Customer presentation
Atwill Morin Échafaudage (AME) is a division of Groupe Atwill Morin, a Quebec-based company specializing in heritage restoration and masonry. Founded in 2014, AME is dedicated to the rental, installation and dismantling of scaffolding for short- to medium-term construction projects. It operates both for external customers and for the Group’s other divisions, with a rapid response capability tailored to site constraints.
Against a backdrop of tight margins and rapid turnaround times, AME needed a project management tool that would enable it to track site progress in real time, maximize profitability and facilitate decision-making.
With this in mind, Nexus Innovations was commissioned to design a customized digital solution: Polaris.
Objectifs d’affaires
The Polaris project was designed to meet two major challenges for AME: operational responsiveness and project profitability. More specifically, the objectives were to
- Provide complete visibility of project progress and profitability.
- Enable rigorous budget management by project.
- Provide up-to-date, real-time data for rapid decision-making.
- Empower foremen and project managers with appropriate management tools.
- Facilitate access to key information (estimated and actual costs, margins).
Solution proposed
Delivered in 2020, Polaris is an adaptive mobile web application, accessible on all connected devices. It enables management to monitor all projects in progress, consult financial and operational details, and intervene rapidly in the event of any deviation.
Technologically, Polaris is based on a Microsoft Azure cloud architecture. The user interface has been designed to be responsive and intuitive, facilitating adoption by field teams.
The application integrates :
- A centralized database for managing projects, bids and work phases.
- Dynamic dashboards for clear, personalized visualization of performance indicators.
- Interactive forms for time recording, project creation and cost tracking.
- Exportable Excel reports for budgetary and operational monitoring.
Each user role (administrator, manager, project manager, foreman, estimator, etc.) has personalized access according to their responsibilities, with permissions adapted to their daily tasks.
Impact on the organization
Since going live, Polaris has become a central tool in AME’s operations management. It enables the management team to track project profitability in real time, quickly identify projects to monitor, and make informed decisions.
Several years after its initial delivery, the solution is still in active use. It has weathered team changes and industry challenges, proving its robustness and relevance. AME continues to benefit from Nexus Innovations’ annual support contract. This partnership ensures maintenance, technological updates, resolution of limit cases, as well as ongoing optimization of the platform.
Solution adoption
Adoption of Polaris has been gradual, supported by targeted training and an intuitive interface. The application is now used by several members of the scaffolding division, including foremen and project managers. Thanks to its ease of use and the relevance of the data provided, Polaris has established itself as an indispensable day-to-day tool.
Project team
The Nexus Innovations team responsible for developing the application included :
- Rafael Bispo: UX Strategist
- Alexia Brideau Francoeur: Designer
- Guillaume Bouchard Lafond: M365 Expert
- Samuel Laplante : Software Developer
