A new app will give Supafil installers a competitive edge.
Insulation is the hidden hero of our homes. When it’s installed well, you don’t notice it – it helps maintain comfortable temperatures in a building while minimising the need for artificial heating or cooling. But that hidden nature also makes it difficult to spot when it’s not installed well – either because the wrong products have been used or they’ve been fitted incorrectly. This is especially true for insulation that’s sealed away in cavity walls on site. That’s why Knauf Insulation has launched an installation tracking app that makes it easier than ever for Supafil Approved Installers to prove the value they deliver for their customers.
The KinetiK app makes it possible to record detailed installation data. It creates a plot-specific record of essential installation data for each job, which can then be shared with housebuilder customers. “As quality control becomes more important to housebuilders, partly driven by new legislation, installation evidence will become increasingly valuable,” declares Steve Duke, Commercial Director, Knauf Insulation. “KinetiK gives our Approved Installers a way to provide this data for their customers, something their competitors can’t offer.”
The app works by tracking the installation process from start to finish. Installers select the specific development, plot and application from a pre-populated list, then scan the unique QR code printed on each pack of Supafil as it’s installed. The app also prompts them to take photos at relevant points throughout the process. The data is collated into a complete record that can then be given to housebuilder customers and used by installers to manage their own quality control.
Knauf Insulation plans to use KinetiK as a digital platform for further innovation. “We’re actively developing new services based on the reliable source of installation data to help the construction industry respond to what we believe will be its next big challenge – ‘as-built’ performance. Watch this space,” said Duke.
The full Supafi® range includes solutions for cavity walls, party walls and timber frame construction. It is non-combustible with a Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification and was the first solution of its type in Europe to be awarded the Declare ‘Red List Free’ label, which certifies that the product does not contain any harmful chemicals from an agreed list.
For further information about the KinetiK® app visit https://www.knaufinsulation.co.uk/kinetik>
Novora proves quality & added value.
“Our fundamental challenge is that our work is invisible. We put a product into buildings that can’t be seen. We know we’re delivering a quality installation, but it’s not easy to prove that to our customers,” reveals Craig Leggett, Managing Director of Supafil Approved Installer, Novora Building Services.
The vast majority of insulation installers are well-trained and conscientious professionals, but when so many jobs are won and lost on razor thin margins, there can be additional pressure to cut costs. “Operator leeway” as Craig euphemistically puts it. “If there’s no way of verifying the quality of an installation, how can my team compete against less diligent contractors willing to cut corners?”
More often than not, it comes down to trust. Novora’s existing customer base has faith in the quality of the work it does – aided by the company’s existing rigorous training, monitoring and inspection schemes.
But how can that same trust be built with new customers? Novora needed a way to prove the quality and value of its installations in a crowded and competitive market. A market that is increasingly demanding quality-assured installations as regulations get stricter. Knauf Insulation’s latest innovation provided an answer.
Continues Craig: “This new technology allows us to give our customers independent verifiable data that their insulation has been delivered and installed in accordance with the specification, protecting the value of our high quality Supafil installations.”
Novora was the first Supafil Approved Installer to adopt KinetiK, trialling it on over five hundred plots across many sites for multiple developers so far, with great success. “Our installers have embraced it. For them, it’s easy to use and it provides welcome proof of a job well done. We’ve been using tablets on site for over six years anyway to reduce our paper use. We work hard to reduce carbon emissions in homes – we don’t want to negate that by bringing down a forest just to prove it!”
For further information on Novora Building Services visit https://www.novora.co.uk/
