AEC Domain is poised for technology revolution & SoftTech will contribute significantly.

SoftTech has been working relentlessly to drive innovation and bring speed and efficiency in the construction domain.

- Vijay Gupta, Founder & CEO, SoftTech Engineers Limited

SoftTech develops innovative software solutions for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) domains and is the creator of one of the most preferred Automated CAD-based building plan scrutiny and approval process - AutoDCR® which has been used by over 500+ Municipal Corporations across the country, besides a few international clients spread across GCC and North & west Africa. Its most technologically advanced and flagship solution to date is OPTICON® - an integrated system. a web-based ERP software that is extremely useful for all constructions and real estate companies. Vijay Gupta, Founder & CEO, SoftTech Engineers Limited shares his views on the latest trends in the disruptive technologies in the AEC domain. Excerpts from the interview…

What do you think the major disruptive technology trends (software) revolutionizing the AEC industry?

Things have changed fantastically for the AEC domain from the technology perspective and I would call them progressive trends. With the emergence of concepts like Big Data, Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), the industry is moving towards a strong technology future. I believe today's competitive AEC market must be decision-driven. Hence, the decision-makers need to have accurate project cost estimation in a very short time to effectively respond to an RFP or RFQ. Project Cost Control and Project Progress Monitoring are essential for the sustainability and growth of today's construction enterprises because of competitive bidding.

Globally, the adoption of internet and cloud technology is helping the AEC industry to manage and monitor construction projects from remote locations. In India, the trend is catching up fast both in public and private enterprises.

To what extent the AEC industry has started appreciating and adapting such solutions? What are the challenges here?

I think the acceptance of technology solutions is gaining a huge momentum. If I have to speak with regards to our solutions, we are receiving wider acceptance not only from both public and private organizations in India but also in the foreign countries.

In terms of challenges, there are two aspects -obtaining construction permits and construction works project management.

When we speak about the construction permit situation, we have to deal with the traditional mindset of the people. There is stiff resistance to the adoption of new systems. As there is anoverall transition from manual processes to automated systems, the learning curve is steep. So, accepting a change in the well-established traditional process becomes a major challenge.

On the other side, we have to deal with the old-fashioned project management of construction works. In this scenario, there are two major hurdles - inadequate industry standardization and data management. There is humongous data in paper based records and it is a challenge to migrate such data to new software systems and maintain this fast accumulating voluminous data for future consumption and retrieval.

Also, there is a challenge to make people understand the real business value of technology adoption. To make the optimum use of technology, we have to be relevant and up-to-date. Most of the AEC players, still today, prefer to have multiple applications for different functions, such as finance, budgeting, planning, estimating, tendering, cost estimation, etc. And there are many reasons for it - costs, the lack of technology understanding and reluctance towards change.

What are the steps initiated by SoftTech to address these issues?

SoftTech has been working proactively to overcome these challenges.

• We conduct workshops, trainings for our products.
• We have several product video tutorials for self-learning.
• Also, we plan phase-wise implementation to make the entire process migration simple and smooth. This also helps inefficient data management.
• We offer customization to match the process and compliance management.

As there is humongous data to be maintained and migrated, we deliver a different set of tools to make the entire data process easier and faster.

How do you foresee the future trends, especially in the post Covid era?   What is SoftTech contribution in this space?

I must say, there is a humongous challenge for all of us to come out of this current turbulent situation. However, there is always an opportunity with a challenge. If you look at the current situation, businesses have started transforming the ways the businesses were being conducted traditionally. Hence, I would say, the growth potential is huge.

Technologies, such as big data, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) has brought great transformation opportunities to this industry. Also, the industry players need to re-think the way they manage their projects and the decision-making process.

I foresee a lot of data-driven decision making and heavy reliance on the data collected remotely from sites. I believe that online software and systems to digitally manage construction projects now onwards will be considered imperative by business owners for monitoring and decision making for their projects. The building information modeling (BIM) to virtualize the construction project, and monitoring through Virtual and Augmented reality (AR/VR) technologies without moving on to the site will be a boon to address the industry challenges brought by Covid-19. I believe the industry should start learning and adopting this sooner than later for the survival and growth of the business in this industry.

Since the last 24 years, SoftTech has been working relentlessly to drive innovation and bring speed and efficiency in the construction domain. We firmly believe that in such challenging times technology can help a lot to ease the pressure of the businesses. SoftTech has been working with both government and private players of this industry and firmly believes the introduction of technology will be the only solution for the next few years when we all are going to have the impact of this deadly Covid-19 pandemics.

Could you also brief us on the R&D efforts? What are the new solutions you are excited about? 

Since our inception, we have been constantly innovating ourselves, and this journey will go on forever. However, along with innovation, we will also focus on exploring new markets (international presence), partnerships, and talent. This year, we went into a partnership with RIB Software, a German world leader in delivering technology solutions to construction industry. Through this partnership, we both are committed to digital transformation in the AEC industry. This partnership also provides us an opportunity to concentrate our efforts in driving 21st century state-of-the-art innovation for construction and building permit approvals worldwide.

Now, moving ahead our focus is on the latest technology adoption in the AEC domain. We are working on technologies like AI, machine learning, IoT, AR, and VR. In the coming years, BIM and GIS are going to change the landscape of the AEC domain, and we are, now, mapping all our products to be in sync with this change. True to our tagline, SoftTech will constantly keep working towards empowering transformation in the AEC industry.

Tell us about the trends in ERP systems solutions and how do you look at the scope of integration of blockchain with ERP? Also, tell us about OPTICON and its unique features?

The technology world, today, is moving towards the cloud. The data collection and personalization are gaining momentum. Irrespective of business size, cloud-based ERP enables a lot of benefits. Apart from being cost-effective, it also reduces the need for an in-house IT system.

When we speak of blockchain and ERP, this combination highly relies on the need for data management, security, and segregation. Today, almost, every organization needs to have streamlined and structured data, and the integration of ERP and blockchain delivers the same.

Our Opticon is an ERP software application, tailor-made for construction enterprises like real estate developers and turnkey contractors. With intelligently built modules for projects, finance, plant and machinery, Opticon has been helping construction companies in India, UAE, and Africa to optimally manage their businesses.

If I have to highlight some key features of Opticon, they would be:

• Process Driven - Follows standard processes of construction industry
• Flexible & Configurable - Configurable based on business requirements
• Scalable - Developed keeping in mind increasing demands of a growing business
• Anytime, Anywhere Access - Web-based, cloud & mobility
• Futuristic - Developed keeping in mind rapidly changing technology

Now, to make it more user-friendly, we are bringing a new business model of OpticonExBT. I am very much sure about the success of this model and I would love to talk more about this in our upcoming stories.

What are the solutions offered in project feasibility and investment risk analysis?

In the space of project feasibility and investment risk analysis, we have recently launched our cloud-based e-Commerce portal, Rulebuddy.com for selective cities. Dedicated to architects, property owners, and developers and consultants in the AEC industry, it will assist them in understanding project-related regulations and compliances. Rulebuddy enables them to make informed commercial decisions and help them get faster approvals from various agencies for project establishment. Over 6,50,000 architects in India can benefit from it.

Once fully loaded, RuleBuddy® will provide all the rules and process-related information across ULB under one roof. Conceptualized and fully developed in house, RuleBuddy® has a robust rule engine, and is being mapped for 500+ ULBs across India. We will be offering different variants of RuleBuddy® to meet the needs of the users based on their specific requirements and business model.

It is a cloud-based portal with all SMAC technology-based features. Hence, it is a single stop arrangement that can answer all the necessary updated building by-laws, fees calculation, approval queries and can provide project compliance guidance through the digital platform.

Brief us on the core competencies and strengths of SoftTech?  Why should a customer opt for software solutions?

We have been designing and developing our products by keeping the challenges and opportunities of the AEC domain in mind. We are not only strong in the government domain with products like AutoDCR®, BIMDCR®, and PWIMS® but we have gathered strong momentum in the private sector with the help of Opticon® and RuleBuddy®.

Our flagship product AutoDCR® efficiently drives the automation of the construction permits approval process. By aligning ourselves with the vision and mission of Digital India, our offerings AutoDCR®, PWIMS®, Opticon®, BIMDCR®, and RuleBuddy® are designed to drive the future of digital revolution in AEC, urban and public infrastructure domains. We aim to create smarter solutions for our clients and
the industry.

Our AutoDCR®, PWIMS® and Opticon® have inbuilt modules for enterprise-level Document Management System. They are specially designed keeping in view the requirements of the AEC industry. Our deep understanding of challenges in the industry and how to address them leveraging technology is obvious reason for customer to opt for our services in their business growth.

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