Terra Engineering & Construction:
How Modern, Field-First Software Helps Terra Get More Done
Terra Engineering & Construction - a Madison, Wisconsin-based heavy civil contractor - uses IVO Systems to simplify scheduling, improve equipment visibility, stay ahead of maintenance, and keep information moving between the office, shop, and field.
Terra Engineering & Construction - Quick Facts
- Location: Madison, WI
- Industry: Heavy Civil Construction
- Founded: 1965
- Employees: 85-100
- Specialty Work: Earth Retention, Deep Foundation Drilling, Ground Improvement
- IVO Modules Used: ScheduleVO, TrackVO, MaintainVO, DispatchVO, EqInspectVO
The Challenge: Outgrowing Manual Processes
Terra Engineering & Construction has been serving the Madison area since 1965. Over the years, the company has grown into what Vice President of Operations Seth Zimmerman describes as a one stop shop for general excavation, utility work, earth retention, deep foundation drilling, and ground improvement.
As the company grew, so did the number of people, pieces of equipment, jobs, and daily changes that had to be coordinated. For years, Terra managed that complexity with the tools that had worked for them in the past: spreadsheets, emails, paper cards, and conversations in the office.
Those systems were familiar, but they were also starting to slow things down.
Scheduling was done via Excel spreadsheets and emails
Terra’s scheduling process had progressed from paper to Excel, but it still depended on manual updates and daily emails. Schedules had to be built, adjusted, formatted, saved, and sent out. When the work changed, the schedule had to change with it.
For Chris Steinke, Operations Manager at Terra, that meant keeping up with constant changes in an industry where plans rarely stay still. Before using IVO Systems, he was working from spreadsheets, sending emails, copying information forward, and updating schedules as jobs, crews, and equipment needs changed.
“I was basically using an Excel spreadsheet and sending emails... it was just kind of a rigmarole, because obviously things change in our industry.”
— Chris Steinke, Operations Manager
That manual process did not stop once the schedule was sent. Foremen still had to relay information to their crews, and if someone new was added to a job or the next day’s work changed, that meant more phone calls after hours.
Maintenance tracking was all done on paper, causing delays
Scheduling was not the only process Terra wanted to improve. Equipment maintenance was also tracked through a paper-based system.
Before IVO, equipment maintenance cards, repair cards, and service cards were filled out by hand. Those cards had to make their way back to the office, where the information was entered into another system. From there, reports were created to show what maintenance was coming due or already needed attention.
By the time the information was collected, entered, reviewed, and turned into a report, the maintenance picture was already behind.
Seth described the process as a cycle that restarted every month. Cards came in one week. Data management followed. Questions had to be answered: Did all the cards come in? Were they timely? Were they legible? Were they correct? Then reports were created, maintenance work began, and the whole process started again.
For Ryan Baumann, Terra’s Heavy Equipment Manager, that delay created real challenges. Equipment could be approaching a service interval, but by the time the paperwork was submitted and reviewed, the service was already overdue. Repair needs could also get relayed manually, adding another layer of memory and follow-up to an already busy day.
“You feel like you got all this work that's sitting out there, and you're not getting anything done because it just keeps compounding.”
— Ryan Baumann, Heavy Equipment Manager
The issue was not that Terra lacked a process, but instead that their process was too cumbersome and time-consuming to support proactive maintenance. Too many steps stood between the field, the shop, the office, and the people who needed the information.
Why Terra Chose IVO Systems Over Competitors
Terra did not need software that forced them into a completely unfamiliar way of working, or a system that was overly complex. They needed a system that fit the way they already thought about scheduling, equipment, and maintenance - but made that process faster, cleaner, and easier to manage.
That was part of what stood out about IVO Systems.
When Seth first saw the platform, the scheduling layout felt familiar. Terra had already built a scheduling process in Excel that reflected how their team planned work. IVO gave them a cleaner, more connected way to do the same kind of work without moving cells around, reformatting schedules, and sending out updated spreadsheets every day.
“[IVO] was so similar to what we were already doing in Excel, but it allowed us to do everything more efficiently.”
— Seth Zimmerman, Vice President of Operations
Terra’s original priorities were straightforward: make scheduling more efficient and fix maintenance tracking. Other systems they reviewed tended to lean more heavily toward one side or the other. IVO gave them scheduling and maintenance together, with additional tools that could support the rest of their operation as their use expanded.
Adoption was another concern. Like many contractors, Terra had people in the field who were not necessarily looking for more technology in their day. Seth was bought in early, but he was more concerned about how the everyday users in the field would respond.
That concern faded once people started using it.
Cory Hermanson, an operator foreman at Terra, described himself plainly: not a tech person. Even so, after a short learning curve, the using the system felt natural and made his day-to-day work easier, not harder.
Implementation was also more straightforward than expected. Terra already had much of its information organized in spreadsheets, which made the initial setup process easier to work through. Once the team committed to the switch, Seth said the process was not nearly as difficult as he expected.
How Terra Uses IVO Today
Today, IVO helps Terra keep daily operations connected across scheduling, equipment tracking, and maintenance. Instead of separate systems that create extra handoffs, Terra can work from shared information that stays visible to the people who need it.
For Seth, that connection between modules is a major part of the value. ScheduleVO, TrackVO, and MaintainVO all support different parts of the operation, but they feel like they're all working together in one integrated system.
He keeps multiple IVO tabs open throughout the day so he can move between the schedule, equipment locations, and maintenance information as decisions come up.
“There's nothing that feels like it's separate systems... they all communicate together.”
— Seth Zimmerman, Vice President of Operations
For Chris, ScheduleVO helps with the day-to-day planning that used to happen in spreadsheets and emails. He can look ahead, see where people and equipment are scheduled, and coordinate equipment moves with the shop and trucking vendors. When equipment moves are part of that workflow, DispatchVO helps keep that information tied to the schedule instead of scattered across emails and separate documents.
TrackVO adds another layer of visibility. Instead of paging through spreadsheets or trying to remember where a machine is located, Terra can quickly look up equipment and see what job it's on. That makes it easier to decide whether a machine can be moved, whether another job needs it, or whether maintenance should happen where the equipment already is.
“...we can count almost on one hand the number of times we've needed to try and find a missing attachment or even a machine because of IVO Systems. That alone probably saves us around $5,000-$10,000 a year in wasted time, not to mention being more efficient with the work.”
— Seth Zimmerman, Vice President of Operations
MaintainVO helps the shop and field stay connected on maintenance and repair needs. When a foreman or operator submits a repair form, Ryan receives the information by email and text, reviews what needs to be done, and decides what should come next - whether that's creating a work order, or talking through a quick repair over the phone. EqInspectVO supports that equipment-focused workflow by allowing field employees to submit custom, equipment-specific inspection forms directly from a phone or tablet.
While some of Terra's equipment fleet has built-in telematics, the team is satisfied using TrackVO, DispatchVO, and EqInspectVO to track their assets manually on IVO's online magnet board for equipment. Seth says there's no issue keeping up with hour meters or with losing equipment/attachments - since everyone has real-time visibility - and the investment into telematics for the rest of their fleet just wouldn't make sense at this point.
Out in the field, the difference shows up in everyday communication. With everyone receiving ScheduleVO notifications, foremen no longer have to relay every schedule update to every crew member manually - field employees receive all the information they need via interactive texts.
The Outcome: A More Connected and Efficient Operation at Terra Engineering
For Terra, the biggest impact has not come from one isolated feature or tool within the platform. It has come from reducing the number of people who have to touch the same information before work can move forward.
Seth estimates that IVO saves Terra 10 to 20 hours each week across field staff, mechanics, maintenance managers, office administrators, schedulers, and operations leaders.
“You're saving 10-20 hours of messing around a week for multiple people all added together.”
— Seth Zimmerman, Vice President of Operations
The time savings come from removing friction across the process. Instead of waiting on cards, tracking down spreadsheets, making extra calls, or re-entering information, the team can get to the information they need faster.
As Seth put it, there used to be a lot of hands involved in every process. Now, more of that information is a quick click away.
That visibility has helped Terra stay ahead of work instead of constantly reacting to it. Schedules are easier to update and share, equipment locations and details are easier to find, maintenance needs are easier to stay ahead of. Crews and foremen get clearer information, and the office and shop can make better decisions before issues turn into bigger problems.
Maintenance has been one of the clearest examples. With live data and better visibility, Terra can make faster decisions about whether to service equipment on-site, pull it from a job, or swap it with another machine. That helps keep jobs moving and reduces the risk of preventable downtime.
“It's made a huge difference in the company and keeping things more efficient and jobs rolling.”
— Seth Zimmerman, Vice President of Operations
For a company that had built strong processes long before IVO existed, the point is not that the old way was wrong. It worked for a long time. But as Terra’s operation became more complex, the old way could not provide the same visibility, speed, and connection.
“Truthfully, I can't imagine going back and doing the old process.”
— Seth Zimmerman, Vice President of Operations
Learn more about Terra Engineering & Construction here.
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