Trench Network is a digital SME in the North East. Its team has over 15 years of experience in IT and construction and is using this to provide better internet connectivity to construction sites.

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen construction sites adopt new technologies at pace to improve their digital communication and data exchange. The huge surge in video conferencing calls and use of digital platforms has meant contractors have quickly recognised the value of having high-performing internet onsite. Traditional methods such as fixed lines, off-the-shelf routers, dongles or hot spots are not reliable enough; and systems using fibre or copper cables often cannot be deployed early enough in a site programme. The location or geography of a project can also restrict the quality of internet speed and access. Unreliable and intermittent internet access can lead to delayed starts, lost working time or costly mistakes. Poor internet access also prevents site teams from taking full advantage of emerging digital technologies and the efficiencies they can offer. This all means that 4G or 5G wireless standards are now becoming an expected, if not critical, part of project delivery.

Improved connectivity on sites will give contractors greater confidence in their internet access and encourage site teams to make greater use of emerging digital technologies. This will lead to improvements in project planning and communication, greater efficiencies from enabling technologies, and a reduction in delays and errors when the internet is down. The overall impact should be more productive sites and greater confidence that programmes can be delivered on time and on budget.
"We have deployed Outpost across our sites and are delighted with the service and the technical support we’ve received from the team at Trench. Our site teams are able to video conference, share large files and communicate with suppliers without any issues. The performance improvements we recognise are a real and tangible benefit to business operations.”
Paul Carmody, Head of IT, ESH Group.
“We’ve always struggled with providing reliable & fast internet connectivity to our new developments and investment sites where broadband infrastructure is not yet available. Traditional mobile hotspots always seemed to drop out and would never cope with the demands of multiple staff accessing online resources. We turned to Trench to help us vastly improve our offer to our internal colleagues delivering the works on site. We implemented Trench’s Outpost router which improved the performance & reliability immediately, making it easier for our staff to complete work without travelling back to one of our branch offices. We’re significantly increasing the amount of houses we build and Trench’s Outpost solution will be at the heart of connectivity at each and every site office.”
Hassan Bahrani, Senior Network Infrastructure and Mobile Service Improvement Manager, Thirteen Group.

The development of Outpost came from Trench Networks' founder, Kevin Latimer, spending 15 years supplying Internet and Wifi to site teams on behalf of a Top 100 construction company. He observed that his clients were increasingly frustrated by the lack of suitable, effective internet options and the poor connectivity onsite. This prompted him to develop a solution that could provide reliable connections even in the most remote sites and challenging locations. His goal was to enable remote teams to work in their cabins as though they were in the office, with all the benefits of internet speed, reliability and security.

Kevin set up Trench Networks with his partner Claire and started by speaking to contractors onsite to learn what a site team needed from its internet supply and the current challenges they faced. They learned that a contractor's internet needs couldn't be sustained through off-the-shelf 4G routers and that as a result, most staff worked out of local cafes. Working with a Top 50 contractor, they developed and trialled a proof-of-concept. The first iteration of Outpost produced some excellent benchmarks and comparison data that helped them develop the product further.

Cheaper, off-the-shelf internet connectivity solutions from outside the industry has meant that the construction sector hasn't been able to fully embrace the benefits of emerging digital technologies. Reliable, fast and secure internet access will help more contractors adopt digital innovations on their projects, saving time and money, and improving productivity.

Trench Network’s product, Outpost, is an innovative 4G device designed, developed and built in house to provide bespoke internet connectivity to construction sites from day one of a project. Outpost can be up and running on a site within 24 hours through the use of remote provisioning and configuration systems. Unconfigured Outpost systems are ready in Trench Network’s secure offices. Once a client completes an online form in the management portal, the Outpost begins to configure itself automatically and is ready for deployment in a few hours. It is installed by qualified engineers on site and fully optimised whilst in situ – ensuring all devices are connected.  Outpost essentially acts as an extension of a contractors internal IT Infrastructure so that they are able to work in their site cabins as though they were in the office, accessing internal networks including shared files and Intranet. IT teams can carry out updates or troubleshoot problems remotely without having to visit the site, using Outpost's visibility portal that shows everything that is going on onsite. The connection is over a private cellular system which has a higher level of security meaning the in-house team has full visibility and accountability of the connection, ensuring it remains online, all the time. Even if a remote area is only served by 3G, Outpost can provide connectivity that surpasses off-the-shelf systems through the use of multiple persistent connections integrated in a single, internally installed device without disparate cables hanging off the side of cabins.  Outpost’s modular system also takes advantage of emerging technologies and has limitless customisation options to fit the IT strategy of any contractor. Added to that, Trench Networks have incorporated virtualisation and artificial intelligence, allowing third party systems to run within Outpost's onsite hardware. Outpost processes information onsite and has been used to run Windows servers, storage systems and video analytics where deploying additional hardware isn’t otherwise possible.

Trench Networks is the lead on this project. Trench Networks is working with Bowmer+Kirkland as a preferred supplier of communications for larger sites. Collaboration was key with B+K IT, its suppliers and clients. In setting up the system, Trench worked with B+K’s existing infrastructure provider, Vodafone to create a secure VPN that allows sites to seamlessly access systems in B+K’s internal network. After its initial trials, Trench Networks is now supplying several top 20 contractors around the country and replacing their own in-house rapid deployment units on a number of high profile sites including the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Harwell, Oxford.
"We have been working closely with Trench Networks on many of our construction projects across the UK. After many years of struggling with connectivity at construction sites, using a variety of products, fixed lines, satellites, 4G Routers, we came across Trench Networks who provide a much more scalable and cost effective solution. The speed of deployment, increased capacity and flexibility of their solution has revolutionised our approach to construction site IT. Their staff have been incredible to work with, and have fast become an extension to our own IT Team at the site network edge. I can’t recommend Trench Networks highly enough." Mike Hammill, IT Technical Manager, Bowmer + Kirkland.

• Bowmer+Kirkland
• Trench Networks
• Vodafone

Trench Network has been supported by Construction Excellence North East (CENE) with advice, business knowledge, networking and profile-raising. Claire Hollyman, co-founder of Trench Networks, says: "Being a member of Construction Excellence North East has been great for Trench Networks. Its networking events are a fantastic way to meet people from the sector; its awards nights are a great celebration of the North East and being involved with CENE has been a great way to keep up to date with changes in the industry. We’ve been members of CENE since we started, and it has helped us get immersed in all things construction.”

Outpost responds to the rapid digitisation of the construction industry, accelerated by Covid-19 and the increase of remote or distanced working. By creating increased confidence in onsite internet connectivity, Outpost allows contractors to adopt more digital innovations that can improve costs, efficiencies and ultimately the productivity of the project. This project also shows the opportunities that can be unlocked when SMEs and Tier one contractors collaborate. Trench Network's partnership with Bowmer+Kirkland has meant the product has gone through rigorous testing with a large UK contractor and on real-world sites and projects.

Outpost as a solution can be tailored to the nuances of a particular site and integrates with a clients existing IT infrastructure. This is convenient for the IT team who can troubleshoot issues remotely, and it makes working on the project more productive for the site team as it mitigates delays or errors when the internet is down or intermittent. It leaves people free to do their job efficiently and effectively and reap the benefits of digital technologies onsite. Trench Networks as a company takes a non-digital approach to improving digital systems. It's personalised approach to customer service means that each solution responds directly to a client's project requirements. This has in turn led to close collaboration and successful working relationships across their supply chain partners. This has led to many word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations. Trench Network's quality and excellence in service delivery was recognised when it won the Digital Construction Category at Construction Excellence North East Awards.

Outpost can provide bespoke internet connectivity to construction sites and can be up and running on a site within 24 hours. Because it acts as an extension of a contractor's internal IT Infrastructure, so teams can access internal networks including shared files and Intranet. IT teams can carry out updates remotely and the connection is over a private cellular system which has a higher level of security. Outpost’s modular system can also be customised around emerging technologies and integrated with third party systems. The reliability, speed and security that Outpost delivers means that teams are able to work in site cabins as though they were in the office.

Outpost can be up and running on a site within 24 hours, and the quickest turnaround from order to installation was 2 hours. The largest site installation included the set up of 60 cabin; connecting over 50 devices; creating 6 distributed access points; and 2 different and secure connections (one to the main client and a second connection presenting a public AP for an SD-WAN device). This was all powered by a single Outpost over cellular. The most number of devices that have been connected by a single Outpost is currently at 240. Comparative data between an Outpost system and an existing off-the-shelf router showed:

• Prior to Outpost, connection availability was intermittent. With Outpost, it was 100%
• The original speed of 0.6mbps increased to 14mbps, with optimisation headroom to take it to over 30mbps
• The latency (or lag) which measures the quality of connection improved from 150ms when working, to 49ms

Cost
Trench Network's service reduces the overall cost spent on IT by essentially becoming an extension of a construction company’s existing IT infrastructure and support team.

Time
Outpost can be up and running on a site within 24 hours, and the quickest turnaround from order to installation was 2 hours. One set of comparative data from a site trial showed an Outpost system outperformed an existing off-the-shelf router in a number of ways:

• Prior to Outpost, connection availability was intermittent. With Outpost, it was 100%
• The original speed of 0.6mbps increased to 14mbps, with optimisation headroom to take it to over 30mbps
• The latency (or lag) which measures the quality of connection improved from 150ms when working, to 49ms

These metrics were gathered by Trench Network’s monitoring system to perform availability analysis and assess scope for continuous service improvement. 

CENE Awards 2020, Winner Digital Construction