Prolog® Customers Receive Constructech Vision Awards
J.A. Jones International and McCarthy Building Companies recognized for demonstrating how they use Prolog technology to improve revenue
FOLSOM, Calif. (November 11, 2004) — Meridian Systems®, an enterprise solution provider for optimizing the plan, build and operate phases of real estate, construction and other infrastructure programs, announces customers J. A. Jones International (A Fluor Company) and McCarthy Building Companies Inc. have won Constructech Vision Awards. J.A. Jones has extended the power of Prolog by integrating the project control solution with a custom-developed time tracking system, while McCarthy has used Prolog as a part of an international, corporate-wide initiative to streamline construction processes.
Entrants in the Constructech Vision Awards program were asked to describe the challenges they face within their AEC organization and how they use technology in an innovative way to solve these problems as well as what benefits were received by choosing their technology solution. Constructech awarded McCarthy a bronze Vision Award as a general contractor in the commercial building industry, while J.A. Jones was awarded a gold Vision Award for its service to government entities. As the project control solution of choice for both J. A. Jones and McCarthy, Prolog was awarded two Constructech Enabler Awards.
Prolog ranks as a market share leader in project management software among general contractors with over $100 million in revenue1, and delivers in-depth project management features across projects and programs in the areas of: collaboration, purchasing management, cost control, document management and field administration.
In mid-2003, McCarthy announced project R.I.S.E. -- Increase Efficiency by Re-Engineering, Integration, Standardization, or Elimination of business processes. The initiative entails evaluation of processes in all functional corporate areas, as well as, processes that span the construction supply chain. “Construction industry processes are complex and fragmented. Our goal is to challenge the way we have done things in the past and work towards true integration. We believe this effort will propel McCarthy into a leaner and more tightly focused company that is poised for the growth that we are projecting over the next 5-10 years,” said Mike Oster, vice president of information technology for McCarthy.
Linked to the integration of processes, McCarthy is putting a heavy emphasis on project collaboration websites, connecting owners, architects, subcontractors and suppliers with the McCarthy team. Using Prolog for collaboration over the internet, McCarthy has implemented web-based communication and collaboration on change orders, CAD document review and redlining, and day-to-day project activity. “Timely communication and decision making is key to project profitability. We have more than 80 projects and nearly 500 collaborators using Prolog. By deploying websites, it puts both accountability and response time squarely on the shoulders of those responsible,” finished Oster.
On the construction of the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, J.A. Jones needed to accurately track and compile daily labor workforce hours in a timely and efficient manner that would enable further leveraging the information within Prolog, the project control solution used by J.A. Jones and chosen for this embassy project. J.A. Jones and a local technology network consultant developed an electronic time tracking system that allowed the recording of workforce start and end times. A simple interfacing application was developed to allow the workforce time data to populate within Prolog.
The J.A. Jones team successfully linked Prolog with its custom-developed time tracking system. This enabled J.A. Jones to efficiently compile payroll reports, produce workforce billing reports for subcontractors, analyze labor costs, assess manpower productively and project future labor needs. The cost of implementation was recovered almost immediately through labor savings. The integration further provides a system that can be enhanced and leveraged on other J.A. Jones’ projects.
For additional information on Prolog Manager, the AEC standard in project management, visit http://www.meridiansystems.com/products/prolog/index.asp. For additional information on the 2004 Constructech Vision and Enabler Awards, visit www.constructech.com, or read the November and December issues of the print magazine.
About Meridian Systems
Meridian Systems provides enterprise solutions that optimize the Plan, Build and Operate phases of real estate, construction and other physical infrastructure initiatives. Meridian solutions are used by more than 8,500 of today’s large building owners, government agencies, and engineering and construction firms to improve top line revenue growth while reducing their capital construction costs. Meridian uniquely provides both traditional software and hosted ASP solutions, and ranks as a market share leader in project management software among general contractors with over $100 million in revenue2. Meridian has an impressive track record of revenue growth over its 11-year history, and has been repeatedly recognized as a Constructech Hottest Technology company. Meridian is headquartered in Folsom, Calif. For more information, call Meridian at 1-800-850-2660, or go to www.meridiansystems.com.
1, 2Statistics excerpted from CFMA's 2004 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry, fourth edition with the permission of the Construction Financial Management Association, Princeton, NJ, 609-452-8000.
Meridian Systems Contact
Sue Watkins, Director of Marketing
swatkins@meridiansystems.com
