Nothing but a big ten!

When you think of a futuristic, innovative company, you don't usually think of a housing association. The industry has a stuffy and traditional image. An Image that Woningbelang absolutely cannot agree with. The more than 4,000 homes in Valkenswaard, Bergeijk and the Eindhoven region have been imaged by drones and inspected in Aespect since last year.

We spoke with Henk Snijders of Woningbelang. Henk is, in his own words, the technical man behind the inspections. Since a year and a half he and his colleague Paul Govers have been working with Aeroscan. "I give them nothing but a big ten," he says.

How did you come into contact with Aeroscan?

"We first heard about drone inspections through partnerships within housing land. Actually, we immediately felt we had to do something with it.

Until then, we always did inspections with outside inspectors. That was very time-consuming and labor-intensive. Everything the inspectors found had to be converted from the tablets into work orders. Basically, you were running behind the facts.

It would be a missed opportunity if we didn't do a small-scale trial of Aeroscan."

How did you handle that little trial?

"We picked two projects that would fit very well into the trial for different reasons. For example, we chose one project with dated homes where we knew defects would be found, and one project with more modern and younger homes.

The project really caught on tremendously internally. Now Paul (the data man) and I are quick to get excited when it comes to innovation, but now we saw the enthusiasm about the 3D models in Aespect spread like an oil slick throughout the company.

We immediately used the information that came out of the pilot to set up the MJOP (Multi-Year Maintenance Plan) more efficiently. And then we immediately picked up another large complex."

So, that little trial immediately became a lot bigger?

"Yes, you could say that. It started small, but then we actually wanted to go straight ahead. We compared the data with the traditional way of inspecting, and also compared accuracy and measurement data side by side. Pretty soon after that, we decided to digitize a third of our entire portfolio in Aespect. "

That sounds positive

"Very positive even! About all the applications. You can immediately see in the digital twin where self-installed features are, what the maintenance condition is and where defects have been found.

What is also very nice is that Aeroscan supports so well. Before, there were things in Aespect that we had to look for every time. Kilian and Stefan are great thinkers and really help you work efficiently with the program.

At the same time, I feel it's a trade-off. For example, Stefan is always looking for ways to improve Aespect. A while ago I was in touch with him about the possibility of converting a small defect directly to a repair bill so that the program supports the whole process. Stefan and Killian are really looking for the voice of the user. We really see Aespect growing. Sometimes even with our suggestions."

How else is the response to your approach?

"We are approached by many other corporations. Many other companies are curious about our findings and even ask if they can take a look at Aespect.

Inspectors and comakers are also positive. Pictures of repairs are added very easily, and the MYP stays current as a result. Everything is just easy to find.

Our residents also benefit from this approach. We are flying in next year for the last 1,500 homes. If it is up to me, we will fly as early as possible, and work everything out as quickly as possible. The sooner we can get started!

Thanks to Aeroscan, we are able to plan ahead and no longer lag behind. As a result, we now focus more on prevention than repair. This way we prevent our residents from being left out in the cold."

Did the residents also respond to the drone inspections?

"Oh yes, that actually turned out very positively. At first we were afraid that drone flights would meet with a lot of resistance. That turned out to be not so bad. In fact, we hardly ever get any complaints.

I think this is mainly due to Aeroscan's communication to the residents. It is really excellent. Through our website and a QR code from Aeroscan, residents can see when there will be flights and when their homes will be inspected.

Kilian makes sure that everything is clearly explained, and that residents know how to find the right pages on the website. Here, too, they are really very thoughtful."

How do you envision the future?

"I see tremendous potential for drone inspections. I think it would be enormously cool if in the future the drone could also read sensors in the roofing. Then you might even be able to intervene in defects before they become complaints.

Maybe in the future in Aespect there will also be opportunities with VR glasses and Artificial Intelligence? I can already see our inspectors looking at objects in virtual reality. That would be quite special. We also see promising developments with automatic segmentation of building components. Those are already making the whole process more efficient."

Thank you, Henk! And good luck with the 2024 inspections.