Our interview series is now in its third instalment – this time with Roger Roth from Arnold AG, who tells us about the use of Vanillaplan in the infrastructure sector.
Mr Roth, to begin with, could you tell us a little about Arnold AG?
Arnold AG employs around 800 people and we operate in the energy, telecommunications, water and transport sectors – covering both road and rail transport. As a subsidiary of BKW, Arnold AG carries out infrastructure projects throughout Switzerland.
What is your role at Arnold AG?
I am a site manager and am therefore responsible for planning staff, machinery and vehicles within my team.
How did you manage your planning before introducing Vanillaplan?
Before Vanillaplan, we organised our planning in a rather old-fashioned way using Excel spreadsheets.
In total, we had several spreadsheets: one for staff planning, one for holiday planning and another for the capacity overview. We used these to schedule staff and vehicles – though this involved a lot of copy-pasting and consequently a high error rate.
What was the specific reason for introducing Vanillaplan?
I was the driving force behind the project at the time, because I felt that we couldn’t carry on with our previous planning methods. So I tried to find a suitable solution on my own – and tested various tools for resource planning. Vanillaplan impressed us the most. So the software was introduced and subsequently established itself step by step throughout the company.
How did the implementation and initial roll-out of Vanillaplan go?
Getting started was fairly straightforward. We provided our data to the Vanillaplan team and they integrated it into the software. During a short transition phase, we continued to use Excel in parallel. But after just one month, we were able to switch entirely to Vanillaplan and completely replace the previous Excel lists.
Was getting started intuitive, or did you need to familiarise yourselves first?
For me personally, getting started wasn’t a problem, as I’m interested in digital solutions and pick things up quickly. For some employees, the change was a bit unfamiliar at first – but within a short time, everyone got used to Vanillaplan and was able to work with it effectively.
You also tested other programmes – what made Vanillaplan stand out?
Many other solutions were simply too complex for our needs and packed with features we didn’t need at all. Vanillaplan can now do even more than it used to, but even back then it covered exactly what was crucial for us: efficient resource planning and reliable capacity planning.
How long have you been using Vanillaplan?
We have been working with Vanillaplan since 2022.
How many users work with Vanillaplan – and how many staff members do you plan for in total?
We have various locations and business units. In our planning area alone, we have 80 to 90 staff members whom we schedule – and 27 users who actively plan. We belong to the ‘Central’ business unit, which stretches from Basel to the Valais. In this area, six locations work together within the same planning system.
So the multi-user capability, which allows several people to plan simultaneously, is probably helpful for you?
Yes, definitely. Communication between the individual sites is particularly important to us. This gives us a much better overview and means not everyone has to keep a separate plan. This is exactly the kind of solution we were looking for.
How many projects are you currently planning in Vanillaplan?
We currently manage around 245 projects in the software.
How much time do you spend on planning on average each week?
We have a 30-minute team meeting every week where we coordinate staff planning for the next two weeks. Otherwise, I use Vanillaplan on an ongoing basis throughout the week: I keep the tool open on one screen at all times – if there are any changes, I can make them straight away. This means the planning is always up to date and adjustments are made quickly.
That’s relatively little time – do you see a time saving with Vanillaplan?
Absolutely, it involves far less planning effort than it used to with Excel. To give you an idea: back then, we’d send a roster to staff – but by the next day it was already out of date because of changes, so we had to send it out again. That was much more time-consuming than it is today with Vanillaplan.
So you were able to reduce the time spent on staff communication in particular?
Exactly, communication in particular has become much simpler. At the start, we even used to print out the schedule and distribute it – that was quite a hassle.
Do you also use the mobile app – and what has your experience been like with it?
Very good. We also think it’s great that the app is constantly being developed and that more and more features are being added. Uploading documents and photos directly on site, for example, is incredibly helpful.
Another major advantage of the mobile app is that staff are much more actively involved in the planning process. They check for themselves what’s coming up in the next few days and let me know if there’s anything to bear in mind regarding their project assignments. They’re now really thinking proactively because they can see the schedule directly in the mobile app.
What do you personally consider to be the greatest benefit of Vanillaplan?
Above all, the significantly faster planning and the ease of use. Another major advantage is the live synchronisation of the schedule with staff out in the field: changes we make are visible immediately – without any additional communication effort. Overall, this simplifies both the planning itself and day-to-day communication.
What has been your experience with service and support?
Very good. If I have an issue, I can always get in touch and receive support quickly. I’m also well supported when it comes to new features or ideas – we try things out together and find suitable solutions.
Thank you very much for the fascinating insights, Mr Roth!
