How Avensis Ingenieros use PlanRadar to maintain ventilation systems in the Barcelona Metro

15% increase in productivity for maintenance and reporting

AVENSIS INGENIEROS was founded in 2005 as a Technical Office of Engineering, Risk Prevention and Installations. The Avensis team is made up of 12 experienced technicians with diverse training in different fields, including technical engineers and occupational risk prevention technicians. Some of their services include tailor-made technical consultancy, installation and maintenance of industrial equipment and the regular review and inspection of industrial safety systems and equipment.

Although Avensis specialises in the chemical industries, they also work with hotels and other amenities in the tourism industry as well as public infrastructure. Operating in both the construction and operation phases, their work is varied but always requires complete accuracy and proper documentation.

The challenge: communication, transparency and accuracy

Avensis Ingenieros are responsible for maintaining the ventilation system in line 9 of Barcelona’s metro system, a key part of the city’s infrastructure. As part of this contract, they also regularly have to report to the regional authorities who are answerable to the public. It is therefore very important for Avensis to solve any issues quickly while being completely transparent and accountable. They also need to be able to inform the authorities about the current status of work at short notice.

Originally, Avensis used several different systems to collect data and report on progress. On-site, they collected data using pen and paper and used their mobile phones to take photos. Back in the office the team then had to combine this data manually into Excel and Word documents. Communication was conducted via WhatsApp, emails and phone calls. While this system worked, it was extremely time-consuming.

With over 3,000 locations to monitor within the metro system, and the requirement to locate and repair defects within 24 hours, every second counted. As a result, Avensis began to look for a digital solution that could streamline their process.

The solution: PlanRadar enables transparent documentation and communication

Gabriel Alvarez, Technical Director at Avensis was in the process of testing a digital tool but was unhappy with its performance on Android devices. It was also not compatible with Windows Surface tablets and generally wasn’t very user-friendly. He then came across PlanRadar. After a short tutorial, he created his own project and, following a couple of brief interactions with the support team, he became 100% autonomous, creating his own projects, forms and reports with ease.

For his first test with PlanRadar, Alvarez chose a maintenance and facility management project within the Barcelona Metro, aiming to improve productivity and resolve defects as quickly as possible. He also used PlanRadar to conduct recurring quality control checks and to create extensive snagging lists. He describes his team as “learning by doing”. He showed them the basics on a mobile device and they found it very easy to use. Once they were used to the system, it took them less than 3 minutes on average to create a ticket, saving over three hours a week on administration and post-site processing. Alvarez estimates that it saves 75% of time spent on admin overall.

The result: one platform for transparent communication

Today, Avensis uses PlanRadar for defect management, communication and reporting. On average, the team uses it on five projects at once, some of which are long-term maintenance projects and some of which are short-term installation projects that take between three and six months.

For their work with Barcelona Metro line 9, the team has uploaded 300 plans with 3000 control points that need regular checks. They are also able to store the document specifications of 300 different ventilation components for consultation in the event of a defect. PlanRadar allows the team, which includes three technical consultants, two subcontractors and two observers, to communicate in a single platform.

Another benefit when working on the metro line is PlanRadar’s offline mode, which allows the team to record information while working underground and then automatically syncs when reconnected to the internet. This means that the team can communicate with external stakeholders in close to real-time.