Author: DigiConsult ltd

The 21st century is emerging as the 3D age, and it is no wonder that the once novel technology has found its way into the construction realm. The aim is to print large structures and realize complex projects. The applications for use in construction seem self-explanatory, since building something from basic materials is what the construction business does.3D printing machines provide a wealth of applications beyond reducing the length of a supply chain. Eventually, 3D printing will become a common or even standard feature in the fabrication process.

Construction industry
In the construction industry, 3D printing can be used to create construction components or to ‘print’ entire buildings. Construction is well-suited to 3D printing as much of the information necessary to create an item will exist as a result of the design process, and the industry is already experienced in computer aided manufacturing. The recent emergence of building information modelling (BIM) in particular may facilitate greater use of 3D printing.

Construction 3D printing may allow, faster and more accurate construction of complex or bespoke items as well as lowering labour costs and producing less waste. It might also enable construction to be undertaken in harsh or dangerous environments not suitable for a human workforce such as in space.

The benefits that 3D printing can have on their bottom-line.

Reduced Supply Costs
China-based 3D printing construction company WinSun “expects 3D printing will save construction companies up to 50 percent on the cost” of building a house. This could prove to be a lifesaver for construction managers with access to this technology and could lead to increased competition within the construction field. Competition means lower prices for consumers, which could mean a shift from a rental to an ownership mindset.

Global Development
Often as automation and mechanization rise, prices drop. 3D printing is an affordable way to create housing for the impoverished in need of adequate shelter.

Greener Construction
Wealth Daily suggests that with the advent of 3D printing. The use of lumber in the home’s framework would be spared. This is a great advancement for green construction firms and a frightening development for the lumber industry.

Improved Project Planning
An important part of every project plan is the design. With 3D printing, companies will be able to quickly and inexpensively create models to have a visual representation of the project as well as help pinpoint problem areas and avoid delays.

Streamlined Client Expectations
With 3D printing, construction professionals and their customers can communicate more clearly and efficiently. Even a customer with no architectural background can better express his needs and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Much of a client’s expectations come from an idea, and 3D printing makes it simple to materialize that idea beyond the dated method of pencil and paper.

Despite the incredible potential, many construction professionals remain wary of the effect 3D printing could have on their business. Increased automation and mechanization have been detrimental to fidgety labour markets in the past. Take farming in the United States, for example: in 1900, the farming industry made up 38 per cent of America’s workforce but, in 2017, comprised less than 1 per cent. Some are even claiming that 3D printing could pose a threat to predictions of a boom in construction-related jobs.

What’s Next for 3D Printing
Among those calling for construction professionals to take advantage of the potential of 3D printing is University of Southern California professor Behrokh Khoshnevis, creator of Contour Crafting. In a Ted Talk he gave in 2012, he said, “If you look around yourself, pretty much everything is made automatically today—your shoes, your clothes, home appliances, your car….The only thing that is still built by hand are these buildings.” And later: “Construction, as we know it today, is wasteful, costly, and often over budget.”

3D printing will most likely not solve the construction industry’s skilled worker shortage, recruit up and coming talent, or remove human error in planning construction projects. It seems clear that 3D printing presents promising opportunities for the construction industry to become both greener and more cost-effective, often by considerable margins. As 3D printing research continues to develop, it will be exciting to see the benefits the technology will have on the many facets of the construction industry.

Building information modelling and automated quantities technologies can provide the industry with consequential opportunities to raise the quality of the industry to a much higher and sophisticated level. Having the capability to simulate a range of data options with real-time cost advice and carry on throughout the detailed design, construction, and operational stages, BIM will surely place construction practices at a higher value.

About BIM

BIM is the process spanning the generation and management of the physical and functional information of a project. The output of the process is what we refer to as BIMs or building information models which are ultimately digital files that describe every aspect of the project and support decision-making throughout a project cycle.

Construction productivity is a long-standing issue in the industry and has become a huge field of research opportunity. Decades of expansive studies have produced well-documented models and methods for identifying the many factors and reasons that influence construction productivity. In the process, building information modelling (BIM) has emerged as a disruptive innovation with the great potential to mitigate most of the common factors negatively impacting construction productivity.

The Benefits of BIM

Positive Impact on Labor Productivity– In an action research project with a small mechanical contractor, a study investigated BIM’s impact on a large commercial project’s labour productivity and found out an increase in productivity ranging from 75% to 240% on areas that were modelled and prefabricated as compared to areas that weren’t.

Cost and Schedule Control and Management – Building information modelling (BIM) has long been recognised as the technology that will revolutionise the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Despite the studies and advancements, BIM’s use has not yet reached its full potential.

Communication and Collaboration– BIM has a lot of benefits but it seems to be that its key role is in facilitating communication and mutual understanding within project shareholders and the construction teams. Building information modelling changes the common way of collaboration including the roles of project participants.

Better planning and design: Using BIM, you can visualize a completed building and all its components and systems before the first shovelful of dirt are moved on the construction site. This information allows better planning and design that takes the best advantage of available space and resources.

Fewer reworks: BIM allows you to see potential problem areas and fix them before the error is committed in the physical world. This reduces the need for costly rework and revision.

Savings on materials: BIM systems track and monitor resources and provide detailed information on needs even before construction begins. You are less likely to order more than needed and can replenish supplies only when necessary.

Using BIM does not automatically make you reap the benefits of BIM, it’s how you use BIM that allows you to enjoy the benefits. For example, using different BIM-based software among collaborators during the design phase may precipitate some problems like data loss, communication failure, and poor work efficiency.

Disadvantages of BIM

Incompatibility with partners: BIM is not yet universally used among construction professionals. There is always the possibility that one of your partners or subcontractors may not use BIM and may not be able to use your models.

Legal issues: The legal ramifications of using BIM software have not yet been extensively tested, let alone settled.

Cost of software: BIM software requires a substantial investment in new technology. The advantages usually make the investment worthwhile, but only if the software is used to its full capacity.

Lack of experts: The relative newness of BIM means that there are limited numbers of experts working in the field. Your software purchase may require an additional investment in training and education.

Construction Monitor helps companies in the industry stay informed about how new technology will affect all phases of the construction process. Contact us today for more information on how BIM and general construction will continue to be a valuable and effective combination.

Technology is revolutionizing, impacting upon the Property Industry and the future of buildings, and the management of assets cannot do away without Tech. The aspect of technology in the property industry “PropTech” goes well beyond wiring up buildings and replacing appliances. installing sensors but another crucial aspect is the management of assets.  An Enterprise Command Control Centre (EC3) has the power to manage your property assets intelligently to create smarter and more livable towns and cities.

An EC3 platform reshapes building environment
Smart technology that connects us to our surroundings is advancing faster than ever before, but improvements that could reshape the built environment have been held hostage by stubborn manual processes, restrictive physical infrastructure, and outdated paper solutions. Where others see a problem, DigiConsult sees an opportunity.
A radically new kind of data platform that unlocks the true potential of the smart devices around us, helps teams work together, creates an ecosystem of interconnected applications and fosters the growth of a more empowered workforce. An EC3 platform applies Internet Of Things (IoT ), artificial intelligence and machine learning to help asset managers run cutting-edge portfolios. 

Technology integration in properties is not complete without an EC3 platform  

A unified platform offers a single point of entry for operations and performance monitoring and is powered by a marketplace of integrated applications to help you accomplish more. Through new applications of data science and machine learning, an EC3 platform helps you predict and respond nimbly to changing conditions inside and outside your buildings, saving you time and money. 

Comfort and systems optimisation: Temperature is the arbiter of comfort for your tenants, but it can also be an indicator of something amiss. This information, delivered in a timely fashion, can prompt action before systems go past the point of correction. Put simply, this means that having some foresight into a looming issue may prevent damage and discomfort, and it may save the building owner a lot of money in the long run.

Preventative maintenance: In a break-fix environment, problems are often costly to fix because they are not addressed until the damage has already been done. Sensors that can detect leaks or other abnormalities contribute to proactive building management and maintenance.

Security: Keeping a building, its contents, and its tenants secure is of prime importance to building owners. Beacons that transmit data via a Bluetooth connection can be used both inside and outside the location, monitoring the area and delivering detailed insights to security personnel. Beacons can be highly personalized as well, meaning that management can know decisively who is in the building and where they are at any given time. This removes the onus of the facilities manager to keep eyes on staff, as all the information they need is at their fingertips.

Extend the range of facilities management: While a large, multi-tenant building can be a daunting task to manage, a connected building offers the opportunity to extend the expertise of the facilities manager. Since an EC3 can be managed remotely, it offers the possibility of overseeing several buildings rather than just one – which is a realistic way of being in many places at once. This can both improve consistency in management style and save money on payroll costs.

An easier way to manage assets: Asset management is a time-consuming and largely inefficient process. With an EC3 platform, a great deal of time is saved as the manager does not have to be present in order to manage inventory. Information such as inspection data, maintenance schedules, asset location and more can be managed from a device interface, freeing up management time to devote to higher-value tasks.

While these are just some of the ways smart buildings can support more efficient facilities management, the technology is cost-effective and well within reach. To help manage assets like elevators, HVAC systems, electrical systems, building security, parking allocation, and more, the possibilities are well worth exploring.

Developing technology-driven solutions for the management and operations of commercial buildings / other premises and with a focus on upcoming smart buildings is the emphasis laid by DigiCosult EC3 platforms. Besides, operational efficiency, the asset-life cycle of plant and equipment, and other installed furniture and fittings and leveraging upon data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other allied technologies are the salient features which are borne in mind. Contact us on +230 1636 or via email at kumar.dursun@angloenterprises.com.

Forward-looking contractors are embracing new technology. Their projects – and staff – are bristling with tech. Safety inspection drones hover overhead. And workers stride on site in light-up hard hats, checking the Google Glass-style visors on their headwear for real-time safety alerts. Historically, construction has been one of the world’s least digitised industries. The tech industry’s big players are developing construction-specific software, gadgets and robotics. Improved safety, better efficiency and reduced costs should not be far behind.

The sudden focus on technology in the construction space

Mostly because building sites can be dangerous places, and the injury and fatality stats are out of sync with 21st century workplace health and safety culture. However, by deploying technology at all stages of the design and build process, the fatality and injury numbers could drop down. And potentially so could insurance costs.

The technology that is improving construction site safety

From augmented reality to 3D lasers, here’s the safety technology that’s getting contractors and developers excited:

• Design stage: Identifying injury flashpoints before construction starts

Building information modelling (BIM) is an intelligent, 3D model-based process with huge potential. It allows architects, engineers and construction professionals to plan, design, construct and manage buildings and infrastructure efficiently.

The technology is being used to conduct pre-construction risk assessments and the execution of safety practices within the job site, too. It ensures teams make the best use of offsite prefabrication, preassembly and other ‘prevention through design’ approaches. These methods help eliminate potentially dangerous trips on lifts and ladders during construction and save thousands of work hours.

Virtual reality (VR) is adding a new dimension to health and safety training. The technology gives teams the skills to reduce accidents by creating simulations of real workplaces and hazards. This allows users to familiarise themselves with dangerous situations without the risk of being harmed. Construction firm Bechtel is trialling a VR training programme, and it shouldn’t be long before immersive VR safety training is par for the course.

Augmented Reality (AR) lets planners and architects collaborate with clients and contractors in real time, adapting plans and processes at the design stage. By using AR, data and images can be overlaid onto physical spaces; this allows build information to be shared, leading to risk reduction. It’s especially useful for highlighting hazards in complicated processes. With AR-generated information, managers can identify pinch points in the construction schedule, too.

• Construction stage: Improving on-site safety

Smart sensors are being mounted throughout construction sites, to detect and monitor unseen risks such as temperature, humidity, dust particulates, pressure, noise vibration and the volatile organic compounds that arise from an overload of varnish or paint. The collected data is fed to backend systems that generate real-time alerts and longer-term risk level analyses. This technology monitors the changing environmental conditions across entire sites and then provides analytics to builders and contractors.

Sensors have a credible construction safety pedigree; Costain has been using electronic perimeter alarms to alert roadside workers when they leave safe working zones. Pre-dating the technological innovations of the past couple of years, they are a valuable safety application for highways contractors.

• Software for streamlining inspections

Well-maintained equipment is essential for a safe construction business. But proving you’ve checked every piece of machinery to ensure it meets legal standards is time-consuming. Lifting equipment inspection software is causing a buzz in the construction and energy industries. Globally, about 6,000 inspectors are using it to speed up on-site machinery inspections and to generate automatic compliance records.

• Unmanned machinery

From futuristic vision to mundane reality robotic building sites are set to become the norm, thanks to companies such as Komatsu, a Japanese construction machinery giant that makes automated bulldozers. The company uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – aka drones – as ‘eyes’ for the machinery. The devices are mounted with technology that sends 3D construction site models to bulldozers, and other unmanned machinery, to plot their courses. Additionally, the drones provide progress reports, offer updates on any planning changes that need to be made, and speed up logistics by monitoring deliveries.

• Using robotics to protect – and power up – workers

Too many workers are suffering from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The rate of work-related MSDs in construction is 16% higher than in all other industries combined. And overexertion in lifting causes more than one-third of these injuries.

Japanese constructor Shimizu is increasing worker safety with the help of technology and has developed an arm-shaped robot that lifts 200kg reinforcing rods. Typically, it takes six or seven people to lift and manoeuvre long, cumbersome rods this size. The manpower is cut by half, and the effort reduced exponentially, with Shimizu’s robot technology.

• Reducing accidents with wearable technology

There’s more to wearables than FitBits and Apple watchers; construction is employing similar technology to reduce accidents. Wearable products and responsive clothing are becoming standard work wear. Innovations include GPS-enabled safety vests that alert workers when they’re entering hazardous areas, and smart helmets with virtual visors that display job information and warn wearers about changes in the working environment, such as increasing temperatures.

Health and safety is a constant issue for all businesses, but especially so for the construction industry. For those employed on building sites, their physically demanding work involves dealing with hazardous materials and dangerous equipment every single day. Even when strict safety protocols are in place and everyone’s being as careful as possible, one small slip-up can lead to an injury. The above are the most exciting new health and safety technologies starting to emerge in the construction industry.

An electrical system audit is your first step in reducing energy expenses. When you review utility bills, do you see penalties or charges that concern you? As an example, an audit could show how efficiently your system operates and help you identify areas for improvement. Through an audit, you might find that upgrading certain pieces of equipment can reduce energy usage and pay for itself quickly. Changing equipment could increase electrical efficiency and keep you from incurring stiff monthly penalties from your utility provider. Significant changes might result in improved rate structures from your utility.

Requirements for energy certification of buildings

Energy audits and energy performance certification of buildings dominantly contribute to an increase in energy efficiency of buildings, and this through reduced use of energy and environmental protection. The need to ensure adequate quality of energy audits and energy certificates for buildings has resulted in development of a new profile of experts vested with highly specific competencies. An overview of requirements set for experts conducting energy audits and energy certification of buildings, compliant with European directives, is given. Conclusions reached on some European projects, and solutions applied in the Republic of Croatia, are also presented.
Electrical engineering system for energy performance assessment audit

Most people cringe when they hear the word “audit” because it’s a process associated with finding fault and uncovering hidden problems. It’s understandable that the idea of an audit triggers fear — no one wants to be associated with problems. Audits aren’t as intimidating as they sound. In fact, an audit is a necessary tool for you to assess things like plant operations, worker safety and plant documentation.

• The adequacy of the circuit breakers and fuses to safely and reliability clear any faults that may develop on the
• The ability of the electrical protective devices to properly protect the effective equipment from damage and minimize the chance of false trips causing unnecessary interruptions to production.
• The ability of the electrical protective devices to provide selective tripping. • Compliance with the National Electrical Code and other relevant regulations.
• Visual verification of proper grounding practices

Business critical engineering systems provide core operational support for businesses. Data centres, switching centres, financial trading and transaction processing are examples of environments critically dependent on the integrity of reliable, robust engineering systems. DigiConsult vast experience of engineering and ICT for business-critical environments is mandating for robust engineering system for business environments critically dependent on the integrity of reliable.

Designing an efficient data integrity

Data integrity is the assurance that digital information is uncorrupted and can only be accessed or modified by those authorized to do so. Integrity involves maintaining the consistency, accuracy and trustworthiness of data over its entire lifecycle.

To maintain integrity, data must not be changed in transit and steps must be taken to ensure that data cannot be altered by an unauthorized person or program. Such measures include implementing user access controls and version control to prevent erroneous changes or accidental deletion by authorized users. Other measures include the use of checksums and cryptographic checksums to verify integrity. Network administration measures to ensure data integrity include documenting system administration procedures, parameters and maintenance activities, and creating disaster recovery plans for occurrences such as power outages, server failure or security attacks. Should data become corrupted, backups or redundancies must be available to restore the affected data to its correct state.

Measures must also be taken to ensure integrity by controlling the physical environment of networked terminals and servers because data consistency, accuracy and trustworthiness can also be threatened by environmental hazards such as heat, dust or electrical problems. Practices followed to protect data integrity in the physical environment include keeping transmission media (such as cables and connectors) covered and protected to ensure that they cannot be tapped, and protecting hardware and storage media from power surges, electrostatic discharges and magnetism.

creation of data centres that are highly resistant to any operational shutdown

Highly-reliable supply of electricity
Data centres ensure a highly-dependable power supply with multiplexed power supply systems and reliable redundant facilities. Incoming power is received via underground cables and multiple routes, and are not subject to risk factors such as the lightning strike or similar. Even in worst-case scenarios, a steady power supply is available via onsite EG’s (emergency generators).

A world-leading level of security
Central monitoring systems as well as multiple security mechanisms, we maintain a secure environment with the highest level of technology and know-how in terms of both hardware and software. Based on the principle that only the highest levels of information security is the foundation for continued customer trust, we have acquired certification for the Information Security Management System (ISMS) Conformity Assessment System (not applicable to some sites), as well as Privacy Mark qualifications.

Enterprise Command and Control Center (EC3) is the technology and expertise that turns noise into information, information into intelligence, and intelligence into safety that sets the solutions apart. Transforming the way you respond, simplifying your operation, and allow you to more effectively focus on your mission – keeping your city safe and allowing your community to thrive your vision and deliver benefits in citizen satisfaction, safety, economic development, and sustainability is the proposal package offerings of an EC3 for Smart City.

Why opting for an EC3 platform for Smart Cities

The Enterprise Command and Control Centre (EC3) is a multi-modal, multi-agency hub that enables the control of all systems in smart cities operations. Communicating with other city systems such as early warning systems, emergency response forces, utilities (energy, water, sewage and gas systems), transportation, city surveillance, citizen engagement platform. As we steadily transition to the digital world, we will increasingly expect the same of our cities.

To continue to flourish, cities will need to address and manage not just population growth but also challenges relating to safety, traffic, pollution, commerce, culture, and economic growth, among others. Adding to the challenge is the fact that, quite often, the bulk of municipal budgets are already committed to ongoing programs; city administrators thus have to balance these new requirements while trying to optimise budgets and resource allocation, and still meet citizen needs and requirements. Cities will also have to manage the expectations of their occupants (i.e. citizens, residents, visitors and businesses), which are also changing. They expect to have more transparency and openness from governments, access to services, and more importantly, the ability to engage with government by providing feedback on services, decisions, and laws.

The added value of an EC3 platform for Smart cities

• Connectivity: This layer encompasses all the types of connectivity such as cellular (3G, 4G, 5G), WiFi, Bluetooth, sensors, collectors, and the Internet of Things (IoT) in general. These can be owned by private or public operators, municipalities, or different government entities- local or federal ones. An EC3 platform connectivity infrastructure enables access to systems and allows cities to capture and respond to data effectively.
• Operations: Given the amount of data that is being generated and gathered, an EC3 ensures that the data is stored in a common repository and is easily accessed across various departments and applications.
• Analytics: Cities are able to take all the data that has been collected and turn it into valuable insights and actions. At this point, cities will be leveraging solutions that enable them to structure and analyze the data. Increasingly, cities are turning to Big Data analytics that enable them to analyze all types of data — structured, semi-structured, and unstructured — in near real time. Through the use of predictive analytics, smart cities can implement prescriptive actions for the optimal allocation of resources.
• Applications: At this level, cities implement various industry specific and horizontal applications that allow for data input, capture, and collection across various platforms such as online services, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets), sensors, and cars. This part will also allow for users to have a seamless experience by implementing applications that will be able to integrate services from various entities, improving overall efficiency. Governments, for example, will be able to deploy a single application that will provide users access to functions from various departments, instead of having separate and disparate systems. These applications will also be able to provide “contextual” information (i.e., users will be able to gain insights on how they compare to other users within the city).

Today’s organisations need real-time access to actionable information so they can make smarter decisions about how their buildings are run, to create more productive, agile, collaborative working environments. Opt for an open collaborative Internet of Things (IoT) platform for smart buildings that delivers significantly enhanced value across the building ecosystem backed by digital technology and solutions meeting the requirements of building owners, real estate developers, system integrators, facility managers and building occupants. DigiConsult helps you in your digital transformation journey through a collaborative IoT platform, to enhance value across your building ecosystem.

Innovation to take building operational efficiency to the next level

A collaborative IoT platform helps to extract and enhance efficiency, not only energy efficiency but integration, operational and engineering efficiency. The platform also enhances Comfort and productivity of building occupants, which is key to hiring and retaining talent. Moreover, because IoT Building is scalable and future-ready with its IP capabilities, it helps building owners and developers to increase the value of their real estate for the long term.

• Smart Connector framework for creating new system and app functionality
• Enterprise Central allows for 10x more scalability to easily execute site expansions
• Mobile commissioning, engineering efficiencies, and development applications for speed, repeatability and consistency

The elements a collaborative  IoT platform include:

• Building Advisor – A comprehensive service portfolio designed to improve occupant comfort and asset value while reducing operating costs. An integral part of the Building Advisor leverages expert field service engineers and remote data scientists to convert data into predictable, actionable insights, driving fewer complaints from occupants, a decrease in unscheduled maintenance and a significant  energy cost reduction.

• Building Operations 2.0 is enhanced with best-in-class cybersecurity and delivers a customised native user experience through a responsive WebStation and mobile apps to engineer once, deploy-all-devices and provide mobile access on the go. An Enterprise Central supervisory server enhances monitoring and control capability for large and multi-site enterprises. The open, standards based platform using Smart Connector framework enables systems integrators to build innovative applications and offers actionable insights through simple to set-up reporting and dashboards. It also includes additional IP integrated offers for commercial buildings including:

• Controllers and Living Space Sensors are next generation multipurpose field controllers and sensors that leverage industry standards and IP-based open protocols for an increase in engineering efficiency and faster commissioning leveraging the eCommission mobile app.

Making good profit margins whilst contributing to improving the social infrastructure, by protecting the environment and respecting the people who work for you, is what Lean approach in the construction industry brings you. Lean construction is excellent in managing the construction process and achieving the project’s goals by eliminating waste. Lean construction is also capable of enhancing sustainability in construction thus the quality of life. If you are operating in the construction industry, what are you waiting to take the leap forward and make a step further.

About Lean Construction in the construction space

A growing number of construction firms are embracing the Lean methodology that emphasises on maximising value for the customer while minimising waste. The approach is simple and attractive in an industry where budgets, timeframes, and safety are all critical. Lean is about designing and operating the right processes and having the right systems, resources and measures to deliver things right first time. Essential to this is the elimination of waste – activities and processes that absorb resources but create no value. Waste can include mistakes, working out of sequence, redundant activity and movement, delayed or premature inputs, and products or services that don’t meet customer needs. The primary focus is on moving closer and closer to providing a product that customers really want, by understanding the process, identifying the waste within it, and eliminating it step by step.

Applying Lean Principles  in the construction industry

The lean principles can only be applied fully and effectively in construction by focusing on improving the whole process. This means all parties have to be committed, involved, and work to overcome obstacles that may arise from traditional contractual arrangements.

1. Eliminate waste

Defects: Defects are anything that is not done correctly the first time, resulting in rework that wastes time and materials.

Overproduction: In construction, overproduction happens when a task is completed earlier than scheduled or before the next task in the process can be started.

Waiting: The most common scenario that leads to waiting in construction is when workers are ready, but the necessary materials needed for the work to be completed have not been delivered or the prerequisite prior task has not been completed.

Not Utilising Talent: Workers on a construction project have a range of skills and experience. When the right person is not matched to the right job, their talent, skills, and knowledge go to waste.

Transport: The waste of transport happens when materials, equipment, or workers are moved to a job site before they are needed. It can also refer to the unnecessary transmission of information.

Inventory: Materials that are not immediately needed are considered excess inventory. They tie up budget,  require storage, and often degrade when not used.

Motion: Movement that is not necessary, like the distance between workers and tools or materials creates the waste of motion.

Over Processing: Over Processing happens when features or activities are added that have no value to the client. Ironically, this often occurs when taking steps to eliminate the other types of waste.

2. Precisely specify value from the perspective of the ultimate customer

The traditional approach to construction focuses on what the customer wants you to build – what’s included in the plans and specifications. Lean construction, on the other hand, recognises that what the customer values are deeper than that. It isn’t just about what to build, but why. Truly understanding value from the customer’s point of view requires a different level of trust, established very early in the planning phases of a project. Lean construction brings together all stakeholders including the owner, architect, engineers, general contractor, subcontractors, and suppliers. The project team not only delivers what the client wants, but they provide advice and help shape expectations throughout the project.

3. Clearly identify the process that delivers what the customer values (the value stream) and eliminate all non-value adding steps

The ideal state of a Lean construction project is a continuous, uninterrupted workflow that is reliable and predictable. The sequence is key in construction, you can’t start building the frame until the footings are set, for example. Clear communication between all parties is essential to achieving flow. When one part of the project gets behind or ahead of schedule, it is essential to let everyone know so that adjustments can be made to avoid the wastes of waiting, motion, and excess inventory.

4. Make the remaining value-adding steps flow without interruption by managing the interfaces between different steps

Once you have a clear understanding of value from the customer’s point of view, you can lay out all of the processes necessary to deliver that value. This is called the value stream. For each activity, the necessary labour, information, equipment, and materials are defined. Any steps or resources that don’t add value are removed.  Let the customer pull – don’t make anything until it is needed, then make it quickly.

5. Creating reliable workflows depends on work being released based on downstream demand.

Lean construction recognises that this is best done by those performing the work, often subcontractors.  Participants communicate and collaborate closely with each other to determine the schedule of tasks.

6.  Pursue perfection by continuous improvement

The belief that it is possible and necessary to continuously improve processes and eliminate waste is the heart of the Lean philosophy. Opportunities for improvement are identified and acted upon during the project and applied to future projects.

The construction industry is not immune to the tendency to stick to old ways and resist change, but the many benefits of the Lean approach are compelling more and more firms to take on the challenge. When projects come in on time, on budget, and with exactly the value the customer expected, everyone involved is better for it. At DigiConsult we encourage collaboration as the first step towards Lean construction.

Enterprise Command and Control (EC3) platform tailor-made for large premises setups by DigiConsult, a unique offering for the property sector in Mauritius and beyond. It addresses energy challenges in an automated manner and delivers intelligent controls with the predictive and preventive maintenance of electrically-driven assets. It gives real-time updates if an air conditioner or other device is malfunctioning/consuming more electricity, and is powered by advanced machine learning algorithms and helping your premises to be energy efficient and more, so reducing the electricity consumption and cost of your premises.

Opting for an EC3 platform for live data

With an executive dashboard at your disposal displaying your daily energy consumption data along with your premises occupants detailed breakdown, covering every corner using energy in real-time, offers you myriad opportunities to reach optimum energy efficiency.

If in real time you can figure out a faulty issue in your Air Conditioning, the issue can be resolved on the spot, this reduces the surplus energy that the device would have consumed if the fault was to be discovered in hours or days after. Therefore prompting such alerts by the EC3 dashboard in real time has a significant impact on your electricity bill. This also ascribes your premises to green initiatives etiquettes along with sustainable benefits.

The dashboard offers a multitude analytics data and key metrics ranging from monthly consumption, seasonality, average daily and the list goes long depending on your premises size and areas of operations.

Real-Time energy monitoring; the roadmap towards energy efficiency

More sophisticated real-time and minute-level monitoring are key to provide a comprehensive view of the electricity spent within an infrastructure, as they allow fine-grained understanding of how your devices are currently performing and how it is expected to behave in the near future based on historical data.

• Monitoring anomalies
• Electrical meters provide measurements of consumption for most electrical components of premises; with the right data sets, intelligent software can go one step further and uncover what physical measurements will not tell you. Load demand periodicity, deviation from operational baseline and expected behaviour, signs of equipment failure, accurate Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) variations and other key performance metrics are examples of insights that will be invaluable when deciding to balance processes and energy.
• Making smart energy decisions based on conditions in the past is difficult and expensive, given that energy has been wasted for the entirety of the reactive period. Real-time monitoring allows Facilities managers to better manage and analyse the vast amount of data being gathered from their buildings and point out where inefficiencies are occurring – shortening the reactive period significantly and saving significant amounts of energy.
• Identifying recurring patterns and correlations – Another category of data analysis enabled by high-sampling metering is that of non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM). NILM systems are designed to monitor the current and voltage waveforms of an electrical measurement to estimate, in software, nature and energy consumption of electrical components switching on and off on that specific circuit. Correlating real-time variations of the servers’ overall load demand with measurements of the servers’ individual computing power levels provides essential information for software load monitoring.
• Single source of truth: Energy management is relevant to many departments as the latter have their own priorities. With many parties involved, you risk miscommunication, redundant work, and conflicting information. With EC3, there is a single dashboard.

• Engage Occupants and Facilities Technicians: Facilities technicians can be taught how to use a web-based dashboard that provides energy data in intervals, immediately identifies deviations from normal usage patterns, and tracks low-cost energy saving measures through its “communicator” tool. Access to interval data will help the technicians having a better understanding of how energy is used, and problematic areas are revealed and can be resolved more quickly. The immediate feedback loop will allow Facilities technicians to identify trends, respond quickly to equipment malfunction alerts, make changes, and see impacts in real-time, resulting in optimal energy savings.
• Using data available in real time enables Facilities managers to adjust HVAC, lighting, electrical distribution systems and other systems based on information gleaned from the system. Users can, at a glance, see system-level inefficiencies and pivot operations quickly to optimise energy use. This can help ensure that real-time adjustments of the systems are having the desired effect and help further influence behavioural changes over time. The data is presented in a way that’s easy-to-use and digest through interactive graphs, visualisation charts, modules and comparisons, helping Facilities managers avoid data overload.

As applications and infrastructure change dynamically, an EC3 will automatically deliver visibility into what is happening in the IT environment of your premises. Are you an existing premise or planning a new construction, DigiConsult brings you a tailor-made solution adaptable to your premises irrelevant of the sector you operate. With latest technologies application; Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Analytics, we promise you an efficient sustainable enterprise decision making. Contact us on +230 2331636