Posted by Eva Spessa - 05 June, 2020
Across the construction industry, too, digitalization is on the advance: among mortars, grouts and concrete, the usefulness of digital tools is increasingly recognized – to quickly find the optimal solution for specific projects, for example, or to get a quick overview of what is on offer for a wide variety of applications. This is where Solunaut comes in as explained in the article The right solution - anytime and anywhere. Sometime after the launch of this tool, Stephan Siegle, Head of marketing for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH), and Stefanie Riepe, Product manager and Solunaut expert, comment on their experience, the benefits for the users and further development of Master Builder Solutions’ online solution finder.
Master Builders Solutions’ Solunaut was launched some time ago in the DACH region. Has it stood the test of time?
Stefanie Riepe: Oh yes, it has. It always takes time, though, for a new tool to gain some traction, and the construction industry is particularly conservative in this regard. But the feedback I get is unanimously positive – colleagues use the Solunaut as a sales tool and take pride in showing it to their customers. It is a very practical and convenient tool indeed, available whenever and wherever you need it – at construction sites on your smartphone or tablet, for instance – and very easy to use.
Would you say Solunaut is a pillar of your overall strategy? What is the ultimate scope of this tool?
Stephan Siegle: Indeed. Solunaut is a helpful and straightforward tool aimed at providing added value contents to our customers, that simply waits to be picked up and used – and used intuitively: it meets users exactly where they are and guides them from their selection of an industry-specific application to the optimal solution in four simple steps. This does not require any familiarity with Master Builders Solutions, or any knowledge of the internal logic that governs how we categorize our products. Solunaut is designed strictly from the user’s perspective – this is key to provide a real support to their day-to-day job and requirements.
Stefanie Riepe: In a way, Solunaut is the next logical step after printed product literature – responsive, interactive and to the point. Browsing through the images and diagrams, one gets a concrete idea of how a possible solution could look like very quickly. Solunaut delivers practical results reliably and efficiently.
How has Solunaut changed since the launch?
Stefanie Riepe: The three existing modules in German language - chemical, waste water industry and food&beverage industries - have been complemented by a brand new one which gathers all our solutions for the construction and maintenance of parking decks and underground car parks. These include, among others, surface protection systems such as our innovative polyurea solutions and special-purpose materials for concrete repair. Moreover, the tool has become faster and, thus, more efficient. We constantly adjust Solunaut to the requirements of customers in our region: statutory provisions or climatic conditions, for example, can vary considerably – what is crucial in one place may make no sense whatsoever in another. We can prevent such potential inconsistencies from the outset. And this locality specific approach enables us to establish direct contact with the sales experts in charge locally, which significantly streamlines query or feedback processes.
Digital or analog – what will be the main strands of development? And what place will Solunaut have in all this?
Stephan Siegle: Solunaut is an important piece of the puzzle for us. Digitalization in the construction industry is quickly making headway and we aim at supporting our customers on this path, which is why in first place we started developing digital tools like Solunaut. In the future we will continue to provide our analog range of services, but the number of those who see the potential of digital solutions is steadily increasing and so will be our offer. In this direction Solunaut will definitely see further developments: there will be new modules for more application areas, additional functionalities and contents e.g. BIM objects.
