The construction industry is suffering from stagnant productivity. While the global construction forecast is predicted to increase from $7.2 trillion to $12 trillion USD in the next five years the industry has not seen any significant improvements in productivity in the last two decades.
Where construction is booming, resources are scarce. Where construction is lagging, there is a mandate to do more with less. To remain competitive, construction companies must increase productivity in order to meet market demands.
Leveraging technology innovations is an important step in solving the productivity problem. However, the construction industry has been slow to adopt new technologies. Until now, the tools at its disposable have often proven to be inadequate and complex for pre-construction and construction phase workflow. The default solution for managing construction project data is Excel, the leading tools for 2D document collaboration are glorified viewers, 3D construction models are built in tools made for design & engineering.
Project managers, BIM/VDC teams and construction executives are seeking a solution that can handle the enormous amount of information generated during the life of a project. They need a tool that facilitates communication between all participants in order to gain project insight and receive timely feedback. They want software that supports their existing workflows while eliminating costly errors and delays. And the application must be able to manage the entire project, not just the design and engineering phase, but construction execution and handoff as well.
Hexagon’s new solution, HxGN SMART Build, is a powerful, yet simple to use, cloud-based platform that connects relevant, role-based information to project participants at every level. SMART Build is meeting the demands of the construction industry by enabling end-to-end management of all phases of the construction project through an engaging visual user experience.
SMART Build supports critical decision making during the pre-construction phase by synchronizing large volumes of project information such as Office files, PDF, 2D CAD, 3D BIM, project plans and schedules. By providing the ability to import and integrate various models and documents, SMART Build ensures that project plans and detailed work instructions are accurate and complete. Then SMART Build provides enterprise-scale estimating, budgeting and reporting by integrating with the industry’s leading project control software, EcoSys providing Earned Value Management – a critical method to ensuring project cost visibility.
SMART Build’s project management capabilities allows the manager to easily create work packages that are linked to the project schedule and visualized in the 3D model. During the construction phase, SMART Build provides managers real-time project status updates through intuitive dashboards.
Easy-to-use Digital Layout integrates construction layout and model information between SMART Build and field layout solutions. Digital Layout allows quick and accurate location of building elements and feedback once construction occurs. With the ability to easily communicate plans and instructions, capture and report progress and deviations, and analyze earned value, SMART Build establishes accountability and reduces errors that result in costly rework.
SMART Build enables the successful project conclusion by capturing and providing a complete digital record of the entire project as it was actually built. The digital asset includes model, plan, spec, scan and management information that is critical to reducing the time and cost of future renovations and retrofitting.
Improving productivity, thereby delivering projects on time and on budget – now that’s shaping smart change.
Want to learn more? Visit SMART Build’s “Features” webpage to discover how our solution can help you manage every aspect and phase of your construction project.
Regards,