Data Systems International Empowers Construction Companies through Cloud Inventory

By CorpGov Editorial Staff

Data Systems International (DSI®) has drastically improved the efficiency of a number of reputable construction companies like MAREK, Aegion, and Womble Co. over the years with their revolutionary supply chain software Cloud Inventory®. By using the software on job sites, these companies have been able to keep better track of their equipment and building supplies. Other advantages include improved visibility throughout every step of the supply chain process – from digitizing inspection for safety and compliance reasons, to tracking assets, to the last mile. As a result, each of these companies have improved the speed at which they are able to operate as well as their productivity and efficiency.

MAREK, a Houston, Texas based interior construction company, turned to DSI to specifically improve their effectiveness. In business for 80 years, MAREK is a specialty interior contractor providing both commercial and residential services to major office, healthcare, retail, sports and entertainment, arts, education and institutional clients. With team members in the field on a daily basis, MAREK’s leadership felt things were bogged down by their manual tracking system. Oversight of their supply chain was done solely through manual inputs, which required MAREK’s foremen to travel between warehouses and work sites to collect information. MAREK asked DSI to help streamline that process to establish better supply chain visibility and ease the oversight of asset management. Executives at MAREK said they ultimately chose DSI’s Cloud Inventory and Field Inventory solutions because of the mobile application development capabilities and the ability to integrate seamlessly with MAREK’s ERP system.

Within three weeks of implementation, DSI’s tool tracking solution was running smoothly in the first location, and because of the low-code, no-code platform, MAREK was then able to handle implementation to their other locations largely on their own. To enable their team to use this new platform, MAREK chose to deploy iPhones to each of its field employees to run DSI’s apps. This helped alleviate paper issues as well as prevented human error. MAREK was also set up to better manage the entire life cycle of their equipment. Now, MAREK is convinced DSI is the right solution.

“Managing the effective life of the equipment does have a tangible financial impact for us, and we’re very excited about the opportunity to better manage that financial impact through better visibility that we’ll have by using the DSI solution,” MAREK’s Procurement Director Dan Schnippert said.

Another company that has integrated DSI’s solution is Aegion. Specializing in sewer, gas, and oil pipelines for the past 45 years, Aegion was ready to take things to the next level. Leadership wanted to remove paper trails and manual processes to better see what was happening on a daily basis in the field. Aegion was also searching for a system that would integrate nicely with their current ERP system. After reviewing the solutions DSI offers, Aegion decided to move forward with DSI Cloud Inventory solutions in an effort to streamline their business processes with mobile apps. After the solution was implemented, Aegion said it received positive feedback from both its customers and team members. The invoicing process was improved from weeks to a single day. Aegion also tracked a 200% reduction in time for their daily field tickets. When asked what they liked about DSI’s solution, Aegion pointed to the fact that DSI provided a service they could put in front of any user, no matter their skill level, and allow them to use it in a way that makes the most sense.

Another DSI customer in the construction industry is a leading power generation, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor responsible for building energy solutions to deliver solar and wind power. The company, which has built the largest windmill farm in the United States, routinely has projects that span hundreds of acres and generate enough renewable energy to power thousands of homes and businesses. Looking for an efficient, cost-effective solution to improve inventory visibility, the company cherry picked DSI because of its proven track record. With digital supply chain solutions deployed by partner Advanced Logistics Consulting (ALC), the company received a customized solution to support both their current and future needs. The company now has access to real-time inventory monitoring and reporting which helps establish a flow of communication between disconnected environments like remote job sites. This specific solution also facilitated RFID tracking to help the company adhere to regulations on the use of durable goods and boosted visibility of its assets across all of its job sites.

DSI also works with Womble Co., which provides specialty coating systems for steel pipes. Based out of Houston, Texas, Womble has a staff of 500 and serves clients in the oil and gas, construction, and industrial manufacturing industries. To do so, Womble gets daily shipments delivered by trucks, trains, and barges. With its operations across four different stockyards, 165 acres of land, and 155,000 linear feet of pipe, Womble’s leadership felt it was suffering from backlogged challenges stemming from their manual, paper-based processes. To better track customer inventory, Womble requested the help of DSI for a complete solution that would help launch their services into the future without abandoning its current ERP structure. DSI provided a complete on- and off-premise, multilingual solution, allowing Womble to overcome visibility challenges and accuracy issues. As a result, Womble’s team is now able to enter orders faster and produce products quicker making for a more efficient process overall. In addition, DSI’s multi-language functionality supported Womble’s English- and Spanish-speaking workforce, helping to improve communication within the organization. Now that Womble’s paper processing days have ended, the company is able to track products from receipt through shipping using a series of simple barcode scans. To date, Womble has successfully coated and tracked more than 57,000 miles of pipe using DSI’s platform – enough to wrap around the earth twice – without losing a single piece.

In conclusion, DSI’s platform has helped numerous construction companies eliminate paper processes by digitizing information. This allows companies to optimize their operations by ensuring they have the right amount of product on hand. DSI also makes sure companies have access to the information 24/7 by creating apps that work both online and off across a variety of mobile devices. In turn, this saves companies valuable time, resulting in revenue growth and generation. For construction companies, the partnership is invaluable as DSI can help track equipment, building supplies, and handheld tools throughout the build – ensuring they meet scheduled completion dates.