KE-works

Where digitalisation and collaboration meet

Having started out in automation, Dutch SME KE-works has since come to focus on collaboration: how can the work processes of multiple engineers be aligned without becoming overwhelming? For co-founder Joost Schut, a paradigm shift is key. “You once had the option just to work as an engineer in a big company or move into consultancy and observe the whole thing from the outside. The challenge was to change the status quo, and that’s where we started with KE-works.”

The difference of digitalisation

This story began in 2008, when Joost and ‘partner in crime’ Jochem Berends were PhD students at Delft University of Technology in the field of digitalisation, design and experts – in other words, the study of how humans can be involved in highly automated and digitalised design processes. “That was an issue at the time and still is,” Joost begins. “But it really sparked something in me, so we started the company. The main focus is Europe with the Netherlands as the core market. Our largest segment is the construction industry because they lag behind in digitalisation and have a huge problem with data mobility and flexibility. We can make a big difference there.”

Quality at the core

They do this via KE-chain, a platform for digital collaboration which can be used to optimise all business processes in a shared, real-time work environment with a particular focus on quality. “We’re always in regulated sectors,” explains Joost. “The quality of the end result is important not only for our specific client but also for their clients, which are semi-public organisations or have high regulations that require them to be very transparent. We believe Having started out in automation, Dutch SME KE-works has since come to focus on collaboration: how can the work processes of multiple engineers be aligned without becoming overwhelming? For co-founder Joost Schut, a paradigm shift is key. “You once had the option just to work as an engineer in a big company or move into consultancy and observe the whole thing from the outside. The challenge was to change the status quo, and that’s where we started with KE-works.” that quality should not be a side process but should be fully integrated into your operational process. With digitalisation, you can make that happen.”

Transparency isn’t the only driving force behind KE-works: current engineering processes typically generate high degrees of administration and grow more complex over time, creating a loop which companies find hard to break on their own. Once these same companies go digital, the entire concept of time or version management changes through access to real-time information. “One of the success stories is that we’re able to integrate people working from anywhere, both inside and outside,” Joost says. “Everybody is able to see each other’s work as well, so you aren’t stuck in your own silo with no idea what’s going on around you! This enables a completely different way of collaborating.”