New Dispatching Software Gives
Contractors Total Control

Houston, TX September 26, 2004 - HCSS, the well-known provider of HeavyBid Estimating Software and HeavyJob Field Management Software, recently introduced The Dispatcher to streamline construction dispatching operations. The Dispatcher was designed to help contractors increase productivity by making it possible to deploy equipment and personnel with one, easy-to-use, graphics-oriented software. This innovative design eliminates the need for magnet boards, spreadsheets, or notebooks to track labor and equipment resources and also provides far more information than is currently available to most dispatchers through its powerful database sorting and filtering capability.

"We made the system graphical to come as close as possible to the magnet boards and other kinds of boards that I see at customer offices," said Mike Rydin, HCSS President. "We think ALL dispatchers, no matter what kind of board they use now, will be excited about this software, because it shows everything they can see now and more, superimposed on a map."

All job sites can be viewed as pushpins on a detailed map. Clicking a location pushpin displays all of the resources that are on that job. Using the search tool, data can be filtered to show different types of equipment, labor, crews and even resources that are available for a certain date range. This information is displayed with Microsoft's MapPoint™ and features all of the zoom capability of that map program. To move resources to another job site, The Dispatcher simply drags-and-drops the resource, or group of resources, onto the desired location on the map and they are instantly relocated.

For a more familiar magnet board feel, jobs can be viewed in an organized grid format that allows The Dispatcher to see the resources of multiples jobs at once. Resources can be moved from one location to another using the simple drag-and-drop interface and filters can also be applied to show only the desired resources at each of the locations.

Scheduling equipment moves in advance for a specified date or range is also easy in The Dispatcher. By looking at the map you can visually see where the equipment to be moved is currently located so that the moves can be grouped efficiently. Once moves are scheduled, they can be assigned to drivers using the same drag-and-drop interface. Then a report can be printed for reach driver listing his anticipated moves for the day in priority order.

Resources can also be fully scheduled and displayed or printed with the familiar Gantt Chart by the hour, day, week, month, or year. This bar chart can even be printed to a plotter for display on a large scale. A maintenance scheduling feature is also available. Scheduled maintenance times will appear on the bar chart, letting The Dispatcher know when the equipment is unavailable. In addition, alerts can be setup for any resource moves or maintenance activities. These alerts remind The Dispatcher on a particular day, event, or even when to require a permit for a particular move.

The Dispatcher can be operated as a standalone product or networked with many users. The network allows many people within the company to view and manipulate data as required. Customizable permissions can be set for each user limiting their ability to see or make changes to any part of the system.

The Dispatcher is integrated with HeavyJob Field Management Software. Setup of The Dispatcher can be done quickly from the HeavyJob resource databases. Maintenance due dates can be determined automatically from meter readings that are entered on time cards by foreman on a daily basis. Integration with HeavyJob also allows an exception report to be created that compares the status of resources entered by your foremen to the data kept in the office to make sure your records are accurate and dependable. The Dispatcher revolutionizes construction dispatch software making it possible for any company to increase equipment utilization and gain maximum control over resources.

Reporting features in The Dispatcher provide the information everyone in the company needs to know. There are a multitude of Standard Reports that enable you to quickly produce professional-quality data. In addition to these powerful Standard Reports, The Dispatcher also lets you create Custom Reports that show you exactly what you want to see. Project Manager Jerry Kennedy of L.N. Rothberg & Son, Inc. says this about using The Dispatcher, "Everybody in the company knows where everything and everybody is and that's a huge benefit. We print out a custom report in the evenings before we leave so the next morning there is no question on where anything is."

About HCSS

Founded in 1986, HCSS sets the standard for estimating and field management software for the infrastructure construction industry with instant 24-hour technical support, on-site training by veteran contractors, and annual user's group meetings attended by hundreds of contractors each year. Thousands of contractors, bidding in excess of $100 billion per year, rely on HCSS products for their ease of use, speed, and precision in performing estimating and field management activities. For more information about HCSS and their complete line of estimating and field management products for infrastructure contractors, please visit www.hcss.com or call 1-800-683-3196.

©2008 HCSS All Rights Reserved