Press Release: HVAC Experts Improve Site Meeting Efficiency by Not Leaving the Office

Costly, stressful, high-mileage site meetings are becoming a relic of the past for the UK’s leading heating and ventilation ductwork manufacturer and contractors, Senior Hargreaves.  They have contracts from Southampton to Scotland and knew there must be a better, greener way of conducting site meetings.  The answer came with the installation of a video conferencing system to allow project managers and engineers to liaise with colleagues and contractors anywhere in the UK with the click of a mouse.

The professional specification audio visual system combines a Tandberg HD camera, Audio Technical table-top microphone and 50 inch NEC Plasma screen.  Presenter software enables drawings and documents to be shared on the screen.  Up to five people can be part of site meetings, without leaving the office.  Voice and video operate in real-time to create a seamless natural conversation.  Communication is via a triple BT ISDN connection, but the system can also communicate via internet protocol (IP) where this is the preferred channel.

Phil Doyle, general manager for contracts explained, “There are the obvious savings like fuel, less wear and tear on the company fleet and the greater productivity from having our highly skilled people in the office more often.  There are also more subtle advantages.  People are more alert and productive in meetings if they have not faced a four hour slog to be there and a similar slog home.  If questions arise in a teleconference we can more readily bring in other expert team members to resolve them quickly.  Finally, there is the environmental benefit in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and not adding to road congestion.”

The video suite was primarily installed to support a major contract in Cumbria.  However, Hargreaves expects that the facility will prove equally worthwhile in initial dealings with architects and consulting engineers in the development phase of projects.  The system may also have applications in knowledge sharing and training.


More Information
Phil Johnson, Senior Hargreaves, Tel. +44 (0)161 764 5082 Fax. +44 (0)161 762 2336
E-mail: pr@senior-hargreaves.co.uk Web: www.hargreaves-ductwork.co.uk
Senior Hargreaves, Lord Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 0RG, UK

High-res images are on the web at www.ainsmag.co.uk/ha166/4664ha1a-video-conference.htm