Cadman Cranes reaches new heights with Podfather’s resource management solution

Use cases:
Planning and optimisation Vehicle checks Tracking and notifications ePOD
Industry:
Construction
Location:
Essex
Fleet size:
1 - 20

Cadman Cranes, the leading crane hire company with a reputation for quality, reliability, and safety, is celebrating success having rolled out Podfather’s resource management solution throughout its East Anglia based business. With 20 road going cranes, and a staff of 30, Cadman Cranes sought a solution to replace reliance on manual, paper-based job booking and resource tracking processes of old. 

Cadman Cranes

Having reviewed the solutions the market had to offer, Cadman Crane’s selected Podfather based on the system’s flexibility and the team's ‘can do’ attitude. Having worked together, Cadman Cranes, and Podfather have created a job management solution that encompasses a range of business processes, from resource allocation and tracking, through to job invoicing and driver hours tracking and pay, using one cloud-based back office system and an easy-to-use crane operator app.

“Our industry is very forward thinking when it comes to technology, but a little low tech when it comes to process,” comments Matt Waddingham, Managing Director at Cadman Cranes. “For over 30 years we relied on a paper job booking board to manage our jobs, with paper tickets used to track driver hours. As a business, we felt that there had to be a better way to do things, and that’s where Podfather came in.”

Podfather’s advanced, yet easy to use technology has enabled Cadman Cranes to move away from using a paper job board and printed job tickets to plan and manage vehicle and driver movements. Jobs are booked in using the Podfather cloud-based back office system and each of the 20 drivers now users a handheld device to record vehicle checks, job progress, and hours worked. “When we first looked at introducing handheld devices, there were some doubts,” adds Waddingham, “but our drivers have embraced the new technology and ultimately it has made the entire process smoother, quicker and more transparent.”

Cadman Crane’s operators use their handheld devices to collect the necessary vehicle check information required for business compliance purposes. They also use the Podfather app to record hours of work, time on site, and collect site staff approval both to be on site, and that work has been completed to a satisfactory standard. In addition, operators can use the Podfather app to input any notes, record any issues or damage, and take photographs of anything that needs to be recorded. All this information is sent back to the office team in real time.

“In the past, we had to wait for paper tickets to come back to our office before we could process invoices, deal with customer issues and organise paying our drivers,” adds Waddingham. “The whole process could take up to a week. Now we can turn invoices and driver pay around in less than 24 hours. It’s better for the cashflow and financial stability of our business, and better for our drivers too. We wouldn’t be without it.”

“This is another great example of how the Podfather solution can replace paper-based processes of the past and improve business processes,” comments Colin McCreadie, Managing Director at Podfather. “At Cadman Cranes we worked together to deliver a system that enabled the improvement of the job bookings, information flow, fleet visibility and ultimately cashflow and financial stability for this forward-thinking business.”

Use cases:
Planning and optimisation, Vehicle checks, Tracking and notifications, ePOD,
Industry:
Construction,
Location:
Essex
Fleet size:
1 - 20