Reference story Brüninghoff Group

The Brüninghoff Group is reducing internal effort and optimising construction processes.

• Automated drawing approval
• Seamless DMS integration
• Digital invoice processing

The Brüninghoff Group – Covering Everything from Architects to Carpenters

In the picturesque town of Heiden, located in the Westmünsterland region, the renowned company Brüninghoff was founded in 1994. Since its establishment, Brüninghoff has grown into a key player in the construction industry. Around 700 dedicated employees work across eight locations, generating an impressive annual turnover of approximately €175 million. Despite the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, the Brüninghoff Group takes a proactive approach to addressing this challenge. The company places great emphasis on training across all areas of the business.

Focus on Environmentally Friendly Production with Reduced Emissions

So, what exactly does the Brüninghoff Group do? As a general contractor, Brüninghoff constructs turnkey buildings for industrial, commercial, and agricultural use. The company is structured into three core areas: Construction, Production, and Services, which operate through six different subsidiaries. A standout feature of Brüninghoff is its commitment to environmentally friendly production processes with reduced emissions. In particular, the company relies almost exclusively on the use of RC concrete (recycled/resource-efficient concrete) for the production of a wide range of precast concrete components.

Always Up to Date: The Drawing Approval Process

The heterogeneous system landscape of the Brüninghoff Group, shaped by the diversity of its various companies and IT systems, highlights the need for integrations to avoid increasing complexity for employees. Specialised applications are primarily used in Brüninghoff’s planning office to create a range of drawings. These include architectural drawings, technical building services (TBS), and structural designs. The structural design area is particularly important for the Brüninghoff Group, as it carries out its own production processes. In production, software is used for planning and control, and continuous access to drawings approved during the planning phase is crucial.

Increased Transparency and Improved Collaboration

In response to these challenges, the Brüninghoff Group has implemented a digital and automated drawing approval process. This innovative solution offers numerous benefits, including a faster approval process, greater transparency, and improved collaboration between departments. The digital drawing approval enables efficient exchange of approval documents between planning and production, reducing lead times and increasing overall efficiency. By integrating this solution into the existing system landscape, complexity is minimised and seamless interaction between different applications is ensured.

In summary, the digital drawing approval process helps to further optimise workflows within the Brüninghoff Group and establish an effective link between planning and production.

How Does the Drawing Approval Process Work at the Brüninghoff Group?

As previously mentioned, various authoring tools are used within the Brüninghoff Group to generate drawings. All these tools share a common feature: the generated drawings are assigned a unique drawing key. This key contains important technical information and serves to clearly identify the drawings. Elements of the drawing key include a unique sequential number, an index, and a status, all of which are encoded in the title block.

Once created, the documents are automatically assigned to d.velop documents. The approval process is then initiated within the system. This automated assignment and initiation of the approval process help to increase efficiency and ensure that all relevant information is seamlessly integrated into the workflow.

Benefits of Automated Drawing Approval

• Seamless flow of information
• Time savings
• Reduction in paper usage
• Version control through document management
• Faster response times
• Error minimisation and consistency

Seamless Integration of d.velop documents: The Ordering Process in the ERP System

The implementation of optimised information availability at the workplace has significantly improved workflows for employees at the Brüninghoff Group. A standard file structure has been introduced within d.velop documents, with the digital supplier file serving as a model. This file not only includes the digital order file but also divides it into four key documents: order confirmation, purchase order, delivery note, and invoice.

Integration with a Holistic Approach

The seamless integration into the system landscape offers a range of benefits. Employees can now access relevant documents within seconds, significantly increasing efficiency. This integration also promotes improved collaboration by enabling quick and easy sharing of information. Compliance requirements are easier to meet thanks to optimised document access and management. Shorter processing times mean more time is available for productive tasks.

Creating a centralised system with standardised workflows supports the harmonisation of processes. Integration also ensures transparency and traceability of workflows, which supports quality control and audit processes. Overall, the seamless integration into the Brüninghoff Group’s system landscape enables efficient and effective working practices, optimising business processes and enhancing overall performance.

Benefits of Seamless Integration

• Find documents within seconds
• Improved collaboration
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements
• Turn processing time into productive time
• A centralised system with standardised workflows
• Transparency and traceability

Further Projects: Digital Invoice Processing

Planning is currently in full swing for a downstream, automated process following the ordering procedure – incoming invoice processing (IIP). The primary goal of this initiative is to standardise the handling of incoming invoices by ensuring a clear system-based assignment to the corresponding purchase order. The next step involves the automated approval of the invoice by matching the purchase order, invoice, and delivery note within the ERP system Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Collaboration with d.velop

This advanced concept, along with other innovative ideas, will be pursued by Brüninghoff in close cooperation with d.velop. The Brüninghoff Group aims not only to increase efficiency and accuracy but also to enhance transparency and traceability throughout its processes. The partnership with d.velop promises not only a modernisation of workflows but also the creation of future-proof and effective structures. Last but not least, Brüninghoff also benefits in terms of recruitment, as the introduction of attractive tools and modern workplaces makes it easier to attract new employees.

More Ideas in the Pipeline: Digital Payslip Delivery and Collaboration

Further topics Brüninghoff plans to address with d.velop include digital payslip delivery via the d.velop postbox and document sharing with external organisations through d.velop trust spaces.