Skanska uses BIM 360 and Forge to help digitize the entire company, cutting future construction time by 25%

Overview

Skanska is the world’s fifth-largest construction firm, focusing on markets in the Nordic region, across Europe, and in the United States. Founded in 1887, the company has grown over the years to include projects in construction, residential development, and commercial property development. Remaining ahead in an increasingly digital world requires innovation and future-readiness. Skanska’s goal is to become more competitive and sustainable in the construction industry by implementing digital technology.

As a large organization, strategic implementation of digital solutions is key to success. Skanska segmented the adoption plan and started by focusing on one office as a proof of concept. The team will then scale the new solutions across the entire global firm. A partnership with Autodesk was essential on this journey, and the team successfully leveraged Autodesk® BIM 360® Next Gen and Autodesk Forge™ software. With these capabilities, Skanska will save time in construction, reduce costs, achieve sustainability goals, and improve employee well-being.

Challenge

Getting future-ready with digital has been in the works at Skanska for some time. The intent of the new initiative is to create lasting solutions that will spread throughout Skanska’s global divisions. For an enormous business like Skanska, this is no easy task.

Major initiatives at any large construction firm need to factor in quality control, safety, and overall cost. The construction industry is one of the least digitized industries, leaving sparse and non-existent roadmaps for Skanska to follow. Only 1.2 percent of revenue in the industry as a whole goes toward technology investments. Forging a digital path means deviating from “business as usual” to create a new, forward-thinking method of construction digitalization. Skanska knew it needed a careful plan and thoughtful partnerships to achieve its ambitious goals.

Solution

Skanska saw its own size as a strength rather than a weakness and chose to tackle this initiative in smaller, strategic, individualized pieces. The organization developed a pilot program for Skanska Sweden that would be used as a test case for digital programs in the future.

To implement meaningful solutions, Skanska created a program called the Digital Construction Platform (DCP). The DCP’s role is to act as a single source of truth, connecting stakeholders across the scope of projects and the organization. Autodesk partnered with Skanska early on to help develop this program. Key components of the DCP are BIM 360 Next Gen and Forge—platforms that will help save time and reduce errors on project sites. BIM 360 is essential for storing and managing all construction related data—including drawings, models, and checklists.

Getting future-ready also means creating an environment where creativity is a priority. With this in mind, Skanska created the DigiHub, an initiative that promotes research and innovation. This creates a space where new technology and ideas can be tested before implemented – giving Skanska the ability to always be innovating.

“We can now make insights available to our site colleagues in real time. This leads us to work proactively instead of reactively with challenges, project plans, risks, and cost controls. With the help of machine learning, we hope to interpret and analyze bigger amounts of data and share those insights with project leads and subcontractors to ultimately improve our safety, environment, and efficiency.”

 - Patrik Johansson, Solutions Architect, Skanska

Success

Paper-based workflows are now becoming a thing of the past at Skanska. These methods were becoming costly and left room for error. With the new DCP solutions, end users can review 2D drawings, 3D models, and documents from any device, keeping all relevant stakeholders updated on the latest project information.

With a successful adoption at Skanska Sweden, the company anticipates a 20 percent reduction in construction costs, a 25 percent reduction in construction time, and improvement in the general health and safety of employees by 2023. With multiple, annual projects across the globe, the total time and cost savings will be tremendous. As significantly less paper is used on site, Skanska’s environmental record and social responsibility will also improve.

Large-scale change isn’t easy, but with the right plan and partnerships, it can be done—and done well. For Skanska, adopting Autodesk solutions represents only the beginning of a major digital change across not only its own organization, but the construction industry as a whole.

“The partnership with Autodesk will allow and enable us to create untold value today and in the future. Today we have 10 possibilities to do the wrong thing with information, which causes us to build wrong and waste materials. Embracing BIM 360 and Forge allows us to be more precise with the data we gather, store, and analyze—enabling us to reach our goals of reducing time and material waste.”

- Henrik Ljungberg, Digital Innovation leader, DigiHub, Skanska

Images courtesy: Skanska