With over half a million users in more than 100 countries, RIB Software is driving efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability for all stakeholders in the construction project lifecycle through its digital transformation solutions.
RIB Software’s Pacific managing director and vice president Chris Smith says the company is a major player in the Australian construction industry, and for good reason.
The construction industry is facing a number of challenges – from increased costs to sustainability concerns and inefficiencies – and RIB Software is providing digital solutions that can help alleviate these pressures.
“From data that we’ve compiled, as well as supported industry data, we’re seeing almost 95 per cent of construction businesses running out of budget, and experiencing severe delays and quality issues,” says Smith. “Ultimately, when you dig deeper into the root cause of these problems, the catalyst is poor collaboration across key stakeholders – what we call siloed point solutions.”
“When we talk about these siloes, we don’t just mean old technology solutions but also point solutions such as Excel and Word, as well as project processes managed through paper documentation.”
When you dig even deeper, says Smith, construction companies are struggling with cost overruns. Data collected by RIB Software shows that almost 80 per cent of construction companies experience budget overruns for a typical large, non-residential construction project, as well as an average of 20 months in delays to the original project schedule.
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“We’re also seeing construction companies running on extremely low margins,” says Smith. “Further, large construction companies spend approximately $550 billion in rework globally – 52 per cent of which is due to poor data, miscommunication and lack of collaboration across projects.”
What’s more, buildings are currently responsible for 39 per cent of global energy related carbon emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. “A concerning 170-million tonnes of construction materials go to waste each year,” says Smith. “We still see construction businesses using traditional paper methods – which again isn’t great for the environment – and siloed point solutions, which result in low efficiency gains.”
Additionally, the industry is a very slow adopter of technology solutions, says Smith. “The statistics show that we’re only one place ahead of the agriculture sector in the technology adoption space,” he adds.
It has also been reported to RIB Software that 35 per cent of professionals within the construction industry spend time on non-optimal tasks. “These are some of the standout challenges that the sector is currently facing,” says Smith.
To help the industry address these challenges, RIB Software provides digital transformation solutions that drive efficiency, productivity, resiliency and sustainability for all the different stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.
“When you go into the core areas of our portfolio, they span the entire building lifecycle, from planning and design, pre-construction and construction, to operations and maintenance after the construction phase,” says Smith. “Ultimately, these solutions reduce risk, waste and work, enabling construction builds that are more efficient and sustainable.”
RIB CostX is a 6D Building Information Modelling (BIM) solution which streamlines takeoff and project estimating during the pre-construction phase. The user can accurately estimate and build cost plans and bills of quantity (BOQ), compare subcontractors, automatically change and update quantities based on revised plans, and identify embodied carbon associated with the project’s construction.
The RIB Candy solution links the BOQ, project estimates and work program, allowing the user to confidently manage estimating, planning and project control during the construction phase. These comprehensive tracking capabilities allow the user to be confident in their data’s integrity and know what was calculated where.
Then, the RIB CX collaboration suite connects people, processes, documents and drawings – supporting every aspect of project operations. In RIB CX, the project team can create and manage tenders and contracts, capture field data such as labour hours, communicate with all stakeholders, and regulate quality standards, as well as manage BIM files. Then, after construction is completed, RIB CX collects all operational data and secures the digital as built for handover to the operations team. By utilising these solutions, project teams have complete transparency of procurement, risk and estimated costs.
“We have also launched the RIB Carbon Quantifier, a free tool that allows measurement and analysis of the embodied carbon emitted throughout the lifecycle of a build,” says Smith. “The construction industry is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, so we’re playing our part – by helping construction companies optimise their projects, as well as quantify and evaluate their embodied carbon emissions – to improve sustainability across the sector.”
RIB Software’s range of solutions produce huge efficiency gains for its customers, explains Smith. According to data reported to the company, those using RIB Software’s solutions typically see a 20 per cent increase in the winning of new business.
“It’s what we call work winning and revenue by standardisation and fast project analysis, eliminating risk and securing more margin,” says Smith. “We also see our customers increase supply chain optimisation by 20 per cent from using enterprise data that’s integrated to the different stakeholders across different projects and programs.”
On average, RIB Software’s customers have reported a 25 per cent reduction in costs and overheads, because they’re using the company’s fully integrated standard systems instead of point solutions and paper documentation. Customers have also reported an 80 per cent reduction in non-conformance reporting and changes, due to RIB Software’s solutions providing enhanced collaboration and transparency.
“Investing in our technology can have a major impact on a construction company,” says Smith. “Our partnership with ACCIONA Geotech is a prime example.”
Engineering company ACCIONA Geotech recently won an international quality award on the back of utilising RIB CX to digitise governance, and project and business performance.
All-star team
RIB Software is part of Schneider Electric (SE), a global specialist for energy management and automation technology in the industrial and construction sectors. Specifically, SE has three business units encompassing the construction sector – design, build, and operate and maintain – and owns several companies in this space. This includes the recently acquired AVEVA, an industrial software solution provider that spans engineering, operations and maintenance, as well as Clipsal, who deliver residential and commercial electrical products and solutions. However, RIB Software is the only business that sits under SE’s ‘build’ portfolio. “We’re the only company that SE has within construction management providing technical digital transformation solutions,” says Smith.
Ultimately, says Smith, RIB Software’s purpose is to empower engineering and construction professionals around the globe to build more efficiently and sustainably. Inspired by this, and through combining local expertise in Australia and New Zealand with a global advantage, RIB Software will continue to drive digital transformation that makes a difference – today and in the future.
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