Distinct Infrastructure

DISTINCT INFRASTRUCTURE GROUP isoneof onlyahandful ofnational servicepro- viders that cantakeon large-scaleprojects ina full service turnkeyscenario inmultiple regions. Lanni attributes thecompany’s tenyearsof success to“ourpeople,our systems,andour abilitytoexecuteonour customers’behalf.Our peoplehaveawide rangeof skill sets–ev- erybodyfromtechnicians inthe fieldthatdig trenches,tohydro-vacoperatorsanddirection- al drill equipment specialists,toguys thatgoon thebucket trucksandclimbpoles,fiber splicers andcableTVtechnicians,gas fittersandpipe welders,all thewaytoour engineeringstaff.” Addtothat a fleetof over700piecesof equipment andvehicles,andthe importance ofhavingthat amountof resourcescan’tbe understated.More than80percentof thecom- pany’sworkiscompletedbyDistinct’sownem- ployees.Less than20percent involves sub-con- tractors,mostlyduringpeaks indemandwhen additional resourcesor specializedservicesare neededthat aren’t economical tooffer internal- ly.Sub-contractorsarenever allowedtowork ona jobsitewithoutmanagement supervision. Safetyisparamount.“Wedothousandsof hoursof staff training,”saysLanni.“Bothhealth andsafety,andtechnicallyrelated.Continually reinvesting inour teamisan importantpartof our culture.Aswe’vecontinuedtogrowalmost 50percent ayear for the last sevenyears,our healthandsafetyrecordhasactuallyimproved. We’reveryproudof that,it’saclear indication thatwe’regrowingresponsibly.Twoyears ina rowwe’vescored100percentonBellCanada’s annual healthandsafetyaudit.Whenyoure- alize thatwego inandoutof confinedspaces more than10,000timesayear,that’sapretty goodtrackrecord.” Thenucleusof thecompanyis the“control center”–aprocess-driven,software-supported groupthathandles the flowofprojectsand in- formation.Fromtheminuteaproject is issued byacustomer,throughthevarious stepsof completion,until it’s readytobe invoiced,thecontrol center knows thestatus of thatproject inreal time.The informationcanthenbe relayedbacktothecustomer tomakeadecision.Adefinite value-addedpropositionfor clients.For thecompany,asop- erators,it ensuresassetsarenever sitting idle; they’realways used inthemost effectivewaypossible. “That customizedsoftwarehas takenus sixyearsand thousandsofmanhours,andhundredsof thousandsof dollarshavebeen invested,”Lanni notes.“It continues to evolveandbecomemore robustwitheveryrevision.At any giventime,wecanhavebetween2,000and3,000projects valuedbetween$500and$500,000beingmanagedbyour control center.Andthe technologyisall done in-house.We just recentlylaunchedtablets that eliminatepaperworkfor staff inthe field.It’sallwireless,supportedbythecloud,so informationcanbeenteredonthe jobsiteand immediately input intothecontrol center.”Healthandsafetypaperworkis adauntingrequirement for fieldstaff,oftentaking30min- uteseverymorning.Usingthe tablet cuts that time inhalf, improves thequalityof information,andeliminateshuman error.