Architectural Engineering & Construction

Can AEC benefit from lessons learnt in Auto and Aero?

The application of Project Lifecycle Management (PLM), is being exploited on a number of large scale construction projects and is demonstrating similar benefits in terms of improved quality and reduced project lead-times to those seen in the discrete manufacturing industries of Automotive and Aerospace.

In general large infrastructure projects typically involve a number of "stakeholders" with a vested interest in the design data. The handover from the service providers who design and build the project, to the owner who will operate and manage the structure is similar to the sale of a discrete manufacturer's product to its final user.

A construction project will often be reworked and renovated several times and these costs can dominate the total lifecycle cost. As a result the final user tends to have more interest in the design data than a typical product user and this interest in operational costs means that PLM has an even greater role to play.

In summary, remembering that both the business drivers and the stakeholders are different, there are still lessons that can be learnt from the discrete manufacturing industries where PLM has taken some years to be formulated into the philosophy that is today delivering benefits in this arena.

> Project Lifecycle Management (PLM)

> Building Information Management (BIMan)

> PLM Benefits

> Business Pressures

> PLM “Push or Pull”