Building Better with MiTek Sapphire: EH Ball’s Experience

For more than 20 years, EH Ball has been a trusted MiTek partner in Southland. Their detailing team, led by Manager Nick Rodger and Detailers Dominic McKenzie and Anton Nguyen, have been working with MiTek Sapphire to meet the challenges of increasingly complex builds in the region.

Tackling unique design challenges

In Southland and Central Otago, EH Ball frequently works on projects that push standard framing and truss designs to the limit. As Dom explained, raking parallel chord scissor trusses are particularly common in their area, but can present structural and detailing challenges that competitors sometimes approach in ways that EH Ball considers risky.

Using Sapphire, the EH Ball team has been able to apply more rigorous engineering logic to these jobs. “Unless we can solve some of these problems, we would rather not push a job ahead if we know it may come back and bite us later,” Dom said. “Working with the MiTek team, we are getting more confidence that our detailing reflects sound engineering decisions.”

Beyond specific truss types, the software has improved how EH Ball detailers approach every job. Dom noted that whilst earlier software such as MiTek 20/20 offered some visibility tools he valued, Sapphire has encouraged a more methodical process. “I have found myself changing the way I detail. It makes me think more about load paths and connections, and in the end that makes me a better detailer.”

Usability and continuous improvement

From a usability perspective, Sapphire has been quick to pick up and easy to tailor to EH Ball’s workflow. “The more I have learned, the more I have been able to push the boundaries—finding new arrangements and connections that I never thought were possible,” Dom explained.

That said, no software is perfect. EH Ball has experienced occasional job-specific crashes or inconsistencies. The important factor has been MiTek’s responsiveness to issues. “When we raise tickets, we see improvements come through quickly. That makes a big difference, because we know our feedback is being heard,” Dom said.

Training and working with MiTek

Training remains a key focus for the EH Ball team. Both Nick and Dom see value in a combination of functional training and deeper engineering knowledge, which would allow detailers to understand the “why” behind certain rules and warnings in Sapphire.

Dom attended MiTek’s training in Christchurch and values the support from the MiTek Deployment, Technical Support and  Engineering teams, who provide follow-up and on-site guidance when needed. “It is one thing to sit in a classroom, but it is another to have someone beside you when you are working through a tricky job. That is where the learning really sticks,” he said.

The EH Ball team is keen to stay on top of new features and improvements. As Dom put it, “The software has come a long way, especially in the last year. Keeping up with what is new means we can put our best foot forward with our builders and clients.”

Looking ahead

EH Ball is exploring greater use of MiTek’s 3D Viewer to improve communication with builders on site. Whilst adoption of tablets and digital tools can be slow in their region, the team sees real potential. “If some of our builders had access to 3D models on site, it could save hours of back-and-forth. We are excited to see where this goes,” said Dom.