VW/Equipment Management

[Landartma]

I'm a relatively small design build company.  Our VW platform is not fully developed for our business but it looks like it can be developed to really streamline the design, estimating and documentation areas of projects.  One of our challenges is equipment and tool management.  Knowing what equipment is where is crucial and costs us a ton of time.  Has anyone used VW to help with this?  What other tools/apps are design build people using?

[Pat Stanford]

VW is not only a CAD/BIM program, but it also has 3 and a half programming language options (I am considering Vectorscript and Python to be 1.5). So it can be programmed to do lots of things.

 

But it is also very file based, which limits what it can do across different files.

 

If you want to be able to move an excavator from location A to location B in a single (or even multiple referenced) file, it will be possible. If you want to be able to move an excavator from location A in one drawing set to location B in a different drawing set and expect VW to keep track of where it is that is probably beyond the capabilities of the program.

 

Tell us more about what you want the program to do and we can help you figure out the best way to accomplish it.

[Landartma]

We run multiple projects at time to be sure we always have work to do.  Some of the jobs include fine gardening to smaller landscape enhancements for our existing clients.  As a result much of our small equipment is scattered all over our territory.  We basically need a project management platform and an equipment inventory system.  I think I may have found one today called Monday.com which may do the trick.  Its excel based an customizable and sharable on google docs so the crew members who aren't on the design side can use it...hopefully.  

[Pat Stanford]

I have heard good things about Monday.com, but when I looked at it I thought it was too cartoony for me.

 

There are lots of options for scheduling software. Some of them include asset location and availability.

 

If you like Monday then you are set. If not, there are other options as well. But I don't think that VW is the right tool for asset scheduling and management.

 

Good Luck in finding what you need.

[Your Name Here]

@Landartma there is specific cloud based biz ops software available for your industry that will manage projects, staff, inventory, and equipment in one platform.  You might want to talk to your book keeper and an industry rep for business automation software to find an appropriate solution.  Landscape Specifier News and other trade publications usually have a few ads or articles highlighting what all the cool kids are using these days.  Vectorworks or Monday.com are not the tools you need IMHO.

[Landartma]

Yes I was not thinking VW was the tool for the job but rather seeing in other design build folks using VW had a solution they use.  I started looking for some industry specific stuff as well.  Its really not to difficult to create an inventory spread sheet of tools and equipment but a ready made one is always easier.