Walstad Tile Smiles as they go High-Tech
A-propos Delivers TileMaster™ Remote Job Management System

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, March 18, 2003—A-propos, a software and systems development company that delivers applications on-time and on-budget, today announced the completion of a remote job management system for MN-based Walstad Tile. The application was developed in order to streamline management of more than 30 field tile installers.

Prior to development and installation of the TileMaster™ solution, Walstad tile installers worked unmanaged in the field, 8 hours each day, which made managing productivity a challenge. Now with the TileMaster™ solution, developed by MN-based A-propos, field tile installers punch in and out via cell phone as they start and complete each job.

"Now, our tile installers log the time it takes to lay tile in each room and then we upload their timesheet data to our corporate database." said Mike Walstad, president of Walstad Tile. “After implementing the system we definitely saw that our labor to percentage of sales had improved. I don’t know anybody else in the trade that is doing this."

Walstad tile installers are also more encouraged now to document change-orders in the field. For example, if a job called for 8 hours to lay tile on a straight pattern and the job was changed in the field to a diagonal pattern, the installer now calls the corporate office in order to be allocated more time via their “cell-phone timeclock”. Prior to the development and installation of TileMaster™ these types of field changes would be easily missed and never billed.

“Due to the A-propos development process, dubbed OnTarget (SM), we were able to complete the entire TileMaster™ application within a 2 month timeframe.” said Olivier Meyer, president of A-Propos. “By implementing the Walstad Tile corporate database and integrating with AirHours, through Nextel, Walstad Tile can now estimate jobs more accurately, monitor productivity more closely and conduct billing more precisely.”

Walstad Tile and A-propos are now planning the next phase of the TileMaster solution – a PDA based solution designed to completely eliminate paper work orders.

The TileMaster™ remote job management system was built with industry standard technologies and platforms including WML/WAP, Microsoft Visual Basic, SQL and Microsoft Access.

About A-propos, Inc.
A-propos is a software and systems development company committed to delivering solutions on-time and on-budget through its unique development process-- OnTarget(SM). With a tenured team of applications and development professionals, A-propos brings a unique mix of development and product management skills to its clients who include Gelco Expense Management, AIR-Serv Group, Sprint and General Mills. Contact A-propos online or call 612-435-2120.

About Walstad Tile
For Nearly 10 years, Walstad Tile & Stone has been recognized as one of the Twin Cities’ leading tile, stone and hard surface provider. In addition to completing more than 150 Parade of Homes installations, Walstad Tile & Stone is the hard surface flooring provider of choice for the area’s top builders. They provide high quality flooring solutions for any home price level. Contact Walstad Tile & Stone at 763-519-1444.