The group, which has an annual construction output of almost €5bn (£4.5bn), said that it is actively involved in process optimisation in civil engineering and road construction and began to develop targeted strategies for digitisation. In future, work preparation has to be simplified and standardised, it said.
After an intensive pilot phase of various software solutions, the Porr Group decided to adopt the BPO – building process optimisation - software Volz Consulting.
The Porr Group consists of companies from various construction sectors and BPO covers all trades. Key objectives include creating a uniform basis throughout the group in order to implement BIM. BIM shortens the construction time, increases adherence to delivery dates and at the same time increases quality, said Porr, as various scenarios can be simulated and evaluated.
After an intensive pilot phase of various software solutions, the Porr Group decided on Volz’s BPO system. The roll-out phase began in spring 2018 and the two sub-modules BPO Asphalt and BPO Concrete are already being used intensively by three Porr companies. Since the beginning of the year, more than 400,000t of asphalt and 46,000m3 of concrete have been placed with the help of the BPO technology.
“BPO Asphalt and BPO Concrete are tools with which the entire logistics of infrastructure projects, in the sense of the lean concept, is considerably simplified,” said Dr Christoph Winkler, project manager innovation.
The system will be introduced within the framework of pilot projects. BPO helps project participants such as site managers, foremen and subcontractors to save time and coordinate the work more efficiently, he said. All logistics can be planned to suit the paving speed in order to avoid downtimes and bumps in road construction. Necessary planning documents required by the road authorities can be created at the push of a button and without additional effort.
The networking of mixing plants, truck logistics and construction sites enables a real-time comparison, he added. “It is always clear whether the construction progress is somewhat faster or slower than planned,” he said. “In the event of delays, actions can be taken in time to correct the deficit.”
There are clear advantages for the paving crew. A foreman summed it up: "BPO shows an improvement in communication between all parties involved and makes it easier to make the right decisions based on the delivery situation.”
At the end of a paving day, the site management is provided with a clear analysis of all relevant project data such as the paving performance, the working time or the actual times in a target/actual comparison.
Site management can interactively analyse the paving day and adapt the planning for the following days. The BIM model links all data records, the delivery note data, the logistics and the paving parameters. All data is available for later analysis and internal quality reporting. This information can in turn be used for the continuous improvement process (CIP) to make planning for future construction projects more efficient. This is particularly helpful for site management, Winkler finds: "BPO provides us with reliable performance data immediately after the end of the installation day. On this basis, the planning for the following day can be adjusted."
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