Construction Digital Magazine August 2024 | Page 159

CREDIT : HS2
TECH & AI

When British-based construction giant Balfour Beatty ’ s ongoing expansion began to slow , the company found itself butting up against a wall – not of brick , as one might expect , but of paper . In an increasingly competitive and modernised marketplace it discovered it had reached a point at which paper-based construction processes could take it no further .

Jeff Pistor , Director , Construction Technology , Balfour Beatty asked the pertinent question : “ What was our work like before the internet and cloud ? To put it simply , a lot of paperwork . But today , everything has changed .”
Through big data , AI and digital technologies , Balfour Beatty has transformed productivity levels , made workplaces safer , and also driven progress towards both its own and its customers ’ carbon reduction commitments .
It began its transformation back in 2018 , when it established a so-called ‘ data lake ’ – a secure , central repository of data and information from across Balfour Beatty .
Today , it uses this to power its digital toolset , to bring supply chain partners into its digital ecosystem and to generate the real-time data it needs to manage and deliver works , safely and sustainably .
The change project now supports the automation of mundane tasks and processes , allowing its people to focus
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