360 management system for precast concrete builders

Since 1996, i-Theses has been developing software products for the precast concrete industry. Where in the past the focus was mainly on the drawing package, today i-Theses offers with PlanDesk a '360' management system to fully automate the entire process around the production of precast concrete elements. From initial customer contact, production and delivery to invoicing. And everything in between.

i-Theses is best known for its CAD software for designing precast concrete floors. "In recent years, we have experienced significant growth and expanded our spectrum. Thus, we now also support precast beams, columns and walls. Always with the same approach: fully focused on the production of these elements. In addition to seamless integration with our own AutoPreCast modules, we can also read in IFC data, after which we translate the design and process it into ready-to-use production drawings," says Rony Verlee, CEO of i-Theses. With PreCastOffice, the software developer goes one step further. It allows precast concrete builders to quickly work through the entire precast process, from the moment of quotation and sales through layout design with CAD design tools to planning, production, handling, logistics and final administrative handling.

Plandesk 360 modules

An important component within PreCastOffice are the Plandesk 360 modules. "These are database-related applications that can be used for planning, project management and administrative processing," Verlee clarified. "We are deliberately switching to the cloud in this regard because web-based applications offer much more flexibility and possibilities." Quality control, logistics tracking, bag field management, it is all now available as a 360 module via the cloud. And thus accessible via desktop, tablet, smartphone or any device. "The benefits are immense. You can walk out for a quality check on the bag field and immediately record the findings and report them to the right people so that immediate action can be taken. But even during the production process, any deficiencies or damages can already be reported, so you can anticipate much earlier. Another advantage is that the project manager always and everywhere has an up-to-date insight into the status of a project. How far along are we? What was delivered today? What is ready for tomorrow? What is planned for the coming week?"

Lots of potential

With i-Theses' Plandesk 360 modules, anyone anywhere can access information, obviously according to a preset rights structure. "Even the telephone operator could inform a customer directly when the delivery is going to take place," Verlee gives as an example. "Customers appreciate that. Fortunately, there is an increasing focus on digitization. In the beginning it took us quite some effort to persuade customers to make such an investment, but given the current crises there is much more attention to optimizing processes. There is a lot of potential. It's 'the next big thing' among precast concrete builders." This is also the reason why i-Theses has grown systematically over the past decades with many references in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland. "We are therefore constantly looking for new and motivated software developers," Verlee concludes.