New knowledge management software portal

'Workspace' from Union Square provides integrated 'real-time' project information to all members of staff at Architen Landrell.

One of the world's leading tensile fabric structure companies, Architen Landrell, is implementing a knowledge management software portal from Union Square Software, to ensure that critical, 'real-time' project information is available to its 60 members of staff at all times regardless of their location.

The 'Workspace' portal, costing in the region of GBP30,000, will record all of the organisation's current activities, storing project related information effectively from email and letter correspondence to technical drawings and business development procedures.

Individual users are then able to access the information they require using the system's intelligent search capability.

Based in Chepstow , Monmouthshire, Architen Landrell's work encompasses the design, manufacture and maintenance of advanced lightweight building systems ranging from stadium roofs and covered shopping malls to entrance canopies and walkways, using tensile fabrics such as PVC coated polyester and specially coated glass cloth.

The company is certainly well known in its field, with an outstanding client history, having completed projects for the BBC, the David Beckham Football Academy and The Rolling Stones Licks Tour.

Prior to the purchase of Workspace, Architen was managing its project information using a range of disparate applications and spreadsheets.

Lance Rowell, Managing Director at Archinten explains, "We have always used standard Windows-based software to manage our documents, using the traditional drag and drop method for moving files and folders which are later transferred to disks for manual storage".

"Email management was a key business driver when implementing a new IT system, as more and more of our business communication is being conducted this way and we wanted to safeguard against vital information being lost through mismanagement".

"The new system will ensure important emails are not buried in personal inboxes, instead they are all accessible through the Workspace portal".

Christopher Rowell, IT Manager at Architen adds, "We became aware some time ago that we needed to address the way information was being shared throughout the company and began work on our own portal system based on Microsoft Share Point".

"However, achieving the standard of system we wanted would have required extensive customisation in the future, incurring significant costs".

Christopher continues, "We were referred to Union Square by other users of Workspace within the construction industry and realised this product could deliver most of the things we were trying to achieve".

"We wanted the new system to be flexible and robust, but it had to be attuned to our way of working".

"Union Square is effectively tailoring a version of Workspace to meet our needs".

"We may have to make some adjustments in the future based on employee feedback and we have plans to incorporate our accounting functions, but all of that can be done at a low cost and with minimal disruption".

Commenting on the working relationship with Union square, Lance Rowell concludes, "We have really enjoyed working with Union Square; the whole company has a 'can do' attitude".

"They are flexible in their approach and have listened to what we have to say ensuring everyone is working towards the same goal at every stage of the implementation".

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