Digitalization provides numerous opportunities to improve existing processes.
“Digitalization covers four areas: digital technology, new communication channels, cooperation and cross-functionality. It provides numerous opportunities to improve existing processes. Building on projects and initiatives launched by our colleagues, we want to move forward quickly using a concrete and practical approach, in order to accelerate the digital transformation process within the Construction division. We have three fundamental objectives: take advantage of the latest available tools and processes while designing new ones to make life easier for our employees, optimise processes in order to increase productivity, and respond to new customer behaviour to eventually generate new business. We are in a position to completely redefine our business lines!
A first important tool, BIM, has already been in existence for several years and offers enormous potential to facilitate the design, construction and maintenance of buildings. Digital technology can also be used to simplify day to day life on construction sites. Installing microchips onto 150,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment would facilitate management of the fleet (automatic inventory). Equipping site managers with smart tablets to carry out safety meetings would further improve accident prevention and follow-up. Digitizing site hoardings using flash codes would enable smoother and more direct communication with local residents.
Another tool is quality and reserves monitoring via a dedicated interface, with information being transmitted in real time to all the project participants, thus enabling improvements in productivity. The solution developed by the start-up Finalcad, which specialises in construction site mobile applications, is being deployed in the field throughout the Construction division.
The division’s other businesses also stand to benefit from digital transformation. In the real estate sector for example, customers could be given virtual tours of properties that they could then easily personalise. Teams from Eiffage Aménagement could exploit multiple data (land, water and sewage networks, electrical interconnections, etc.) in order to design new neighbourhoods.
As well as a major opportunity, digital transformation is also a complete necessity. It provides a sword to create new services and a shield to guard against competitors.”