Lead VDC Specialist Magnus Nilsson and Operations Development Manager Magnus Osbeck at NCC.
- This is an agreement that will accelerate practical digitization and an increased focus on data security which could lift the entire Nordic construction industry.
So says Rendras Kristian Samuelsen, who is responsible for StreamBIM in the Swedish market.
- As part of the signed agreement, both companies have set aside resources for the rollout and implementation in many nordic projects - both construction and infrastructure - Starting in Sweden and Norway.
- This is a long term and mutually binding agreement that allows for close cooperation between the two partners, who both have something to learn from each other. We believe and hope that in this way we will benefit the entire Scandinavian construction industry. When a significant player like NCC really chooses to commit, the know-how gained and technology developed - whether you like it or not - will trickle down to everyone, says Samuelsen.
One of the Nordic region's largest contractors
The NCC group had a turnover of close to 5.2 billion USD last year, and employs a total of 12,200 people. NCC’s construction operations include schools, hospitals, sports halls, retail buildings like shopping centers and residential projects. Rehabilitation of existing homes and offices has become an increasingly important business area in recent years. Large parts of the building mass we have today was erected when Sweden was building their "Folkhemmet" (“the people’s home”) in the 1960s and 70s. A vast square footage which today carries with it a large and extensive need for rehabilitation. NCC has a stated ambition to be a large, capable and leading player in this market. On the infrastructure side of NCC, many huge projects are being carried out which will also use StreamBIM.- Already, NCC stands out as one of the best in its class when it comes to sustainability, digitalisation, data security, interaction and collaboration. Now they want to use this insight and expertise to digitize their construction sites and take employees and subcontractors with them to a new, higher technical level, says Samuelsen.
Well proven on large projects and projects requiring different security measures.
In 2020, Rendra signed another initial contract with Japan's Takenaka Corporation to supply StreamBIM to a double-digit number of test projects, followed up by a three-year enterprise agreement with an estimated annual production volume into the millions of square meters. The scope of the agreement for built area in production run in the software was the largest Rendra AS had ever delivered, but it was surpassed already in the first year of the contract. In comparison, the development stages at Oslo Airport Gardermoen are a measly 300,000 square meters in total.- We can safely state that the software is scalable. Both when it comes to the number of users, across cultures and building codes, areas of use and the size of the digital models. StreamBIM integrates with NCC's existing software solutions, facilitating a cohesive workflow. This flexibility allows different systems to communicate effectively, enhancing operational efficiency within a unified digital environment. From intuitive user friendliness to the possibilities of model- and data centric work on-site. But they also wish, among other things, to extract large amounts of data from their respective projects in order to be able to compare them based on hard facts, find synergies and see new connections across their various business and investment areas, says Samuelsen.
Development work for the enjoyment of all.
Nonetheless, there is still some holes in the functionalities in StreamBIM that had to be filled in order to satisfy NCC's needs and wishes, according to Samuelsen. To meet these requirements, an amended road map was drawn up. Fortunately, as Rendra's developers fixed and implemented the desired functionality and solutions, the giant contractor became increasingly confident in the StreamBIM software, the developers' competence and Rendra's willingness to support NCC’s vision.- This is tailored functionality, innovations and adaptations that will be available to all our customers. It is an important principle, not just for us but also for NCC who are interested in bringing the entire industry up to a higher level, and who are so large that over time they will work with most actors and subcontractors in the industry. For that reason, they are well served by everyone becoming familiar with the methodology of the future and using the effective, digital tools that we have today, says Samuelsen.
Long-term and committed
In the agreement, it is stated that NCC has full control over all projects they may start in StreamBIM - full access to absolutely everything. However, there are many projects to be included, so to begin with StreamBIM is being used only on new projects. Here the methodology can be implemented from scratch. However, Samuelsen believes that this alone will amount to a few hundred projects in the short term. Also including a number of projects with different security requirements. According to Samulesen, this is usually the case; you identify some central points to start from and then let things expand naturally, based on what you find utility in and what is demonstrably working.- All these "normal projects" are intended to run on our servers, in our cloud solution. When it comes to the actual rollout, we have so far concentrated on training ‘super-users’ and VDC managers. NCC resources that are now sharpened and ready to spread their knowledge and anchor the methodology and software internally in the organization. So, now we're just looking forward to getting started in earnest, concludes Samuelsen.