmanagement practices vary by company. Our solution adapts well to different company
\nneeds. We\u2019ve also noticed that Grenfell and other serious incidents have
\nbrought forward the need for a change in the mindset. Project parties need to
\nknow more precisely what was built and by whom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benefits, But Not Without
\nCommitment<\/h2>\n

Congrid\u2019s motto is \u201cknow what you\u2019ve
\nbuilt.\u201d The team members say they want to provide the builder with sound
\nsleep. You can\u2019t reach this level of confidence simply by buying a new
\nsoftware. Makkonen notes that clients also need to build a quality-driven
\nculture and process.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsultative selling is in our
\nspotlight in this and the coming year. The other thing is to ensure the quality
\nof the customer\u2019s data that our system gathers,\u201d Makkonen explains.
\n\u201cIf customers want to learn from past projects, their data must be valid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Congrid supports lean construction: saving
\ntime and money during and after the construction process by doing things right
\nthe first time and minimizing process waste. Congrid\u2019s customers have already reported
\ntime savings of 50 percent on inspections and quality and safety audits.<\/p>\n

Serving the Project Office and
\nthe Worksite<\/h2>\n

Congrid\u2019s solution consists of two cloud-based
\napps: one for the desktop and the other for mobile devices. The desktop app is
\nfor task planning and project-level control; the mobile app serves at the work
\nfront, telling workers and inspectors what to verify during each task. Users
\ncan take photos and add notes to them. The system also retrieves the relevant
\ndesign documentation for the job to be done or inspected.<\/p>\n

\u201cConstruction workers get specific instructions
\nabout what to do from Congrid. They also self-verify that they\u2019ve done the job
\nas specified. This personal responsibility will hopefully increase their
\ncommitment to doing and documenting the job properly,\u201d says Makkonen.<\/p>\n

Congrid has two pricing tiers: a project
\nlicense and a user-specific license. The latter is meant for quality auditors
\nwho work on several projects at the same time. The project license does not
\nlimit the number of users.<\/p>\n

Congrid\u2019s founders have been able to resist
\nthe temptation to bloat their software with new features. Instead, they want to
\nmake better use of the data the app provides. Makkonen explains: \u201cData
\nvisualization and machine learning will help builders better understand cause
\nand effect in construction projects. We are already taking steps in that
\ndirection.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about Congrid, go to congrid.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n