Saiia Construction
SouthernLINC Wireless Solves Evolving Communications Needs For Saiia Construction
With several high-profile construction projects underway at any given time, the 500-plus employees
of Birmingham, Ala.-based Saiia Construction have little time to worry about dropped phone calls,
bad reception or busy networks when making deadline-driven decisions in the field.
For Saiia Construction’s managers and their crews, exchanging information in real-time is one
of the most critical components in delivering large grading and site-preparation projects on
time and within budget especially for major projects on fast-track schedules.
In a construction company, the patience level is very low. We must have the ability to communicate
vast amounts of information quickly and reliably in the field to make sure our projects are
finished when we say they will be finished.
Matt Moon
Oversees Communications Contracts
Good communication is central to Saiia Construction’s reputation as a responsive and collaborative
company that must meet tight deadlines. The company generates approximately $100 million in revenue
annually, and has received a number of Excellence in Construction awards from the Associated Builders
and Contractors (ABC).
Saiia Construction employs a multi-generational workforce with over 60 years of combined experience
in grading and site preparation for commercial, residential, retail and office construction projects.
With several projects in progress at the same time, it is essential for crew managers and staff to stay
connected to keep jobs on track. Previously, crews relied on a mix of pagers, cell phones and two-way
radios to communicate. As the company grew and took on larger projects, executives at Saiia realized
the need for an integrated communications system so all employees would be on the same network.
“It’s hard to imagine that we used to rely on beepers, where you literally had to get in your truck,
drive to a pay phone in the middle of nowhere and drop a dime to exchange information essential to
the project at hand,” recounted Moon. “We thought the convenience problem would be solved when we
moved to cell phones, but the field personnel found them to be very unreliable in rural areas where
we were doing a lot of our work.”
Moon said the field crews then switched to commercial two-way radios, which often are used among
various mobile professionals such as truck drivers or taxi dispatchers. While the commercial two-way
radios allowed for instant communication and eliminated dropped calls or busy networks, many at Saiia
Construction were unhappy about broadcasting potentially proprietary information over public airwaves.
Additionally, everyone on the fleet had to endure constant conversations between colleagues that were
unrelated to work, which made it clear that it was time for a new solution.
Saiia Construction introduced SouthernLINC Wireless service to its field crew about 10 years ago,
and, according to Moon, the company hasn’t looked back. It was clear that Saiia Construction’s
communications needs mirrored those of SouthernLINC Wireless’ parent company, Southern Company,
as both require a reliable and private way to connect instantly with employees in both urban
and rural areas and during severe weather conditions.
SouthernLINC Wireless was founded in 1996 and was designed to meet the communications needs of
Southern Company’s electric utilities including Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power and
Mississippi Power. SouthernLINC Wireless added redundancies and extra security features when
building its wireless network to help provide power company employees with a reliable way to
communicate with each other out in the field especially in severe weather.
Furthermore, SouthernLINC Wireless’ network was built to function in remote areas, which national
wireless carriers often do not serve. Using Motorola’s IDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network)
technology that offers instant communications, SouthernLINC Wireless effectively combines two-way
radio, phone service, paging and wireless Internet and data access in one, hand-held device.
With SouthernLINC Wireless, essential staff from Saiia Construction’s executive team, as well as
project managers, heavy equipment operators and site supervisors are able to communicate with
each other—instantly and privately.
According to Moon, SouthernLINC Wireless has improved communication for Saiia Construction in the
following ways:
- Instant communication: “Instant communication allows us to do the best job for our clients,
and complete their jobs on time. In this business, every minute counts when it comes to finishing projects
on schedule.”
- Reliability: “Most jobs we have are in rural locations that aren’t covered by any other major
carrier. SouthernLINC Wireless covers such a large footprint, and does it so well. That is a major benefit for us.”
- Durability: : “We need handsets that fit the environment in which we work because we really beat our
phones up. We need strong, rugged units that won’t break or have other issues out in the field.”
Moon said he knows his field crews are pleased with SouthernLINC Wireless because the system makes their
jobs easier and he knows his executive team is happy, too.
“Our vice president of operations asks me almost every month, ‘How much does this service cost, again?’
When I tell him, he just shakes his head and says, ‘These things pay for themselves every single day.’
He’s still amazed by how good and affordable they really are to our day-to-day operations.”
 Learn More About SouthernLINC Wireless Solutions for Construction
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Several factors may affect or interfere with the service availability and quality as described above such as, but not limited to, network changes, traffic volume, service outages, weather and your equipment. |
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