Automatic tool as the basis of a complete pile foundation design

By combining these services with the expertise available in terms of environmental influence, monitoring, soil investigation and soil improvement techniques, the company is ideally placed to generate complete and, where necessary, innovative and future-proof geotechnical design solutions. With the recently founded software company CEMS, CRUX is investing heavily in the development of automating its consulting and engineering work. And the end user in the field is reaping the full benefits of this, says the proud director Jacco Haasnoot.

CEMS, which stands for CRUX Engineering MicroServices BV in full, has been the new addition to the CRUX family since January 1. The start of the company gives CRUX the opportunity to further develop IT services and products towards the market. "From CEMS we will offer MicroServices in the field of geotechnical engineering, geohydrology and monitoring," Haasnoot explains. "These MicroServices are cloud-based tools that via an interface (API, ed.) can be part of a design process or another form of automated service." 

Software and platform

The latest product bears the name PileCore and is thus directly linked to one of CRUX's core activities: making calculations regarding pile foundations. "From our geotechnical expertise we focus with PileCore on the so-called computational heart, the place where pile calculations are made," continues Haasnoot. "That computational heart runs in the cloud and can be accessed through various user interfaces. The online automation platform for the engineering and construction industry VIKTOR provides the right basis for this. Together we provide an environment in which you can automate design processes and tie different software programs together. The result is an optimal integrated architectural design that is also faster, more accurate and without the risk of errors."

Complete design

With the combination of software and a digital platform, the two partners offer a customized tool that allows users to access the information and functionalities they need. But that's not all. "Again, the story does not stop at making calculations for pile foundations alone," said Haasnoot. "The software and the platform are the basic components of a completely automated process within which you can create a complete design in no time from various disciplines and with all the computing power a computer offers today. For example, for an infra work, apartment complex or distribution center. Precisely in that versatility and broad applicability lies the power of this new tool."