Breedon Group

Key benefits

• Time saving
  Re-flow’s real-time data access and automated workflows have cut down the time needed to relay information and resolve issues, speeding up decision-making and problem-solving.
• Health and safety
  Instant sharing of safety alerts and updates ensures that all staff, day or night, are immediately informed, improving health and safety compliance.
• Flexibility
  The software’s customisable forms and real-time data capabilities adapted to Breedon’s specific needs, enabling them to tailor documentation for different tasks, contracts, and health and safety standards.

Summary

Breedon Group, a leading construction materials provider operating across Great Britain, Ireland, and the USA, also offer services in contract surfacing, highway maintenance, and on-site batching and concrete supply. Before adopting Re-flow’s field management software, Breedon’s surfacing division faced challenges with inefficient paper-based processes, delays in data access, and high administrative costs. With Re-flow, they’ve significantly enhanced their operational efficiency.

This case study highlights how Breedon have streamlined their workflows, reduced administrative burdens, improved real-time data access, and strengthened health and safety compliance. The software’s scalability has supported the surfacing division’s growth, enabling smooth integration across new acquisitions and providing a clear competitive advantage in the industry.

Organisation details

In 14 years, Breedon Group’s annual turnover has risen from £169 million to £1.4 billion (the result, in part, of numerous acquisitions).

They provide essential materials necessary for building residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects, and boast a diverse portfolio of two cement plants, over 100 quarries, and more than 200 asphalt and ready-mixed concrete plants.

Beyond their significant materials production, Breedon provide surfacing solutions across England, Scotland, and Wales. This division approached Re-flow to optimise their processes and improve efficiency.

Challenges

Breedon Group’s growth resulted in operational challenges that hindered efficiency and productivity.

National Managing Quantity Surveyor, Iain Johnston, went into more detail: ​‘We had challenges relating to paperwork coming in. Our surfacing operations are spread across Great Britain, so the time taken for individuals to travel hundreds of miles to drop things off or for information to be sent through the postal service made it difficult to react to challenges.’

Overall, there were multiple areas where the company felt they could be more efficient: 

• Inefficient information management: either very little data would come back from site for long periods, or a surge of information came at once leading to delays in decision-making and productivity, and bottlenecks for payroll.
• Cumbersome paper-based processes: the reliance on pre-printed forms limited flexibility and stifled innovation. Any changes required wasteful reprints. With hundreds of operatives this was also incredibly time consuming.
• High costs of traditional methods: the company incurred costs for printing, ink, postage, and the use of carbonated forms, alongside the logistical burden of managing physical documentation.

Aims

‘Four years ago we started looking into how we were going to digitise our operations within the services and solutions side of the business,’ Iain Johnston said.

Breedon Group identified several key objectives for implementing field management software and wanted a solution that would not only address existing pain points but also foster innovation and adaptability in their processes.

The following aims were established for the new software: 

• Enhancing real-time data access: to provide teams with immediate access to essential information, eliminating the delays associated with waiting for weekly updates and ensuring that all personnel are equipped with the data they need.
• Improving flexibility in documentation: to enable the swift adaptation of forms and procedures in response to changes in health and safety regulations, facilitating compliance without time-consuming reprints.
• Reducing administrative overhead: to streamline administrative tasks by automating processes, allowing staff to focus on higher-value activities rather than getting bogged down in paperwork.
• Facilitating seamless scalability: to support the rapid integration of new users and companies within the Breedon Group, allowing for smooth transitions during acquisitions and expansions.
• Minimising operational costs: to cut costs associated with paper-based processes, such as printing, postage, and storage.
• Strengthening health and safety compliance: to ensure that all safety checks and documentation can be updated and disseminated promptly, improving overall workplace safety and accountability.

Solutions

Breedon Group looked at other packages, but they chose Re-flow because it offered them everything they needed in one place.

Re-flow offered many features honed directly to the surfacing industry’s needs: 

• Centralised information management: through Re-flow, job-related documentation and information is readily accessible to everyone, improving communication and making sure teams are aware of job requirements.
• Customisable forms: site-specific forms can be tailored to various tasks, such as vehicle safety checks and health and safety assessments. Any piece of data can be collected efficiently and accurately, improving compliance, addressing client needs, and allowing for more-informed decision making.
• Real-time data access: companies using Re-flow are able to gain immediate access to real-time information from their worksites, eliminating delays and providing peace of mind about the status and quality of jobs.
• Scalability: Re-flow can scale up to a huge number of users, making it the ideal piece of software for expanding businesses and large operations with diverse workflows.
• Automations: Re-flow’s automations reduce the time spent on scheduling and paperwork and allow team members to focus on more critical tasks. This leads to significant time savings and enhanced productivity across the business.
• Cost-effective operations: Re-flow’s ability to streamline workflows significantly reduces costs associated with printing, postage, and document storage and saves countless on-site work hours.

Results

‘It was instantly recognisable that Re-flow was a great fit for our business,’ Iain Johnston said. ​‘Re-flow has saved hours from an admin perspective. Our payroll administrators no longer have to wait until a Friday afternoon when information is sent through.’ When operatives fill out timesheets and forms on the app, all information from site is made available immediately and in real time.

Breedon use Re-flow’s configurable forms to fit the requirements of different clients and contracts, and to monitor real-time progress from worksites. These forms give them much greater flexibility than they’ve ever had before.

For example, for vehicle and plant safety defects, operatives can now share photos of on-site issues. ​‘Before Re-flow, a fitter had to go out to investigate what was going on. Now we have the software, reported defects trigger notifications for the relevant managers. We get real-time information on the app, and we can react as appropriate to solve the solution.’

Highlights:

• Health and safety improvements 
  Breedon can now share safety alerts through Re-flow’s messaging system, ensuring everyone is informed and up to date across the business.
• Real-time visibility 
  Office staff receive information about jobs in real time, which can be shared with clients, building confidence in the team and the quality of jobs. Any challenges or issues can be dealt with quickly.
• Efficiency and time savings 
  With staff in out-of-the-way locations, having constantly updated information flow back through the app to their central offices has been a massive benefit, removing time-wasting bottlenecks.
• An effortless onboarding and support process 
  Breedon were guided through onboarding by Re-flow’s experienced team and enjoyed ongoing support whenever they needed it. 

‘Re-flow has allowed us to grow. We’ve quickly rolled the solution out to a number of businesses that we’ve purchased over the last couple of years. I would recommend Re-flow to other companies. Its innovation is clear, and as a piece of software, it hasn’t stood still. What it’s bringing to us and other customers looks as if it will continue into the future.’