Intal digitised quality registration with Snagstream

This is how Intal uses Snagstream. Intal develops, engineers, produces and delivers effective circular aluminium window, door and curtain-wall systems. For quality registration, Intal uses Snagstream, a widely used quality app in construction. The big advantage? 100% reliable data.

Recording quality control

Dick Rinia is responsible for the Snagstream rollout at Intal. In the summer of 2022, after an extensive selection process, Intal chose Snagstream.

We are a company that does things differently. We work by LEAN principles and with our own Intal method. That makes choosing software harder: you want to buy something you can get going with straight away and that fits your process 100%, but that did not exist. We also looked into what it would take to have something built ourselves, but that turned out to be a very costly and lengthy route. So we invited a number of parties to see how their systems could work for us. Snagstream turned out to be the most flexible, and it was easy to get started with, so we chose Snagstream.
Dick Rinia, responsible for the Snagstream rollout at Intal

Since January this year, Dick has been fully occupied with the rollout.

I am on it full time and, in terms of usage, by mid-June we are almost at 100%. The goal was to register 100% of our projects in Snagstream by 1 July, and we are going to make it. Then we are 'over' and we run the full quality control through Snagstream. We are still working on custom adjustments, because we want even more from the system than is possible now. A specialised partner is building a BI interface via an API to automate more of the work. Before Snagstream, all communication around execution ran through email, phone and WhatsApp. That meant quality checks and reports had to be done by hand, which was time-consuming and unreliable. Our biggest goal was and is to record all quality registrations in Snagstream. The Quality Assurance Act is coming, which it matters for, but it also helps us monitor and safeguard our own processes and turnaround time.
Dick Rinia, Intal

No more surprises

With manual registration, the quality of that registration depends on the person. With registration in Snagstream we have more insight and can test the data, so it is reliable and we are no longer caught out. We also prefer to stay clear of a contractor's completion system altogether, because we have recorded all risks and costs at a much earlier stage. When you are installing a floor, back at the office you have no idea how it stands. Previously we had to email or call about the status, and then rely on a subcontractor's update. That is hard to record, so it happened less. With Snagstream we record the status of every frame by position. Each window is set to green once it is finished, a photo is taken for the completion report, and you can move on.
Dick Rinia, Intal

Preventing problems

Our build partners and collaborating parties increasingly understand that this form of registration pays for itself and that it helps them in discussions about, say, short deliveries or damage, Dick notes.

There is a slow shift among installation partners who, in principle, would rather just make as many square metres as possible. They are discovering all kinds of options and actively asking whether they can add extra things in Snagstream. For instance, if a contractor wants installation to go ahead while the substrate is not right, the installer wants to record that in case of a later dispute. That is a very positive development. At first the reaction was mostly that they were not waiting for extra work, but now they are seeing the benefits too. It is still growing, but at least we now have a very easy tool that everyone knows and that offers support.
Dick Rinia, Intal

A good partnership

The reliability of the data is the biggest advantage for Dick.

Once it is in there, you can test it, and then you know all the information it holds is correct. If information has not been added properly, you can steer on that. You can check everything, and it opens up possibilities. The full history of the snags can be retrieved. We are now working to get even more out of the database. It is a shame that is not standard yet, but the possibilities are there. Any analysis you can think of is possible. The partnership with Pro4all is also very pleasant. You can tell they enjoy it too. They think along, they are honest about what is and is not possible. I never feel they are trying to sell me something.
Dick Rinia, Intal

Taking your time

The rollout has taken about six months so far, and that is a good thing, Dick believes.

Improvement projects need time, you cannot do them too fast. Changes need time to land. People have to get used to it, they need to be able to think it over, you cannot do that overnight. It really helped that I am on this full time. You need headspace to implement something like this. My biggest tip for rolling out Snagstream? Make projects smaller and slow the process down. But that really goes for all of life. Change needs time. It took me a long while to realise that too.
Dick Rinia, Intal