The parent company of Optima Partitioning Systems, OAG and Unilock Products will use knowledge management software to simplify sharing of valuable project information

Commercial Interiors specialist, HLS Group, has announced its plan to roll out Workspace from Union Square Software in order to improve communication between staff at head office and also within its subsidiary companies.

Acting as a central database, Workspace will be accessible to registered users from any location. Incorporating functions for storing various project documents retrieved through a search facility, the technology will make it easier for HLS Group staff to store and retrieve information, ensuring that they are always working with the most up-to-date material.

Based in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, HLS Group's products and services for the construction industry include 'Optima Partitioning Systems', 'Unilock Products', special glazing contractor 'OAG', its main contractor operation 'Cirus' and the after-sale support function 'Optima Special Works'. With around 220 employees working at numerous locations around the country, HLS Group started looking for ways to improve the way that the company's information was handled.

HLS Group's IT Director, Adam Morgan comments: "60% of our workforce is mobile - project managers and surveyors travelling to and from sites, and a sales force covering the UK. Whilst remote access to some documents is currently available, we are working with lots of different islands of information." Morgan continues: "We have evaluated the way we share information both within the organisation and with our customers, and have identified several areas that could be made considerably more efficient."

Four knowledge management solutions were evaluated before HLS finally decided on Workspace from Union Square. Morgan continues: "We considered a few different products; one centred heavily on accounting, another involved a 'build your own' function and others were too generic. Workspace is intended specifically for the construction industry, it focuses on information that is relevant to us and it is easy to use, which is the main reason we decided to make this investment. Rather than training our staff in the use of several systems, we wanted a central repository of information. The primary function of our staff is to be experts in project and site management, not power users of IT."

The Workspace technology will initially be rolled out to 40 staff in the sales and estimating teams, with a view to incorporating Project Management in the very near future, and in so doing adding another 60 users. Morgan concludes: "Eventually this will be a company-wide application with around 160 users and our requirements for the system will continue to evolve as our business develops."