Optimize Your Scaffolding Operations: Don’t Reinvent The Wheel, Reuse It!  

Picture this. It’s your third scaffolding project this month. Your teams are finding themselves having to build the same scaffolds, to tear down and rebuild the same stairs again. The scaffolding operations are so similar, but there are just enough differences that they actually have to spend time accounting for them.

Sadly, this is not just a hypothetical situation. Lots of scaffolding companies are running themselves ragged doing the same thing over and over again. Wouldn’t it be convenient if you had a uniform way of doing these things?

In this article, we will highlight four repetitive aspects of scaffolding operations you can standardize and how you can benefit.

Four Repetitive Aspects of Scaffolding Operations You Can Standardize

Create a Ready-Made Library of Scaffolding Designs

Do your draftsmen still draw scaffolding models with pencil and paper for every new job? Do your operations managers spend unnecessary time making gear lists by hand?

If so, you’re not alone. One of the largest scaffolding suppliers in New Zealand still did too – up until construction safety regulations in New Zealand were tightened. Their needlessly costly and time-consuming design processes were no longer sustainable and they were forced to pivot. They did so by adopting Avontus Designer®, which sped up their approval process due to the ease with which draftsmen could draw up their designs, and engineers could review and change them.

As an added bonus, they can also visualize their scaffold designs in AR/VR using Avontus Viewer®, which allows them to easily review and confirm the safety and accuracy of their drawings without building a new model.

Opt for Smarter Scaffolding Construction Techniques

Instead of tearing down and rebuilding scaffolds for every new job, your teams should consider using a crane-lift to move your towers from an assembly point to the work site whenever possible. This way, they aren’t disrupting other work, incurring material carry-in costs, or exposing themselves to safety risks.

In fact, major infrastructure projects across Sydney are currently employing craneable scaffolds. According to Daniel Butlin, Director of Australian Scaffold, they were able to relocate a 12m high scaffold access stair tower in under two hours with only two men! Evidently, craneable scaffolds can significantly reduce risks, while also reducing the time spent on conventional stripping and re-erection of scaffolding.

You can navigate the complexities of these operations using scaffold models exported from Avontus Designer® to the overall construction model. It will enable you to clearly present the clashes, distances, and risks present. It will also help illustrate why your scaffolding proposal works best for your customers.

Consider Mobile Scaffolding

Supported scaffolds are the most common forms of scaffolding. However, they can be very time-consuming to plan, design, and set up.

You can consider using mobile scaffolds or hanging scaffolds with moveable rigging to create access that moves with the progress of work instead. Both of these options share similar benefits in terms of convenience and cost efficiency, which explains their growing popularity. If hanging scaffolds are good enough for Victoria Station in London, they’re probably good enough for your project!

You can visualize these mobile solutions in Avontus Designer® to help the client understand the value of your proposal and how you can set them up for long-term success.

Centralize Your Resource Management

While focusing on the scaffolding process is certainly the priority, what goes on in the backend is equally important. For some companies, this is where their biggest headaches lie.

Without centralized resource management, you could find your company going through the same problems as Alltask Ltd, a UK-based scaffolding contractor. The lack of visibility on inventory, rental, activities, inspections, and drawings caused mistakes and inefficiencies to pile up, which in turn led to real losses.

Fortunately, they managed to turn things around with Avontus Quantify®, which helped them to keep track of everything they own and where it is located at all times. Now, they are no longer repeatedly chasing pieces of information to get the bigger picture.

As an added bonus, this fine level of control can also empower companies to grow revenue and maximize efficiency by renting out equipment to other enterprises. Find out how Commonwealth Scaffolding did just that here.

Ready to Optimize Your Scaffolding Operations?

As mentioned above, there are many aspects of scaffolding that can be standardized or managed centrally. If done right, it can lead to greater efficiency and increased revenue in the future.

You can optimize your scaffolding business by standardizing these aspects: scaffolding design, scaffolding construction, scaffolding access, and resource management.

Find out how you can do that with our award-winning solutions below!