Balticgruppen uses iBinder for both large and small projects
Balticgruppen is one of the major market participants in the "15-minute city" of Umeå, and has a property portfolio of about 260,000 square metres. With experience in all types of property, from residential and hotels to restaurants, galleries, museums and university premises, the company needs technical systems that are flexible and easy to use. There are also numerous interaction points in the company’s various areas of business and processes. Structure and orderliness in projects are therefore a must.
To find out more about how iBinder is used by Balticgruppen, we met two experienced users, project engineer Erik Johansson and project manager Robert Wennberg.
Great variety and high tempo in the smaller projects
A lot of Erik's work involves fairly short projects relating to adaptations, such as for retail or office premises in one of the Balticgruppen’s properties. Over the course of six months or less, the tenant's needs have to be identified, the project design has to carried out, subcontractors have to be procured and the refurbishment or conversion has to be carried out. This is where the simplicity of iBinder really comes into its own, because there is insufficient time to hold training sessions for invited project participants. Erik has also created ready-made tab structures and templates, making it quick and easy to organise all the documentation, which ranges from drawings to survey reports. Erik creates new folders for the projects; there can sometimes be 6-7 simultaneous projects and it is natural to organise the material in this way. At the end of the projects, he can then hand over the binders to his colleagues in the property management department. Another advantage is that it is easier to keep track of all the people involved in each currently running project.
A platform that keeps information together over time
For Robert Wennberg, the real benefit is the simplicity of use, as well as the large iBinder user base. The projects Robert leads usually last much longer and are often large new developments such as public buildings or office blocks. This can involve hundreds of people, which means the accessibility, access rights management and communication features of the platform are as important as the document structure and mobile adaptation. As with most of iBinder's customers, Balticgruppen uses a range of specialised tools to review and manage certain types of documents. The municipality and other clients and partners also have their own customised systems. The binders are then used to collect together final documents and links to other systems in a coherent way.
iBinder is a tool that is suitable for all stages of the construction process, from initial design through to property management. As we can see, at Balticgruppen the platform is used for everything from large new builds to adaptations of premises. Its ease of use and large user base among subcontractors and partners make iBinder a very competitive tool.
Facts, Balticgruppen
- A privately-owned property company based in Umeå, Sweden
- Provides development, construction and management services
- Founded by Krister Olsson in 1988. Since 2016, Jonas Olsson has been the sole owner following a planned generational change.
- Property portfolio: about 260,000 square metres
- Number of properties: 45
- Leases for premises: 325
- Has development, construction and property management experience relating to hotels, cultural centres, university premises, county council premises, municipal activities, libraries, museums, shops, restaurants, offices, galleries and sports facilities, as well as detached houses, apartments and terraced houses.
- Involved in the construction of several notable buildings and areas in Umeå, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Utopia neighbourhood, the Väven cultural centre and Skulpturparken.
