IBM, Red Hat and Cobuilder Spearhead Development of OpenBuilt to Accelerate Digital Transformation across the Construction Industry with a Hybrid Cloud Approach
IBM [NYSE: IBM ], Red Hat and Cobuilder today announced a global collaboration to co-develop OpenBuilt, a new platform designed to help securely connect fragmented construction industry supply chains. Built on Red Hat OpenShift and running on IBM Cloud, OpenBuilt will offer new digital solutions to help innovate and drive more efficient, sustainable and safer construction projects.
A cross-industry ecosystem of five partners will play a
vital role in the development process together with IBM, Red Hat and Cobuilder,
including Cemex, EDIN Network, Backe, Sol Services and Element.
The construction industry has long been challenged with
project delays, cost overages as well as wasted materials often caused by
disconnected processes and poorly coordinated activities and resources.
Companies across the built environment including architects, building material
suppliers, manufacturers, construction and engineering firms are now looking to
innovate and speed up the expansion of their digital strategy. By moving away
from largely manual processes, the industry will be able to explore more
effective ways of working.
OpenBuilt is designed to allow companies across the global
built environment and construction industry to securely connect their current
technology platforms and digital solutions to partners, suppliers or
subcontractors in their supply chain via a single integration hub. With a
foundation on Red Hat OpenShift running on IBM Cloud, the industry’s most
secure and open cloud for business, OpenBuilt aims to help improve
communication and securely exchange data across the supply chain. Companies
will then have access to the latest applications and services from technology
providers to expand their digital platforms without complex, bespoke software
development.
Mark Farmer, CEO of Cast Consultancy and Independent
Champion for Modern Methods of Construction in Homebuilding for UK Government,
commented:
“In pursuing the broad goal of construction industry
transformation, there is a critical need to break down the deep silos and
fragmentation that exists in how we organise and operate design, manufacture,
construction and operation processes. This is equally true in the emerging
digitalisation challenge.
To create more strategic and scalable intelligent workflows
we need data and software to be part of a fully connected ecosystem. The
concept of digital platforms is nothing new but if construction is ever going
to realise the full potential of some of the technology solutions that are now
proliferating and if those solutions are ever going to be given the chance to
scale to maturity then there is a need for market leadership in creating a
unifying platform that can host these solutions and enables interoperability.
What IBM and partners are offering through Open Built is the
opportunity to act as a digital integrator at an international and industry
wide level, gluing together what is becoming an increasingly fragmented digital
market place for construction technology solutions. This is an important step
forward which has great potential to make our industry more efficient.”
“The global construction landscape is evolving and requires
a new approach towards industry-wide technology platforms with new levels of
openness, innovation and collaboration. Together with our partners we are
creating OpenBuilt to empower the construction industry to break down its silos
with intelligent workflows and play an active role in designing and driving its
own transformation. Successful companies across the construction supply chain
are coming together to embrace a digital future, harnessing the power of an
open hybrid cloud approach and adopting new technologies to gain a real
competitive advantage. We want to inspire other companies to join us and
accelerate the march towards a truly digital construction industry,” said Jon
O’Donnell, Managing Partner, IBM Global Business Services EMEA.
Collaborative development will initially focus on three key
areas:
- Establishing OpenBuilt using Red Hat OpenShift running on IBM Cloud to enable construction companies to adopt a hybrid cloud approach and connect their supply chain. Then gain access to a wide library of pre-integrated applications from trusted companies and solution providers operating in the built environment. This foundation of open-source software, security leadership, and enterprise grade infrastructure is designed to support companies hosting mission-critical workloads such as ERP systems - on the platform. To maintain consistent technical language, OpenBuilt will use Cobuilder’s Data Templates to structure all data in a way that allows for machine-readability and interoperability with existing and future systems. Users can build and deploy intelligent workflows via an intuitive drag and drop interface, making application development far more accessible to the industry.
- Integration of Independent Software Vendors to make an array of software and services accessible. IBM solutions including Watson, Maximo, TRIRIGA, next generation KITT dictionary and IBM Blockchain in addition to Salesforce open APIs will be integrated into the platform during the development to enable users to build functionality into their intelligent workflows. Industry integrations can be developed ranging from Building Information Modeling and Digital Twins solutions with 3D Repo, digital project management solutions with Asite, data-driven building operations and maintenance services with Facilio and finding and researching building products for specification with SpecifiedBy and artificial intelligence-powered health and safety advice from Intuety.
- Development of new flagship applications including a solution that will enable organisations to search, filter and sort building product technical data. This can allow companies to quickly find materials with the right specification to design, build or maintain buildings that meet industry guidelines such as functional, safety and environmental performance requirements. Cobuilder’s data dictionary solution Define will be among the fundamental technologies enabling the use of a common language within the initial OpenBuilt flagship applications. “Interoperability and standardisation of data exchange lie at the core of Cobuilder’s services. We are thrilled to see the industry coming together and truly believe that OpenBuilt will bring the connectivity and common language needed to bring construction to the next level of digital transformation” said Lars Fredenlund, CEO, Cobuilder.
Driven by an Ecosystem
Ecosystems are crucial to driving digital transformation.
Alongside IBM Global Business Services (GBS), Red Hat and Cobuilder, the cross
industry ecosystem of five partners has come together to actively shape the
direction of OpenBuilt with the aim of transforming the construction industry.
This includes all forms of buildings (residential, industrial, commercial,
hospitals, schools), all economic infrastructure (civil engineering
infrastructure, above and below ground) and the urban space and landscape
between and around buildings and infrastructure.
Representing areas across the global construction industry,
the ecosystem can use its experience and insight to develop a range of ways
companies can tap into the power of OpenBuilt:
CEMEX: a global building materials company that provides
cutting-edge digital solutions, high-quality products and industry-leading
services to satisfy customers’ construction needs around the world. CEMEX has a
rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves through innovative
building solutions, efficiency advancements, and efforts to promote a
sustainable future. CEMEX is strategically positioned across the Americas, the
Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
“This collaboration is a strategic initiative that will
enable greater productivity and open up new opportunities to increase our
customers satisfaction”, said Fernando A. Gonzalez, CEO of CEMEX. “We continue
to lead the digital transformation in the industry with the support of leading
partners, leveraging on their expertise, innovation, and advanced IT services
to deliver game-changing solutions.”
EDIN Network: EDIN is a global network of merchants, manufacturers
and service providers that helps its members find new customers, reduce
customer acquisition costs and exploit future trends through their events,
workshops and technology incubator. Since its inception in 2016, the Edin
network has rapidly grown to become one of the largest alliances to discuss
trends and stimulate transformation in the construction industry, representing
members with a combined turnover of €23bn.
“We are convinced that OpenBuilt will drive
interoperability, facilitate data exchange and enable businesses to automate
their processes without the need for complex and bespoke software development.
This will unleash a wave of innovation in the industry, enabling new business
models and transforming productivity. It will enable members using our
OpenBuilt-powered incubator to explore new ways to gain control of their data,
monetize their data and engage customers in new ways, without having to start
from scratch. We are incredibly excited about the forthcoming era of
transformation and our central role in shaping it” said Philippe Hardt,
Founder, EDIN Network.
Sol Services: formed in 2003, Sol Services has steadily
grown from its origins as a regional mechanical, electrical and fit out
specialist. Under the forward-thinking leadership of Directors Nigel Burdett
and Andrew Gordge, the company has expanded across London and the UK with
overseas capability in Europe, providing a full range of construction,
refurbishment and maintenance solutions. Through its extensive portfolio of
projects across the public and private sector, it has built a reputation for
delivering safe, reliable and high-quality projects.
“We saw the opportunity, and recognised the need for a
technology platform to pull the construction world together. And with the
organisations involved in the development of this product, I have total
confidence it will be the direction of construction for the future” said Nigel
Burdett, Director, Sol Services Ltd.
Backe: Backe is a family-owned construction and property
development company with operations throughout Norway. Backe is committed to
reducing emissions in the Norwegian construction and building industry and
invests in technology to ensure sustainable operations throughout its value
chain. With more than 70 years’ experience in the Norwegian market, Backe
delivers projects to the public and private sector. The company employs about
800 people and reported revenues at NOK 4.5 billion for 2020.
“We are proud to partner with IBM and other leading brands
to explore a global digital platform for the construction industry that will
allow us to analyse, use and share data in new ways. The OpenBuilt platform
will facilitate collaboration among suppliers and partners, improve
productivity and help us meet coming regulations for documentation of the
carbon footprint along the entire value chain. Backlogs in the industry are
affected by market uncertainty due to covid-19 effects. Going forward,
digitalisation and smarter ways of working will be keys to ensuring cost
efficiency, sustainability as well as attractiveness among prospective
employees”, says Eirik Gjelsvik, CEO of Backe.
Element Materials Technology: one of the world’s leading
global providers of testing, inspection and certification services for a
diverse range of materials, products and technologies in advanced industrial
supply chains. Element delivers an extensive range of solutions to customers in
the construction industry and recently launched Element Digital Engineering, a
new business focused on engineering simulation, modelling, data science and
artificial intelligence to solve complex industrial challenges.
Jo Wetz, CEO Element Materials Technology, commented
“Element is delighted to be a founding partner of OpenBuilt, a digital market
place for the construction industry with quality at its core. OpenBuilt will
enable greater transparency for all stakeholders involved in a building’s life
cycle; increase confidence in the procurement of services for the built
environment; and help ensure that the testing and certification of materials
and products is central to the digital transformation of the sector.”
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