Shopping Center Business is the leading monthly business magazine for the retail real estate industry.
Issue link: http://shoppingcenterbusiness.epubxp.com/i/710880
OXBLUE 86 • SHOPPING CENTER BUSINESS • August 2016 This is in line with the level of detail and communication retailers require to avoid costly delays, while finding ways to open the doors for business and begin gener- ating revenue. Scheduling of electrical, lighting, flooring and other interior work in the later project stages often flows more smoothly — and work progresses more quickly — when clients can observe what's going on each day. The contract between BJ's and Ox- Blue also includes technical and logisti- cal phone support, including proactive monitoring throughout the lifecycle of each project. "OxBlue was not the cheapest provider we looked at," says Lords, "but we liked OxBlue's versatility and the web-based platform that lets us access time-lapse images on our computers and our mobile devices." EASE OF INTEGRATION Integrating the cameras did not require employee training or the purchase of addi- tional software, Lords said. OxBlue's sys- tem linked seamlessly with the company's project management software, providing BJ's with "a simple tool that we know how to use to our advantage," he explained. With the company's ability to select specific images, pan and zoom and play high-definition time-lapse movies, BJ's is able to remotely monitor and document its construction projects, viewing them from big-picture perspectives or pinpoint- ing the smallest details on jobs. Lords cites the cameras' capabilities to help the company avoid and resolve job- site disputes. For example, a contractor cannot claim to have 50 workers on a site when the cameras can clearly prove other- wise. Also, disagreements over workdays or work hours lost to rain delays, muddy conditions or other inclement weather can be settled at once by a review of time- lapse jobsite pictures. The camera systems can also help with identifying overlooked hazards, risk fac- tors and performance issues before they get out hand. At one jobsite, "during in- stallation of the petroleum fuel tanks, one of our engineers noticed that a tank was being installed incorrectly," says Lords. "We were able to catch it while it was happening and contact the jobsite imme- diately. That was an issue involving thou- sands of dollars, and we were able to stop it before it happened." For BJ's, the experience of contracting for and deploying jobsite construction camera services has been a positive one. Says Lords: "It's a simple service, a good tool and we know what we're getting"— both from the construction camera ser- vice provider and from contractors at jobsites. SCB Through the company's use of jobsite cameras, BJ's was able to save thousands of dollars by catching workers before a petroleum fuel tank was installed incorrectly. Worksite cameras have helped BJ's avoid and resolve jobsite disputes — ranging from contractors claiming an incorrect number of workers onsite, to disagreements over work hours lost to rain delays.