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Since its humble beginnings in 1954 as a small privately-owned development and homebuilding company in Columbia, South Carolina, Mungo Homes has evolved into a billion-dollar operation, earning accolades and expanding its footprint across multiple states. Over the years, they have weathered economic recessions and navigated through ever-changing housing markets with unwavering determination, outlasting many competitors in the housing industry.
A key element of their continued success lies in their innovative and forward-thinking approach. Embracing its potential, Mungo Homes’ Raleigh division implemented TraceAir into their processes to streamline operations, accelerate progress, and enhance efficiency. From initial planning to project completion through marketing and final sale, TraceAir has provided invaluable insights and empowered their team to make informed decisions that drive productivity and profitability while maximizing efficiency.
Maximizing Productivity & Streamlining Workflows
With its innovative blend of aerial intelligence and advanced analytics, TraceAir revolutionizes project management. One of the key benefits of TraceAir is its ability to provide valuable insights and actionable data that empower decision-makers at every level of the organization. For Mungo Homes’ Raleigh division, TraceAir has been a game-changer in several key areas:
Progress Tracking & Billing Verification: TraceAir simplifies progress tracking by providing weekly high-resolution, 3D aerial scans accurate to 3 centimeters. These scans offer a comprehensive view of project status, enabling users to stay on track and make informed decisions.
“An onsite vantage point is historically preferred in our industry, but overseeing several projects simultaneously across our growing footprint makes it challenging to do so as frequently,” shared Manager of Land Development, Garth De Blasio. “TraceAir enables us to manage the day to day sitework operations, oversee progress, and address issues remotely. When we do visit the project site, my team is able to have more productive discussions and maximize time efficiently, because we already have a bird’s eye view and aerial acumen of what’s going on in the field”.
More than just visualizing progress, TraceAir quantifies it. Users can obtain specific metrics, such as the length of pipe laid, volume of dirt moved, number of driveways paved, and foundations poured. Beyond tracking progress, this information is valuable for verifying bills and providing precise insights into project milestones. “TraceAir is a great tool for helping us maintain accountability, verify progress billing, and substantiate claims of onsite conditions before, during, and after work is complete,” added De Blasio.
Earthwork & Lot Grades: With advanced tools for earthworks, TraceAir enables users to easily understand cut/fill quantities of their entire projects down to individual lots. The cut/fill balance tool shows a heat map of the current state of the project compared to the design grade, for easy visualization of how much cut or fill is needed. A standout tool for homebuilders, Lot Viewer provides precise cut/fill quantities and elevations for individual lots, streamlining the grading process and eliminating the need for repetitive surveys.
We use Lot Viewer on all of our projects, and it’s quickly becoming our favorite tool within TraceAir. It allows our teams to pinpoint exactly which lots require attention and the specific areas in need of adjustments. This not only minimizes additional surveying expenses, but also accelerates project timelines overall with cleaner/clearer lot handoffs from sitework contractor to vertical production. This is where we experience the most significant time savings.”
– Garth De Blasio, Manager of Land Development, Mungo Homes, Raleigh Division
Sequencing: Mungo Home’s Raleigh division’s production and field teams use TraceAir to strategically plan sequencing. By visualizing project sites in detail and overlaying project plans, teams can identify the most efficient areas to begin building, optimize the placement of stockpiles, and plan tasks and phases to maximize productivity. This thorough understanding of site logistics ensures smooth project execution, minimizes delays, and enhances overall efficiency.
Land Planning: By providing a comprehensive view of the entire project site, TraceAir offers invaluable insights to ensure that every aspect of the project is meticulously planned for optimal efficiency and functionality. “Our team takes great pride in designing well thought out communities,” explained Vicky Hartshorn, Land Planning Manager. “With TraceAir, it’s much easier to strategically discuss different layouts, housing options, and locations for amenities. We like to pull up different projects and discuss pros and cons. It’s super helpful.”
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Avoiding Mistakes & Reducing Risk
TraceAir empowers Mungo Homes to proactively identify potential issues early, such as grading discrepancies or deviations from design specifications. “The tools in TraceAir let us compare our project plans with real-time progress on site, helping us catch issues before they escalate,” shared De Blasio. “For instance, we like to overlay our wet/dry utilities plan to verify everything is aligned properly. Relocating a transformer box could cost us tens of thousands of dollars, cause delays to closings, and/or impact homeowners/HOA after the fact. With TraceAir, we can be proactive and avoid issues like this while original installers are still engaged onsite. We also like to overlay our erosion control and SWPPP plans to ensure everything is in compliance.”
Enhancing Collaboration
With TraceAir, Mungo Homes has established a centralized platform that fosters seamless collaboration among team members and project stakeholders. According to De Blasio, "Sharing TraceAir throughout our Division and with our executive team has been extremely beneficial with its ease of access and remote applications. We incorporate TraceAir into nearly all our meetings, utilizing overlays, panoramic 360-degree views, and historical data to easily visualize progress and create a visual storyboard of our accomplishments. The feedback thus far has only been positive in the application’s ability to drive collaboration and decisions."
“We’ve also found a ton of value in sharing TraceAir with our teams who are not directly involved in land development,” added Hartshorn. “For example, our marketing team uses it to plan where they will put signage. They use the overlays tool to understand where future trenches will be dug for utilities or sidewalks will go, allowing them to avoid the hassle of relocating signs later on. Our sales, purchasing, and production teams use it to track progress and gain a better understanding of the project. Many questions that used to require field team assistance can now be quickly answered by checking TraceAir. Sharing TraceAir screenshots in emails or meetings has significantly sped up our decision-making process."
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Furthermore, the advantages of TraceAir extend beyond within the company. "The ability to share the 360 panoramas or access to TraceAir with our partners and vendors so they can zoom in/out, allows folks to virtually grasp the process. It is a more effective conversation than merely describing it or sending a photo,” De Blasio explained. “We share it with some of our contractors, and it's super helpful to them, so much in fact many have decided to engage with TraceAir directly for other projects." This seamless integration of data and communication has nurtured a culture of collaboration and teamwork within the local Raleigh Market among builders and their vendor partners.
TraceAir empowers us to effectively communicate our vision to our team, boosting motivation and enthusiasm. It allows us to bridge the gap between discussions and results. Leveraging TraceAir streamlines information relay to our team and executives, facilitating more productive conversations and ensuring everyone’s on the same page. This not only saves us a significant amount of time, but also enables us to make decisions faster and more collaboratively.”
– Vicky Hartshorn, Land Planning Manager, Mungo Homes, Raleigh Division
Maximizing Efficiency
Perhaps the most significant impact of TraceAir at Mungo Homes has been its ability to maximize efficiency across all aspects of their business. “We continue to find new ways to use TraceAir within the company to improve our processes,” shared Hartshorn. “Issues that used to take weeks to resolve and require everyone to go out on site can now be solved much faster and more efficiently. But what's more important is that with TraceAir's tools like overlays and markups, we can collaborate and use data to make not only faster decisions, but also smarter ones. This saves us a lot of frustration and keeps our projects on track. For me, the biggest benefit of having TraceAir is being able to use our time more efficiently.”
De Blasio adds, "A major area where TraceAir has made us more efficient is surveying. Instead of having to send a surveyor out to see how much dirt we have in a stockpile, we can measure it in TraceAir in a matter of seconds. The cost savings alone by avoiding a surveyor visit, which could exceed $1,000, are substantial. But what's even more valuable is the time saved. Having access to this information instantly through TraceAir is truly invaluable.”
A unique, newfound efficiency where the Raleigh division utilizes TraceAir is onboarding new employees. “We can sit down with a new hire and introduce them to every project within TraceAir in an hour, as opposed to spending multiple hours on the road just driving to each project. It's a helpful tool that allows them to understand the locations of our projects and what's happening at each one. They can see the entire project on screen and overlay future plans, while referencing historical data outside their immediate project territories to drive current decisions,” De Blasio shared.
A Proven Solution
The results speak for themselves. With streamlined workflows, enhanced collaboration, and data-driven decision-making at their fingertips, the Raleigh division has achieved remarkable improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and overall performance. Moreover, the seamless integration of TraceAir into their operations has not only optimized internal processes, but also strengthened relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
To experience TraceAir for yourself, schedule a demo today and discover how your team can benefit.
Working with TraceAir, from the initial setup to daily usage, has been super easy. The web-based platform is accessible, intuitive, and easy for anyone to use, regardless of their technical ability. The training and support we’ve received from TraceAir is unbeatable. Whenever we have questions or want to make changes, we get quick answers.”
– Garth De Blasio, Manager of Land Development, Mungo Homes, Raleigh Division