Suits you, sir

Getting the best from information technology means making sure it delivers the maximum benefits for your business. Nick Harper, Sales Director of Amtech explains how to ensure that happens.

One of the exciting things about new technology is that it continually develops to enable us all to do a lot more. At the same time, technology companies are changing their products and the way they offer them to the market, helping specialist companies like electrical contractors use technology in a way that suits their business. At the end of the day, technology is a tool that needs to support your business in the way that you require.

A case in point is how software is procured. This is something that has evolved considerably in the last few years and offers far more choice to users.

The traditional approach is to purchase the software, install it on your computer(s), renew the licence(s) annually and upgrade to the next version as and when necessary. So there has been a pattern of making an initial capital outlay, followed by a smaller sum for licence renewals. Many software users also invest in support contracts to ensure they get the maximum performance from their software.

For some companies this pattern works well and is what they are comfortable with. Others may find that a more flexible approach is better suited to their needs and cash flow. To that end some software developers have introduced ‘Software as a Service, or SaaS. This takes a different approach, making the software available for a small monthly fee with no capital outlay.

With SaaS there are two approaches. Large companies like Microsoft have gone down the ‘cloud computing’ route, where the software is installed on their servers and accessed via the internet. Clearly there are some advantages to having the software hosted elsewhere and accessing it isn’t an issue for large corporate organisations with ultra-resilient internet connections.

However, many smaller businesses are nervous of this approach because they are at the mercy of the reliability of their internet connection. No internet connection, no access to the software and productivity grinds to a halt.

An alternative form of SaaS offers greater peace of mind in this respect. It is still based on a small monthly fee, rather than outright purchase, but the software is installed on your own servers, in the traditional way. All of the other benefits apply; there is no capital outlay and there are no annual licence renewals – and the monthly fee covers technical support and software upgrades. So this can be seen as the best of both worlds.

For example, with this arrangement when a new version of, say, inspection & testing software become available you are automatically upgraded. This proved particularly useful for users of this service in recent months when Amendment 1 of the 17^th Edition Wiring Regulations was introduced, as the upgraded software brought them up to date with the new certification procedure and other requirements.

Saving time, saving hassle
So looking at innovative ways to procure software is one way of making life easier, but there are also other innovations that can make life easier and save a lot of time. These include greater functionality within the software, integration between different software packages and easier access to key information. Some of these innovations may also help to generate more revenue.

For example, some inspection & testing software is supplied with a cable sizing program. This can be useful when you’re testing a circuit and find something is wrong – even something common like a warm cable. Rather than simply issuing a fail report, you can offer to correct the fault by using the cable sizing programme included in your certification package. The cable sizing program will instantly show whether the cable size is suitable and gives the opportunity to compare larger or smaller cable sizes in relation to protective devices at the touch of the button. When you have finished the software will even provide a report to verify your actions. In this way, a potential issue is converted to a positive outcome where you have enhanced your service to the customer and generated a little additional revenue.

Similarly, for design and build work, once the wiring diagram has been produced in design software it can save a great deal of time if that information is imported directly into the inspection & testing software, ready for the production of certificates. On a large job this can save several days’ work, compared with entering the data into the inspection & testing software manually.

Keeping up to speed
No matter how comprehensive your software is, it is unlikely to contain all of the information you need – not least because product and specification information changes so quickly. However, all of that information will be available on the internet so the ability to access it quickly can prove very beneficial.

For instance, when working on a wiring diagram you may want to verify information on a particular product. Certainly, it is possible to go to that manufacturer’s website, trawl through the navigation and eventually find the information you want. But that can take ages, so a smarter alternative is to have links directly from the software to the information you require on a central industry database. ‘One click and you’re there’ is the way it should be.

Furthermore, the fact that everything is faster means it becomes more viable to compare different design options before making a final decision, often resulting in a better design.

The same principle applies when producing specifications, where it is vital to ensure you are working with up to date information on products and regulations. Basing a specification on three-year-old information from a technical library with out of date versions of the IEE wiring regulations is a recipe for disaster that could prove very costly.

In this case, it is essential that specification writing software includes a central, regularly updated database with the latest information from key bodies such as CIBSE and BSI. It should also make it easy to access additional information with, for example, links to key information providers and industry websites – with the ability to create your own hyperlinks if desired.

For all of these reasons it’s important to consider your requirements and then look for a solution that best fits them. If a handy cable sizing program is going to complement your inspection & testing work, then it makes sense to use one. If you would rather pay for your software monthly rather than paying out a lump sum, then that’s the way to go. At the end of the day the technology is there to serve your needs, not the other way round.

For more information, visit the Amtech website or call us on 0800 028 28 28.

Article originally appeared in WireIn Magazine, March/April 2012 issue.

Making the ‘Periodic’ Certificate work for you…..

It may not be called a Periodic Inspection Report any more but the word ‘periodic’ is still relevant to electrical contractors, says Gary Packham, Technical Support Engineer at Amtech.

From January the old Periodic Inspection Report was replaced by the new Electrical Inspection Condition Report (EICR), under Amendment 1 of the 17^th Edition. New certificate, new design, new requirements – but the word ‘periodic is still relevant and still important to all contractors who want to increase business and maximise profits as easily as possible.

Here we are in yet another recession with less work available and prices squeezed on many jobs. So how can the EICR help? Well, by harnessing technology and making it work with your business you can increase your turnover with little effort. Certainly, many contractors are already using software to help them in their work but they aren’t all using the full range of features to best effect.

Producing a lot of certificates is very time consuming and you may have already invested in software to help. There are a number of packages on the market and most will produce good looking certificates easily – but are you squeezing every pound of profit from your software?

So let’s use ‘periodic’ as an example. Most business spend a lot of money attracting new customers. Yet every business knows it’s more expensive and harder to get a new customer than to look after an existing customer where there is already a relationship of trust.

Similarly, when you produce an EIRC for the first time you have to prepare the certificate, add client and location details, enter all the boards and circuits, test the installation, enter the details and so on. Yet when the certificate is due to be re-tested the job is much easier as the donkey work has been done. The problem is keeping track of where and when certificates are due for re-testing.

This is where you can take advantage of features in your electrical certification software. Check to see if it has an automatic reminder feature sometimes called ‘Test Centre’. This is a great feature that you can customise so when you open the software the reminder screen automatically shows all the certificates due for re-test in the next 30 days – or whatever time you choose.

The software knows which certificates are due for re-test and the address of the customer. So it can generate accurate reminder letters by itself, complete with your logo and other details. All you have to do is print and post them – or email them to save even more time.

If you don’t get a reply the software then generates a second, more urgent letter. Good software packages generate up to three different reminder letters.

This means you never need to miss any re-test work again. It’s great for your turnover while also giving the customer a personal and professional service.

When the time comes to re-test you can instantly find the old certificate on your system and download it. So all the information is on hand and the job is half done before you get to site. All you need to do when you get there is check the installation.

Some packages go even further and can produce a report of the ‘Observations and Recommendations’ codes for any EICR, automatically merge them to a letter, add your company logo and electronic signature and in seconds it’s ready to print out.

The ‘Test Centre’ is so simple to use that contractors often have a non-electrical assistant in the office who can handle this, so that qualified testers don’t need to be taken off the job.

Another great way to increase sales is to extend the services you offer. Again using certification software as an example, some packages now come complete with a cable calculation program. Let’s say you are testing an installation and find a problem, even something common like a warm cable. Instead of just noting it or issuing a fail report you can now offer to correct the situation using the cable sizing software included in your certification package.

Often the customer will ask if you can rectify it; now you can say “yes”. The cable calculation program will instantly show whether the cable size is suitable and allows you to compare larger or smaller cable sizes in relation to protective devices – all at the touch of the button. When you have finished, the software will even provide a report to verify your actions. Once again you don’t have to go looking for work, it comes to you.

These are just a couple of features in electrical certification packages that can give you extra business for very little extra work. If you are thinking of purchasing such a product check the features in detail. If you are currently using this type of software but are just producing basic certificates, check your manual. You never know, you may have many great features that you did know existed, and as you’ve paid for them why not make them pay you back?

For more information visit the Amtech website.

Article originally appeared in Electrical Times – Test & Measurement Supplement, March 2012 issue.

Be prepared for BIM

Building Information Modelling is about much more than 3D design; it has the potential to impact on the work of electrical designers, specifiers and installers throughout the building’s life cycle. Ian Elmer, Director of Customer Services at Amtech explains

When the Government’s Construction Strategy was published last year it gave a real impetus, plus a credibility boost, to the wider use of Building Information Modelling (BIM). This was further reinforced when, in February of this year, the Ministry of Justice announced its intention to trial four BIM projects. The first of these is the 180 cell extension at Cookham Prison, which went out to tender at the end of February, and will be followed by work at two other prisons and a law court.

What is clear from these developments is that BIM is no longer an aspiration of the industry’s thought leaders. It is a viable method of design, procurement, project and building management that will be a key element in cutting the cost of construction.

To that end there are a couple of misconceptions that need to be laid to rest. Firstly, BIM will not be the preserve of architects and main contractors; it will affect the entire construction supply chain. Secondly, and crucially, building owners/operators and their specialist consultants and contractors will continue to add information to the BIM through the life of the building.

Consequently, BIM will impact the work of electrical designers, specifiers and installers not just during the design and construction phase but also through everyday inspection & testing and maintenance – and in any additional refurbishment/replacement works to the building. It also has the potential to influence the ways that consultants and contractors work together in a spirit of collaboration.

To that end it is important to have a clear picture of where BIM is at the moment, where it will end up and why it makes sense to start preparing a BIM strategy now.

Understanding BIM

The main principle to understand is that BIM is not a product. It is a process that produces a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility creating a shared knowledge resource for information.

Furthermore, BIM goes beyond being simply a 3D alternative to traditional 2D CAD drawings. Such 3D models have been around for many years but remain static after the design phase. What makes BIM different is that the model continues to evolve through the construction of the building, so that any design changes are updated in the model. Post-handover, the model passes to the building owner and is updated every time a change is made, or maintenance is carried out, through the life of the building.

Nor is BIM confined to 3D. Although the current Government policy dictates that public sector projects must use BIM Level 2 (equivalent to collaborative 3D) by 2016, the future will see modelling of time (4D) and costs (5D). There are even predictions of so-called ‘xD’, bringing in energy modelling and sustainable data as well as thermal and acoustic information.

Each BIM will be made up of ‘intelligent’ elements that contain information about themselves and how they may interact with other elements. These elements will use open vendor-neutral objects that enable data models from different sources to share information (interoperability). Such elements could include circuit protection devices, cable and trays, switches and sensors as well as all of the other services and construction elements that make up a building.

Crucially, the Government also sees BIM as a key element in promoting project integration, which is seen as the key to reducing the costs of construction by as much as 20%. Pilot projects for project integration were announced by the Cabinet Office in February and the models being tested place great emphasis on members of the team working collaboratively, with BIM flagged up as a key tool for facilitating this collaboration.

Indeed, the Specialist Engineering Alliance believes that such collaborative working will give building services designers and contractors, as well as other specialists, a higher status within the project team.

Putting a spark into BIM

Up to now, in projects that have already been completed using BIM, the electrical design element has tended to be quite limited. Experience in countries where BIM has been more widely used, such as the USA, shows that electrical input has tended to be confined to power summary calculations and terminal level spatial drawings from the sub-distribution switchboard to the socket or the lights. So in effect, the electrical design has been done separately from the BIM.

However, as BIM becomes more commonplace more of its benefits can be applied to all aspects of the electrical services. For example, the information embedded in the BIM model will save designers a lot of ‘leg work’ in checking product specifications such as the footprint and door swing of a switch cabinet. The cabinet will ‘know’ its own footprint and door swing and once it’s within the BIM any potential conflict with other items in space will be flagged up. Clearly this is far more efficient than finding out the same space in a plant room has been allocated for a cabinet and a chilled water pump.

Similarly, the co-ordination between HVAC and electrical services will be greatly improved so that potential clashes are eliminated during the design stage rather than onsite.

Beyond the initial design, contractors will need to be able to access the information they need from the BIM to produce estimates. Once the estimates have been accepted, the pricing information from the various trades will be fed back into the BIM to reflect costings (5D). Contractors will also want to use this cost information for job costing and contract management.

Access to product information will be important in the day-to-day management of the building too. For example, if there is an electrical fault that requires a product to be replaced, information on that product will be available within the BIM so the correct replacement is easily sourced. In some cases it may be necessary to find additional information to feed into the model so it will be useful to have easy access to this.

And, of course, the same principles will apply to refurbishments or extensions to the building. New electrical services may need to be integrated with existing services within the BIM and any components may need to be compatible with those already in use. There may even be a desire to use the same products, where appropriate, to simplify stock control of critical spares.

Regular maintenance will also be facilitated by BIM. For instance, the BIM could house inspection and testing data for both electrical and gas services that can easily be updated in the BIM. The same is true for preventative and reactive maintenance visits – every asset in the BIM can to be updated each time something changes.

Planning for the future

This overview of how BIM will operate through the life cycle of the building makes it clear that the electrical industry cannot afford to be complacent and assume that BIM technology will not reach this far down the supply chain. It is already on its way and, while it may be a few years before working with BIM becomes an everyday occurrence, any decisions made now will influence how companies can make best use of it.

In particular, decisions made regarding investment in software need to reflect the fact that, in the future, electrical specifiers and installers will need to get involved in BIM for new projects, refurbishments and maintenance/certification.

Far-sighted software developers are aware of this and are already developing integrated solutions encompassing design, certification, estimating, job costing and accounting and service & maintenance. These systems will be able to share information with each other as well as other systems. Crucially, such integrated software systems will be able to access a central database of product and pricing information that will facilitate interaction with BIMs through their life.

If Lord Baden Powell had been aware of BIM he would most certainly have advised the electrical sector to ‘be prepared’.

For more information on BIM, please visit the Amtech website.

Article originally appeared in Electrical Review Magazine, March 2012 issue.