How Suffolk revolutionizes productivity with Microsoft technology

By Microsoft in Business Team

October 16, 2017

Focus on: Empower Employees, Optimize Operations

Based out of Boston, Suffolk is one of the largest and most successful companies in the country.

“Suffolk’s vision is to ‘transform the construction experience by building smart,’” says John Fish, Chairman and CEO of Suffolk. “As a company, we invest heavily in the most sophisticated technologies so we can provide our people the tools they need to succeed, while delivering an exceptional experience and product for our clients and partners.”

Driving that vision forward, the company remains committed to leveraging advanced technology to make sure their 1,400 employees are fully equipped to excel. Although construction companies don’t typically invest in digital innovation, Suffolk believes technology has the potential to dramatically disrupt the entire industry with new opportunities previously thought impossible, and therefore made the decision to invest in Microsoft technologies.

Reimagining construction processes with Surface Hub

After borrowing a Surface Hub for a meeting and experiencing the features and capabilities firsthand, Mayer realized that the device was exactly what the company needed to address their communication, collaboration and efficiency needs. Surface Hub devices could sit upright or lay at an angle, accommodating a variety of work styles with its user-friendly design and touch screen feature. Employees could shift seamlessly between presenting information, facilitating conversations and taking notes in meetings.

At Suffolk’s construction sites, Surface Hubs entirely revolutionized productivity, streamlining communication and document management with digitized construction and design plans. The virtual workplace empowered employees to review schedules, address production designs and adjust models while in the field. By leveraging Surface, Suffolk enhances employee productivity, and improves efficiency, while significantly reducing the company’s paper and travel costs.

Revolutionizing virtual design with HoloLens technology

Keeping in line with their company vision of innovating the construction industry, Suffolk is in the pilot phase of experimenting with Microsoft HoloLens. The technology allows employees to show clients an accurate, meaningful virtual model of their designs before breaking ground on the project. Not only does HoloLens empower employees to predict and manage any potential risks, it also provides a more effective method of communicating construction designs to subcontractors and clients.

Suffolk also benefits from delivering an engaging, dynamic visual construction experience. The virtual model can also be shared with an entire project team, allowing clients and architects to leverage powerful virtual insights to make adjustments or ask questions before construction begins. “With HoloLens, the use cases are not only for one person to view the model, but also to be able to project the models onto a screen where a lot more people can view what you’re seeing,” says Ajoy Bhattacharya, Senior Director of Innovation and New Technology at Suffolk.

Investing in digital solutions to foster industry leadership

With Microsoft’s inventive devices and cutting-edge technology, Suffolk is powering the construction industry forward and cementing itself as a clear leader in their field.

“We are continuously exploring new technologies and pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” explains Suffolk Chairman and CEO John Fish. “Having a partner like Microsoft gives us the confidence to innovate and explore like never before, so that we can achieve our ambitious goal of revolutionizing and disrupting our industry.”