Kusch Consulting
32 engineers across four Australian offices use Calcs.com for load rundowns, report generation, and onboarding graduates.
“Calcs.com has seen a big improvement in efficiency, saving 10-20% of the time on calculations.”
About Kusch Consulting
Kusch Consulting is a structural engineering firm based in Australia that specialises in residential, commercial, and industrial projects. With a team of 32 engineers spread across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide, they handle a wide range of projects, from one-storey residential homes to power station upgrades.
Richard Faulkner, Senior Structural Engineer at Kusch Consulting, first heard about Calcs.com from another engineer who recommended it as an alternative to his existing software. Since then, Richard has introduced it to his team, and over time, it has become an essential part of the team's workflow.
From quickly estimating beam sizes during initial project discussions to generating detailed reports during the design phase, Calcs.com has made every step of the process easier and faster for Richard and his team.
The challenge
Limited efficiency with existing tools
Prior to using Calcs.com, Kusch Consulting relied on traditional tools like hand calculations and other software. These tools were limiting because they required a lot of manual input and didn't allow for efficient linking of calculations.
"I like using different software packages, but the reason why I use Calcs.com more often now is load rundowns and things," says Richard.
Calcs.com provided Kusch Consulting with an easy-to-use structural engineering tool that makes creating, linking, and analysing calculations simple. Richard notes that Calcs.com excels in structural framing design, allowing engineers to quickly introduce point loads and perform detailed checks.
"It's good for load rundowns. You can just introduce point loads wherever you like in your beam and link different sheets. That's super helpful."
Richard Faulkner, Senior Structural Engineer
By adopting Calcs.com, Kusch Consulting has seen a big improvement in efficiency, saving 10-20% of time compared to using other tools. The load linking feature has proven crucial in achieving this time saving by making complicated calculations easier.
As Richard points out: "Calcs.com has a lot more flexibility in terms of where you put your supports, where you put your loads, and the checks that you can undertake."
Generating customisable reports
Another challenge Kusch Consulting faced was generating clean, customisable reports. Their previous tools were cumbersome and did not offer the level of customisation needed for efficient reporting.
Calcs.com's ability to generate clean, customisable reports stood out to the team.
"I like the way it exported compared to other software. It sounds like a small thing, but I like the way they export - you could pick out the sheets, whether short or long form, tick your boxes, and export the PDF. It was really neat and tidy."
Richard Faulkner
This feature has allowed Kusch Consulting to save time and produce more professional reports, ultimately improving client communication and documentation quality.
Onboarding younger engineers
Kusch Consulting wanted an effective way to onboard younger engineers and help them gain confidence in their designs.
Calcs.com has become a useful learning tool for demonstrating structural analysis principles. Richard highlighted how he uses it to help junior engineers:
"I really recommend it for graduates. When I'm doing a design, I say look, do it by hand, but then hop onto Calcs.com as well and check the codes and where everything comes from."
Richard Faulkner
This approach has improved the team's understanding and confidence in their designs, making Calcs.com an essential tool for training and development.
Looking ahead, Kusch Consulting is keen to introduce Calcs.com to more of the structural team. Currently, it is mainly used by Richard and the lead engineer, Matt Thompson, but they are gradually onboarding more team members.
Conclusion
For Kusch Consulting, Calcs.com has been a game-changer in improving the efficiency of their workflow, saving time, and providing clarity in load analyses and structural checks. The clean report generation, load linking, and easy-to-use design make it a preferred tool for both experienced engineers and graduates alike.
As Richard sums up: "Calcs.com is a great tool to double-check your calcs."
For Richard, a good day at work means fewer interruptions and the chance to fully immerse himself in design work. With Calcs.com, Richard can make the most of his design time, relying on its simple, efficient tools to get accurate results without hassle.
Give your team one environment for calculations that holds up under review
Engineering teams use Calcs.com to eliminate rework, speed up peer review, and carry verified work forward across projects.