Future Forward (Powered by ACEC): Smart Engineering: Transforming Our Industry

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In today’s rapidly evolving engineering landscape, firms are grappling with significant challenges. Talent shortages, potential tariffs impacting supply chains and the push for sustainable designs are making it harder to deliver innovative solutions. However, there is a silver lining. With record backlog and technological advancements at our disposal, we have the opportunity to transform our industry. The key lies in embracing smart engineering.

Smart engineering integrates things such as process automation, machine learning and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI), reality capture and digital twins into our design and project-management processes; leverages newer, more-sustainable materials and robotics in construction; and uses these technologies and the internet of things (IoT) to more effectively and proactively manage assets once they’re in use. Smart engineering can revolutionize our workflows and transform the construction and operation of our infrastructure.

Challenges to Smart Engineering

Smart engineering seems like an obvious solution that will help bridge our talent shortage and provide better deliverables for our clients. In theory, we’re spending fewer hours and producing more useful outputs. But there are challenges.

Firms with largely time-and-materials business models may see increased efficiency as a threat to revenue because there could be less time to charge to a project, but this view is short-sighted. Greater efficiency means faster backlog clearance and richer deliverables.

Upskilling the workforce is another hurdle, as training time can impinge on utilization rates and impact revenue. However, clients increasingly demand reality-capture models and digital twins, making upskilling essential to stay competitive. Smaller firms may lack resources for technical trials or feel they need a team of developers, but major vendors offer ready-built solutions with training and guidance at a reasonable cost. Investing in smart engineering is crucial; falling behind makes catching up harder.

Benefits of Smart Engineering

Assuming we can overcome what are largely internal challenges to smart engineering, let’s explore the exciting benefits of smart engineering. It enables firms to work more efficiently, helping to clear record backlogs and allowing a shift from time-and-materials to fixed-fee projects, which can boost profit margins. In addition, by streamlining processes through digital delivery, the impact of the talent shortage is lessened, enabling us to achieve more with fewer people.

Most importantly, smart engineering enhances the quality of deliverables for our clients. Reality capture and digital twins provide a “real-world” view of an asset, invaluable for stakeholder engagement. These digital twins can be seamlessly transferred to construction, reducing errors and clashes, and making the process more predictable. Robotics (e.g., rebar-laying robots and autonomous vehicles) save time during construction, while innovative materials such as self-healing concrete and rain-absorbing roofing contribute to sustainability.

When the asset is operational, a current and maintained digital twin combined with IoT sensors facilitates predictive maintenance. Drone-based inspections and computer vision can detect issues such as cracks or rust, improving maintenance safety and extending the asset’s lifespan. And engineering firms are starting to get in on the action by hosting the digital twin and extending their value proposition through the entire asset lifecycle.

Embrace the Approach

Smart engineering represents a transformative approach that addresses many of the pressing challenges faced by the engineering industry today. By integrating advanced technologies such as process automation, machine learning, AI, reality capture and digital twins, we can enhance efficiency, reduce the impact of talent shortages and deliver superior outcomes for our clients.

Embracing smart engineering allows firms to navigate their record backlogs more effectively and opens the door to new business models that can improve profit margins. Moreover, the ability to produce more sustainable and innovative designs will position firms as leaders in the industry, meeting the growing demands of clients and stakeholders alike.

As we move forward, it’s crucial for engineering firms to invest in the necessary training and technology to stay competitive. By doing so, we can ensure that we’re not only keeping pace with industry advancements but also setting the standard for excellence in engineering. With smart engineering, we have the tools to build a more efficient, sustainable and innovative world.