Today’s large-scale worksites involve multiple contractors and hundreds of moving parts – and keeping them moving requires a new level of connectivity and collaboration. A data-driven, digital approach is non-negotiable on the vast infrastructure projects currently underway across the UK and Europe, where the scale of the job and the pressure to deliver on time and on budget are bigger than ever.
Winning a flagship infrastructure project can come with as many challenges as it does opportunities for an earthworks contractor. Progress is rarely linear and teams will be completing different jobs at different points, and working with different teams, contractors and machinery types in the process. The jobsite can also cover hundreds of square kilometers, or span multiple locations, so everything needs to be managed from a distance, without compromising precision.
It’s why we’re working with teams on some of Europe’s biggest projects, providing digital integration platforms that collect millions of data points, translate them into the information that site managers and the back-office need, and feed it directly back to the machines and operators doing the digging. What we’re seeing and hearing from contractors is that integration is just the start of the value they get from these platforms, and we’re working with them to establish this technology as a mission control center for their digital workflows.
A job like no other
SuedLink is one such infrastructure project that makes almost any other job look small by comparison. Set to be the world’s longest underground power cable, SuedLink will transport wind power 700 kilometers from northern Germany to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Construction on the €11 billion cable began at both ends of the pipeline simultaneously and needs to stay rigidly on-plan if the two ends are to meet harmoniously in the middle – so no pressure, then, for main earthworks contractor De Romein Group.
To connect work happening on site with managers in an office several hundred kilometers away in the Netherlands, De Romein Group is using the Aptix integration platform by Topcon. The project includes a hugely complex 3D workflow, fed by data from a number of third-party applications, while needing to provide real-time updates to operators in the cab. With the help of the platform, project managers can send instructions directly to operators in excavators and dozers equipped with machine control technology such as MC-X by Topcon. This ensures that work remains on-plan along the full length of the site.
Large-scale projects can also differ greatly from one another – so the ‘ask’ is very rarely the same for individual contractors. Here, integration platforms can be the glue that holds together the strategy and makes it work for multiple types of jobs.
Manufacturers have a massive role to play here in helping contractors get the best out of their products, and this doesn’t just mean getting them up to speed at the outset. Where we’ve seen the best results is with customers with whom we have an ongoing conversation, picking up with them regularly to make the platform work as hard as it can for each project.
Reporting right
Rigid reporting requirements are another frequent hallmark of large-scale projects – particularly public ones. The bigger the job, the greater the disruption caused to local people and the local environment, and the greater the scrutiny from all sides. Sustainability is growing as a factor in bidding and procurement processes, and stakeholders are looking for proof of best practice, not just commitments.
It’s not just about getting a foot in the door, however. Once they win the project, contractors are expected to report on the impact of their work in detail and demonstrate how it contributes to the larger footprint of the project in real terms.
In earthworks, counting carbon means machine movements and emissions, as well as materials and fuel usage, and it amounts to a huge volume of data. On big jobs, tracking and reporting your carbon footprint can be tricky and time-consuming without a digital workflow and the ability to combine data from multiple different sources – authorities are looking for contractors who are not just able to report on their impact, but have established this process as a regular part of their operations.
It goes beyond reporting; the visibility offered by cutting-edge integration platforms is a perfect starting point for emissions reduction, allowing managers to find opportunities to improve without having to overhaul or disrupt existing ways of working. This is particularly valuable when a project comes to a fork in the road, where real, clearly presented emissions data can be used to choose a more sustainable path.
Bigger, better, smarter
Large-scale projects like SuedLink hold huge value for whole economies, and they represent an important opportunity for the contractors appointed to deliver them, but they come with unique challenges. Work sites like these require fluid collaboration within and across contractors, delivered by digital workflows and powered by reams of project data. Integration platforms are a vital tool for keeping projects on track, and they should be one of the first priorities for a project manager evaluating their tech stack.
To find out more about Topcon’s Aptix integration platform, visit: https://www.topconpositioning.com/solutions/technology/infrastructure-software-and-services/aptix
“...INTEGRATION PLATFORMS CAN BE THE
GLUE
THAT HOLDS TOGETHER THE STRATEGY AND
MAKES IT WORK
FOR MULTIPLE TYPES OF JOBS.”