How 3D Construction Group Saves 10 Hours Weekly with “The iPhone of PDF Editors"

Dalton McManamon builds the backbone of our digital world: fiber-optic internet infrastructure. His company, 3D Construction Group, handles everything from new builds to disaster recovery after hurricanes and storms. It’s high-stakes work that keeps communities connected.

But there’s a critical administrative bottleneck: billing.

“We get these maps to show us what needs to be built,” Dalton explains. “To get paid, I have to ‘code out’ these maps, marking them up and redlining them with precise data, and ensuring those annotations match every line item on an invoice."

At a company doing over $10 million annually with a seasonal workforce of up to 10 field team members, the billing process can’t be clunky. With over 24,000 annotations in a 90-day period, Dalton needed a PDF markup tool that was three things:

1. Reliable enough to handle critical billing workflows
2. Simple enough for field teams to adopt quickly
3. Powerful enough to process thousands of technical markups

His previous solution was Apple’s Files and Markup on iOS, which created formatting chaos. Adobe felt too complex for his team to adopt broadly.

“Lumin is like an iPhone, Adobe is like an Android"

Five years ago, when Dalton first entered the infrastructure industry, a colleague introduced him to Lumin. The platform became his standard across multiple roles, and when he launched 3D Construction Group, it became non-negotiable.

“Lumin is like an iPhone, and Adobe is like an Android,” Dalton says. “The usability, friendliness, the ability for anybody to pick it up and use it, Lumin is perfect in all these aspects."

Today, Lumin powers his entire billing workflow:

• Infrastructure map coding with precise technical annotations
• Contractor standardization across all subcontractors
• Mobile field operations on iPad Pro with Safari
• Billing audit trails ensuring every markup matches invoice line items
• Workspace sharing so teams can collaborate in real-time

For Dalton, the ROI is measurable in time saved and frustration avoided.

Time saved

“By switching to Lumin for our infrastructure mapping and billing, we save 5 to 10 hours every single week,” Dalton reports. “It’s not just a tool; it’s essential for our billing cycle."

That time savings came from “buckling down” and learning the platform’s workflows and workarounds – an investment that paid off quickly.

Standardized workflows

Requiring all contractors to use Lumin eliminated the chaos of scattered versions and flattened PDFs where markups couldn’t be edited or audited.

“I require all my contractors to use Lumin. I don’t want versions scattered everywhere, I want one clear, shared workspace where we can see every marking and get the job done right."

Mobile-first infrastructure

Whether at his desk or on-site, Dalton can pull up maps in his browser on his iPad Pro and share workspaces with his team. The job keeps moving, regardless of location.

High-volume annotations

With 24,000 annotations in a 90-day window, Dalton pushes Lumin hard – and it delivers. His workflow handles the volumes critical to a multi-million dollar operation.

Why Dalton Recommends Lumin

User-friendliness wins

“Lumin is super user-friendly, I would say ten hours a week is saved by just buckling down, learning it, learning how to operate it, learning the little things."

Perfect for field teams

“Anyone can understand Lumin, can make it work, can operate it, but then it’s still easy to get more advanced features."

Time-tested reliability

“I’ve spent all the time learning Lumin, don’t waste yours trying to find something else. You’re going to have the most luck with Lumin."

The bottom line

For infrastructure companies where billing depends on markup accuracy, and field teams need tools they can adopt fast, the choice is clear. Dalton tried the alternatives, consumer apps that broke workflows, and enterprise tools too complex for broad adoption.

He found his answer in Lumin: user-friendly enough for any team member to learn quickly, powerful enough to handle 24,000 annotations in 90 days, and reliable enough to become mandatory for all contractors.

“Lumin is intuitive, user-friendly, and easy to teach. In an industry like construction, where we need to move fast, usability is everything.”