Most of the stakeholders are coming around to the view that digital transformation of the construction industry will speed up its revival, and what’s more, the various disruptive technologies have the potential to create new benchmarks of value in the construction ecosystem, and also shape new competitive advantages in the post-Covid world. Trimble technologies are designed to help optimize the complete Design-Build-Operate (DBO) lifecycle of buildings.
The government is keen to revive construction activities with the necessary safety precautions, and we expect the public infrastructure projects to start picking up speed in the weeks to come.
The economic impact of this prolonged lockdown will be enormous; figures coming from various industries and sectors are beginning to show how badly businesses across the sectors have suffered already. Many large industries; including manufacturing, aviation, travel and hospitality, and, of course, construction saw zero output or economic activity during the lockdown period. The near-complete shutdown of all economic activity not only meant that the economy further slowed down, and fuelled talk of an impending recession, it also meant that the recovery of Indian economy would be forecasted to be slow and prolonged.
Digital workflows will unlock hidden efficiencies and boost productivity, which, in turn, will help the construction industry cut costs, meet project deadlines, and safeguard their profitability.
Even when the lockdown will be lifted completely, the social distancing norms will still apply, till we have eradicated the virus altogether. All onsite construction activity is labour-intensive, and this factor alone means that the construction industry will probably take longer to recover, since lesser people on site will slow the pace of construction.
But the industry is looking for various ways to mitigate its business risks and ensure a quicker recovery, besides future-proofing its operations. This implies drastic changes in its processes and practices, but most industry stakeholders are coming around to the view that Covid-19 pandemic will fast-track the digital transformation of the construction industry’s ecosystem; which has otherwise remained remarkably aloof to using the technology until now, and speed up industry’s revival.
Challenges are nothing but opportunities in disguise. The adoption of modern construction tools and techniques will be necessary to safeguard the health and provide workplace safety in the industry, while helping the workers meet social distancing requirements. These tools will be critical for teams working remotely too. Above all, digital workflows will unlock hidden efficiencies and boost productivity, which, in turn, will help the construction industry cut costs, meet project deadlines, and safeguard their profitability.
Trimble technologies are designed to make the process of construction quicker, safer and cost-efficient as use of technology enhances productivity and delivers a rapid return on investment through better utilization of materials, assets and workers.
The post-pandemic era is likely to be defined by a significant digital transformation in every sector, including the construction sector. What the construction industry needs to do is to embrace relevant technologies and tools throughout the ‘construction continuum’. Trimble technologies are designed to help optimize the complete Design-Build-Operate (DBO) lifecycle of buildings.
Tekla Structures is the flagship product of Trimble Solutions India and also the most modern 3D BIM software in the market. It makes accurate, constructible modelling of any structure, regardless of its size or material. Tekla Structures is supported by Tekla Structural Designer, which gives engineers the power to analyze and design buildings efficiently and profitability. Tekla Tedds is a powerful software solution that automates repetitive structural calculations.
Vico Office and Trimble Connect complement Tekla Structures in the continuum. Vico Office is designed for contractors and construction planners; it enables constructability analysis and coordination, quantity take-off, 4D location-based scheduling and production control, and 5D estimating. This class-leading solution is of enormous value, and leading contractors in India are already adopting it in their work processes.
Trimble Connect, a powerful cloud-based collaboration platform empowers teams involved in the design, construction and operation of buildings to come together under one umbrella. It creates communities of collaboration across and within disciplines, integrating data not only from its wide varieties of applications and devices, but also non-Trimble apps and devices.
Taking its digital transformation vision to the next level, Trimble has partnered with Hilti and Boston Dynamics to use robots for routine tasks in hazardous construction environments to improve safety, efficiency, and consistent data capture. Furthermore, software such as Trimble CrewSight enable firms to manage worksite by approving entry onsite of the labourers with prior mandatory health checks and making sure certifications are in place. This can also track where the workers are at any point in time and maintain social distancing, and if anything should happen, alert response teams to react to the situation immediately.
Trimble’s portfolio makes the process of construction quicker, safer and cost-efficient. Use of technology enhances productivity and delivers a rapid return on investment through better utilization of materials, assets and workers. From conceptual design to ownership and maintenance, Trimble tech helps construction professionals and building owners and occupiers achieve transformative results.
Disruptive technologies not only have the potential to create new benchmarks of value for all stakeholders in the construction ecosystem, but also shape new competitive advantages in the post-Covid world.
The absence of workforce in big cities due to reverse migration will no doubt have an adverse impact on construction for a while. The ongoing projects may see delays of a few months on account of labour shortage. Also, the supply chain of materials has been disrupted for material manufacturing and procurement with a number of factories beginning to resume production only now and operating at lower levels rather than optimal levels.
What the industry firms really need is to adopt a holistic view of the full construction lifecycle or ‘continuum’ to address this matter. The construction continuum for buildings is spread over the five key stages of planning, designing, engineering, construction, and finally, occupancy and maintenance. Each stage of the lifecycle is rapidly being transformed by technology the world over through a holistic approach and engagement, often driven by the owners themselves.
Visualizing the construction process as a continuum or placing a building (structure) along the various stages of a continuum is a powerful way for construction companies to analyze the business value of various technologies at each stage. Using the same scale as a reference, they can readily see the advantages digitalization brings to actual construction and/or operations.
Various technologies, construction processes and methods such as Constructible BIM, Prefabricated construction, Mixed reality, Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IOT) amongst others, can drive a massive change in how the industry designs, builds and operates projects. As disruptive technologies, they not only have the potential to create new benchmarks of value for all stakeholders in the construction ecosystem, but also shape new competitive advantages in the post-Covid world.
Trimble offers a host of value-added services to its customers in India.
Our value-added services in India include local software support, training, consultancy and various online services including Tekla User Assistance. We offer a selection of training courses aimed at both beginners and advanced users of our software. We provide e-learning materials like product guides, support articles, tutorials and extension help to customers for self-learning too.
