Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
Almost every company sees the need for digitization. This is great for the company on the path up, however, one thing we must not lose sight of: those who digitize and optimize within their own ranks, without anticipating future connectivity and interchangeability with industry peers, will eventually find themselves stranded on a digital island of their own.
The reason companies do not look beyond within their own gates is that digitization is a complex issue. It is difficult to look into the future and see the bigger picture. Yet this is necessary, in order to ultimately get to where we would like to be with the entire industry. Namely, an infrastructure sector in which we truly cooperate, benefit from each other's knowledge and experience, and without nibbling away at our bread and butter, be part of an optimized sector.
To work better together, we will have to share data. That will be a matter of give and take. Those who always want to profit themselves 100% and don't begrudge anyone else anything will miss the boat. Success is in the balance that has to be struck. Today you settle for earning 80% and grant another 120%. Tomorrow the reverse will happen. This happens naturally, you may assume from me. However, this will require a cultural shift and, to apply the metaphor again, for companies to start building bridges between their island and that of others.
This cultural change also requires taking responsibility. An example: purchasing parties in the sector (municipalities, etc.) sometimes include an unfeasible plan of requirements in their call for tenders. Everyone sees that it cannot be done, but there is always one party that says "yes" and then sees what can be done. That harms the industry beyond belief. The bar is lowered and soon their problem becomes everyone else's problem. The result: substandard quality work, lawsuits and disrupted relationships. It doesn't have to. If we want to level the infra in the future, we will all have to do our part and recognize our responsibility.
The proposed change is feasible, especially on the client and executive side. It is the middle layer that can cause problems. That is where responsibilities are rejected, risks shifted and impossible demands made. That inhibits tremendously and often results in damage. Let's agree that the end result is always "leading." This cannot be formulated in a plan of requirements; it can only be achieved by communicating on a human level, by granting, by sharing and trusting each other. Clients such as municipalities should no longer act as "experts." The collaborating parties must have a focus on the objectives within a project and not just the costs. That is the culture change: the willingness to pursue mutual transparency.
You cannot get sensors to cooperate with each other if one of the parties is constantly shifting its responsibilities. Technological innovation on an industry-wide scale can only be achieved by sacrificing margin here and there. The gains come afterwards. We will have to listen to the people working in the field if we want to take engineering and technology to the next level. That is where it happens, where the results become visible. The sector lags behind in digitization because people are easy outside, in the field. It is not uncommon to run around in the field filling out paper lists and sending them to the office so someone else can enter the data into the computer. Every in-between drive gives opportunity for failure and all at the expense of profit and flexibility.
Software is often developed in the office by companies whose developers don't have muddy boots in the trunk. It's all purely theoretical. As a result, the software is not used in the field because it disappoints. Still clever that those companies can run well without digitization.
Ask questions when purchasing hardware and software. Questions such as, "Can I export the source data I write out through you to other systems?" and "Can I easily link to other systems?" Linking means broadening horizons. So don't be too protectionist and start sharing. The future is bright for those who are open to sharing data....
