Defining moment: CET Designer® and Storyboard Extension give McCrum’s the competitive advantage

Teknion dealership McCrum’s sees its recent investment in CET Designer and the Teknion Storyboard Extension as more than just software.

“We are at a defining moment with technology and its potential to support our business needs,” McCrum’s President Terry Holland said. “CET Designer and Storyboard are essential to our overall business strategy.”

Calgary-headquartered McCrum’s is one of Canada’s largest office furniture dealerships and one of the top three Teknion dealerships in the world in terms of sales.

The dealership invested in the CET Designer software and the Storyboard Extension – which includes Teknion’s architectural wall systems Altos and Optos – about a year ago.

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“To remain competitive, we must be quicker, smarter and provide better overall value than the competition, while minimizing our cost to do so,” Holland said. “We must embrace tools that help us compete, and CET Designer plus Storyboard is one of those tools.”

Holland said his customers are looking for multiple solutions with immediate cost impact of changes, visual feedback on selected options and confirmed pricing – all delivered in a short timeframe. The dealer is looking for better ways to support and service the customer, reduce steepness of the learning curve for new hires or when new product is launched, and minimize errors and processing costs. Meanwhile, the manufacturer is seeking ways to maximize available production time, minimize change orders and reduce costs.

“CET Designer and Storyboard meet the needs of everyone involved in the process – the interior designer, the customer, the dealer, and the manufacturer,” Holland said.

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The CET Designer/Storyboard software, in addition to being an integral part of the McCrum’s business strategy, is also a catalyst for positive change.

“The willingness of organizations to embrace change and use technologies such as this will determine who is ultimately successful,” Holland said.

The McCrum’s sales and design team received advanced training in CET Designer Version 2.2 and the Storyboard Extension earlier this year. The training, conducted by Niclas Tilly (Configura CET Designer project manager/software developer) and Amy Edington (a CET Designer trainer) helped the dealership to take the software to the next level.

“Niclas and Amy started by listening. They asked us lots of questions. They learned how we as a business use the software. And then they responded to our needs,” McCrum’s Designer Will Yan said.

The software has made the difference in getting shortlisted for and winning major projects. McCrum’s Architectural Products Specialist Edina Kuljinan explained:

“We’re seeing an explosion of new office towers being built in Calgary, with most scheduled to be completed in the next year. Wall systems, as part of the interior architecture of a building, are very much part of the early design process in which we work closely with the architectural firm and its designers. For one project bid in particular, we used Storyboard to design and specify 500 offices – about four miles of curved walls – all with seamless, gorgeous glass fronts. With a project of this size and complexity, accuracy is everything: If one piece is spec’ed wrong, it could throw off the whole project, leading to unacceptable costs and delays. Because CET Designer/Storyboard is rules-based, we’re confident that we’re being accurate and efficient and adhering to deadline and budget. Plus, our clients are so impressed with the rendering output – they immediately see what they’re going to get. They can request changes on the fly, and we can easily make them. They get to be part of the process; we earn their confidence and trust – that’s huge. One client also commented that the Storyboard-generated Bill of Materials was the best he’d ever seen.”

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McCrum’s CFO Norm Asuchak and IT Manager Dustin Riep had questions about integrating the technology with other software and businesses processes used by the dealership. “Most of our questions were resolved during the training provided by Niclas and Amy. They listened, explained, showed how easily the software integrates and also took suggestions from us on ways to improve the software in future versions,” Riep said.

Holland said McCrum’s strives to be a complete resource for A&D firms and facility managers. “Twenty years ago, we began investing in best-in-class technology. If we’re going to continue being a complete resource, then we need to keep investing in the best to serve our clients. CET Designer and the Storyboard Extension is best-in-class technology.”