Recent News - This is the 21st Century

In the world of e-commerce, virtual reality and invisible webs, is there still a place for nuts and bolts?

No doubt you'll agree, the business landscape is changing and the way we do business. In general, increased profit margins and ROI have been realised through the use of more efficient business practices and informed decision making, spurred on by the advancement of IT and the way we use it. Engineering practices have been advanced with the use of CN machinery and supply chain issues for client and supplier integration have advanced in leaps and bounds. One area which has seen recent development is that of structural analysis and design.

Existing challenges in contract management and client interaction can pose a multitude of problems in handling contracts (particularly large, complex ones) efficiently. The existing dependency of erector on transporter on fabricator on detailer on designer on architect on client very often, especially on large contracts, leads to budget overruns and time scale failures, usually resulting in the imposition of contractual penalties. Add to the mix, specification changes, architectural amendments and contract revisions and the already challenging interaction becomes near impossible to keep control of.

Although this scenario has existed for some time, so to has the vision to seamlessly integrate all contributors, from inception to completion of a development. Short of proposing daily meetings and committing hours co-ordinating efforts, the resources required to facilitate this vision far outweigh the benefits to be gained. That is until now.

Advancements in hardware, software, internet technologies and working practices within the construction industry has enabled significant increases in productivity and efficiency to be realised along with reductions in costs.

A system whereby the architect of a development can make changes to the design of a building that (in a real time fashion) reflect on the systems of all contributors of the project regardless of geographic locations is now possible. This realistic possibility opens up a whole new approach to getting the job done with a multitude of benefits.

Apart from allowing firms more operational flexibility, cost, labour and wastage savings, increased reporting ability, operational control and information accuracy, the scope of projects that can be conceptualised and turned into reality expand dramatically.

Mark Legge said "We are excited to have employed this solution and will be looking to add value to the existing services we offer, save our clients time and money and integrate more closely with our supply partners. This initiative is part of our focus to effectively utilise IT to improve our service provision, improve process flow and reduce contract turnaround times".

In addition to this commitment, Hayes have invested heavily in the critical IT infrastructure required to support line of business IT systems. The systems themselves have been investigated and Hayes are currently involved in modularised implementation of various software solutions.

Shawn Green - IT Manager