Novade is well placed to support India's smart cities plans for growth in the AEC sector.

Alexandre Pommier, Country Manager - India, Novade

Headquartered in Singapore Novade offers smart field management software for the building and construction industry. Site processes including quality, safety, progress monitoring, workforce management and maintenance are digitised and automated using mobile devices. “The current residential and infrastructure markets in India alone reach a staggering US$510billion and to serve this growing need, we have invested in a team based out of New Delhi and Chennai to address the localised needs of the Indian market, especially for the infrastructure space,” states Alexandre Pommier, Country Manager - India, Novade. Excerpts from the interview…

Could you enlighten us on the impact of disruptive tools / software that is redefining the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC industry) - the way we plan, design, manage and construct a project - into a more automated and digitalized one?

New technologies are emerging every day to streamline work processes and make construction smarter. The disruptive tools underpinning the fourth industrial revolution such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning (ML), and robotics are now being deployed across job sites and we are already seeing the impact on productivity with an increase control on projects. This unprecedented level of automation allows increasingly complex projects to be delivered in a timely manner.  Implementing these smart technologies will increase the profit margin that have contracted over the past few years. Finally, digitalisation also impacts the way people work and communicate with each other. With Covid-19 forcing everyone to work remotely, technology will help us to stay in touch with the realities on the ground, and leverage data to make smarter and informed decisions.

What do you think the major hurdles in the faster adoption of such tools in terms of integration of different solutions ensuring seamless flow of communication between all stakeholders, cost etc?

One of the major hurdles is field worker adoption - namely, people's habits. While company leaders understand and see the need to change, the project teams, however, are responsible for executing digitalisation on the ground. A good way to kick-start adoption is to identify digitalisation champions on the ground so that they can lead by example. Fortunately, habits and perceptions are slowly changing, and successive generations of field workers are more willing to embrace new technologies. Although digitalisation brings about many benefits, pushing for too many solutions at once may not be ideal. Tech adoption remains sporadic, but we believe that digital transformation is a progressive journey where new solutions integrate with current work processes gradually. Definitely, solutions that are cost-effective and easy to implement, should be introduced first in order to gain confidence from the ground.

Ultimately, construction technology will help to save costs and improve productivity in the long run. If companies can overcome these hurdles, they will only stand to benefit from using an integrated platform that connects all users, and analytics that translate field data into insights for decision makers.

Brief us on some of such tools and solutions from Novade's stable for AEC industry? Could you give an example of any of your project where your solutions used and also tell us the techno-commercial benefits of the same?

Novade is a smart field management software that integrates and connects all modules, projects, and users on one platform. It covers a full range of modules from quality, safety-HSE, reports, maintenance, workforce, to activity. For example, international leader in railway infrastructure, Colas Rail (Indonesia), made use of both our flagship modules - Quality and Safety-HSE - on its Jabodebek LRT project in Jakarta. Site operations and productivity were streamlined and improved while management attained visibility throughout the project. All the project's data are kept secure on Novade's integrated cloud platform.

We are also supporting the project clinched by the joint venture between Eiffage Génie Civil, Bougyues and Razel-Bec, three of Europe's leading operators in the construction industry, to construct the new Porte Maillot station and to excavate a 6.1km tunnel under the Seine River in France. This massive project required a lot of paperwork, reporting and monitoring of supplies, material, and manpower. After adopting Novade, the management has full visibility of the entire rail infrastructure project in real time. Some of the outcomes include:

- Improved speed and efficiency with administrative work completed autonomously on-site

- 8,000 forms completed and submitted using mobile devices in real time

- By scanning QR codes, teams receive immediate notifications with details on concrete type and use

- Novade's single site management platform seamlessly syncs documentation, BIM system, and 3D plans

- Improved visibility on site processes in real time as supervisors receive daily progress reports with visual representations

- Enhanced traceability for project directors who can easily access all controls conducted and keep track of project's status

There is a growing demand for environmentally sensitive construction, specifically creation of Smart Cities in India. How does your solutions help here?

Traditional construction has historically generated a lot of waste as a by-product of inefficiency. Some examples would be the wastage of materials due to poor tracking or logistics, and the massive amount of paper needed to keep track of everything. According to the India's Smart Cities mission, the creation of smart cities in India will rely heavily on connectivity and mobile devices. Novade digitalises site processes and integrates seamlessly with IoT and other smart devices for construction companies to leverage the power of AI - to manage project sites, reduce inefficiencies, human error, and the need for paper.

How using such tools positively impact the life cycle cost of a project?

We have not only seen overall savings in monetary costs but also in time spent. Such tools enable users to save time as well as improve productivity, leading to a net reduction in the life cycle cost of a project. For example, In India, developers are bullish about the digitalisation of their handover processes due to a few factors. Firstly, these tools help contractors adhere to their delivery deadlines, lessening delays. This in turn fasten the payment procedures, which help to generate better revenue. Secondly, inspections can be carried out faster and more accurately as Novade app users perform inspections three times faster than with paper. Lastly, such tools help increase client satisfaction as they facilitate communication and transparency between the customer service officers and home buyers.

Brief us on the measures taken to support your customers during this crisis and what innovative, value-added products / service support you have added / aim to add?

Novade launched various forms of Safe Restart packages in key markets to help construction companies continue operations while complying with safety measures in their respective countries. Not only were new safety measures deployed and communicated in real time, the process of submitting reports to authorities was simplified, and everyone was kept safe on-site; all this with minimum impact on cost. We have also introduced the use of IoT devices for further automation to ensure contactless, automatic consolidation and synchronisation of work processes.

We are working with three main IoT integration for thermal scanners, facial recognition cameras, as well as AI cameras and wearables. Thermal scanners and facial recognition cameras automate temperature taking for field operators entering and leaving the worksite. Their temperatures are then automatically tagged to the workers' profiles on Novade's platform. AI cameras help to monitor for any violations of safe distancing measures and detect unsafe behaviours. Bluetooth-enabled wearables will also send out alerts when workers come in close contact. All the IoT devices and information are integrated with the Novade platform to facilitate real-time notifications and reporting.

Since June 2020, Novade has been deployed on various residential projects completely remotely in India. Both training and configuration of the platform were done remotely which helped our clients to maintain control on their projects as field data is logged onto the app in real time.

With Novade's app, customer relationship management teams can handover residential units to homeowners remotely, which helps to speed up payment collection when homeowners move into their units. This lends an edge to developers who are seeking to offer a unique service for better customer experience.

How do you look at the issue of non-availability of highly skilled & trained workforce in this area?

There are many reasons why the situation is as such today. Construction has never been glamourized in society nor promoted in schools where the next generation of workers come from. Another factor to consider is the competition in this market which leads to contracting margins that prevents project owners from increasing compensation and benefits to attract new talent.

More should be done to reach out to the younger generations and to invest in training programmes for existing workers. One initiative is to adopt technologies such as Novade. It operates on web and mobile devices, which are commonplace in today's climate. Its easy-to-use interface only requires one hour of training for workers to master the use of the app.

At Novade, we constantly review each project and its adoption, and keep in close contact with the project teams to provide training and tips for adoption. We also believe that localisation is key for successful implementation of new tech. The app's user interface is simple and fast, and is fully accessible despite one's location. We remain positive as we see more dedicated departments working on digital transformation in many of our clients' organisations.

With the advent of IoT, Big Data Analytics, AI etc, how do you envision the future trends? And what contributory role your R&D is playing?

We expect that the adoption of such technologies will increase at an exponential rate in the coming years. Project deadlines will become shorter, in line with the enhanced productivity of field workers. We also foresee that the usage of smart devices on- and off-site will become much more prevalent.

The three tech endeavours that we are working on are machine learning, integration, and insights. A subset of AI, machine learning makes use of statistical techniques to learn from data. In Novade's case, we can use it to predict defects. However, this will require a substantial amount of data from previous projects so that accuracy can be improved when it comes to foreseeing trends. This will be especially helpful for developers and companies who need to follow tight deadlines and will help in knowing when certain defects can be resolved, and when to begin the next phase of work. Right now, Novade is working with tech allies to connect with their platforms. Some of these solutions include IoT devices, BIM, planning, HR systems etc. These highly automated processes can improve site productivity by leaps and bounds. Finally, Novade's Insight dashboard will help project directors and decision makers greatly to monitor site progress at one glance - everything from field performance, suppliers, to patterns and trends. Armed with predictive analysis, management can analyse and draw trends to improve bidding accuracy and competitiveness.

Please brief us on the core strengths and competencies of Novade and why should a customer opt for your solutions?

Novade is an all-in-one integrated mobile-and web-based platform that connects all projects and users. Accessible both offline and online, it help clients - across all stakeholders - to cope efficiently with various lockdown measures. Managers can continue to remotely monitor their resources and project completion via the app, while field workers work safety and efficiently with safe site management measures. Data capture and analytics can all be executed and accessed remotely.

Post-Covid, we will see the emergence of contactless construction. The need to maintain safe operations and remain competitive will compel more construction companies to digitalise their operations. With a solution like Novade, construction companies can expect a return on investments in productivity of up to 20% time reduction for repetitive tasks and cycles, 50% time reduction for defect rectification processes, and 50% time reduction in safety compliance management.

The Novade platform is also secure, reliable, and scalable. All connections are encrypted with strict policies on data security and confidentiality. All modules work offline and online with 99.99% uptime service for synchronisation.

How do you assess the potential in the India AEC space and also tell us your road map for the Indian AEC market?

We see a huge potential in the India AEC space. In fact, the current residential and infrastructure markets in India alone reach a staggering US$510bn, which is comparable to the SEA market where Novade has a strong foothold. To serve this growing need, we have invested in a team based out of New Delhi and Chennai to address the localised needs of the Indian market, especially for the infrastructure space. With a strong global clientele such as Alstom Philippines, Colas Rail (Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, and Singapore) and Gammon Construction in Singapore, Novade is well placed to support India's smart cities plans for growth in the AEC sector.

Many of our clients shared that one of the most critical aspects of their projects is the need for daily reports. They rely on these reports to gain a better understanding of activities, workforce, supplies, and equipment.

We are in talks with large corporations on how the Novade Reports module can address this need, and we foresee this as one of the biggest requirements of the India market within the next few months.

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