We have integrated AR and VR technology in our product offerings.

Doka is staying ahead of the curve and offers a wide range of digital solutions.

- Keshab Chopra, Managing Director, Doka India & SAARC

Globally, Doka has a strong focus on digital solutions and offers numerous services and applications, which aim to boost productivity on construction sites. Doka has also set up its own Digital Services business unit, which develops and markets solutions for more cost-effective planning, procurement, management and execution. Keshab Chopra, MD, Doka India shares his views with a focus on the solutions offered to the AEC industry.  Excerpts from the interview…

What is your assessment on the opportunities of transforming the AEC industry into a more automated and digitalised one?

As technology space is rapidly evolving, it can empower users to derive transparent and real-time data to optimise and improve the construction process. Therefore, users need to select the right tech solutions that are effective in performance to fulfil site requirement and support in boosting jobsite productivity.

We at Doka, besides offering the existing Formwork Solutions expertise, create added-value with our digital solution, for instance, with Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology. In BIM methodology, the entire building is digitally modelled from the beginning to the end before construction even starts. Errors and problems are spotted in the digital twin and eliminated before they can disrupt the progress on construction sites, which will contribute significantly to the success of the creative building designs.

Working at ever-increasing speeds with clear precision is the need of the hour. At the same time, planning and execution are becoming increasingly complex. To address these challenges, the integration of new digital solutions and technology in construction is progressively becoming more critical with rapidly changing times. Soon, technology will gradually reshape all possible aspects of how jobsites operate and start playing a vital role in enhancing productivity in construction.

With the advent of IoT, Big Data Analytics, AI & VR, etc., how do you envision the future trends?

With the rapidly changing times, there is an emerging need for construction sites to become a receptacle to significant automation processes, from planning and execution to building management. The demand for integration of technology into construction space will gain importance. When we talk about these tech solutions, the focus here is not on isolated solutions, but on a holistic network of integrated systems and applications that interact and effectively 'communicate' with each other (Internet of Things, or IoT). This streamlines important but time-consuming and sometimes error-prone processes. Simultaneously, it makes the process more precise and transparent, including tedious processes like documentation.

The solutions must not only be practical, but user-friendly and customer-oriented as well. There is no way they will become established and generate added value unless they are developed with everyday working routines in mind and without the need for lengthy technical training.

Internet of Things can offer full lifecycle asset information. By collating data on how different components of a building perform during their lifecycle, end-users and operators can better understand their assets and hone their performance. The data is also extremely powerful for designers and project teams when it comes to replacing that building in the future or when constructing another asset in that operator's portfolio. On a more holistic scale, aggregating real-time and historical performance data from  several buildings - on a regional, national or even international level - can enable our industry to deliver higher quality assets that powerfully support the business outcomes of the people using them

To help our customers experience our products and solutions virtually, we have integrated AR and VR technology in our offerings. The application scans the actual environment instead of printed markers and allows you to place virtual objects into a real context. A 3D view of the models and QR code readers round off the 'app's functionality; some 3D models even let viewers show and hide specific components and watch animations of the set-up procedures. This enables client's deep-dive and take a closer look at the products in virtual mode.

Could you brief us on the digital construction solutions Doka is providing?

Doka is staying ahead of the curve and offers a wide range of digital solutions available in selected countries. Globally, Doka has a focus on digital solutions and offers numerous services and applications, which aim to boost productivity on construction sites. Generating added value for our customers and optimising the construction process, in general, is of utmost importance for us. Our services range from the planning phase to building operations and analysis of construction workflows. Doka has therefore set up its own Digital Services business unit, which develops and markets solutions for more cost-effective planning, procurement, management and execution. Our digital services are designed to help our customers work more flexibly and efficiently, thus enhancing their competitiveness.

To what extent the different end-user segments have started appreciating and adopting such tools?

Many construction companies around the world are investing in new technologies. Due to recent disruptions in the construction space by covid19, companies are looking for solutions to optimise jobsites, assess performance and improve productivity. But as India is a price-sensitive market clients often look for price over performance hence adoption to new technology solutions observe low acceptance. We have seen limited playersin the industry to be open to adapt new technologies to experience benefits. However, the pandemic has propelled the need for technological integration in construction that would have taken a long time,otherwise comparing to the present scenario.

Brief us on the measures taken to support your customers during this crisis?

We are developing our ecosystem to be more responsive and adaptive to meet the demands of the market by making our offerings easily accessible to our clients. We are continually investing in learning and development of our employees, partners and customers to align with the fast-paced and evolving market conditions.

Doka provides comprehensive support from the beginning of the construction process until the end of any project. We start with detailed engineering design, gang charts with formwork planning and training for the site engineers and labours. We optimise the construction progress by offering professional consultancy services across products and processes.

Product Training: #LearnwithDoka: Doka offers an in-depth technical product and system training, along with made-to-measure training on particular subjects. The training is conducted either through an online platform or at Doka office or 'customer's premises, on request. Especially during the current times, we launched an E-learning platform #LearnwithDoka. We organised customised webinar training to develop an in-depth technical understanding of formwork as well as to prepare our clients to make informed choices for their projects.

Formwork Instructors: Our specialised team of formwork instructors consists of trained and experienced practitioners. They provide required training to ensure our customers can operate formwork with complete safety.

Project Management: To create a seamless experience, Doka project management assists customers during the project development, decision-making, operation scheduling, execution and completion stages of construction. We help our clients minimise any unnecessary costs by designing innovative solutions. Right from the project development stage, Doka offers the right formwork solutions with high-performing service packages tailored to suit each construction project, thus ensuring its success.

And how do you expect the trends to unfold post covid 19?

The world post Covid must be open to the news ways in which offices and jobsites operate, i.e., to focus on improving efficiency, bringing transparency at work and accept the new changed norms of social distancing, health consciousness and people mobility. We see the demand of products and solutions from developers and contractors, that bridge gap between conventional to modern methods of construction and support a contactless construction process resulting integrated teams, delivering improved productivity at the jobsites in less time. We are happy that Doka is equipped with the right technological solutions and have the solutions for tomorrow to support this construction transformation in India.

BOX

DOKA DIGITAL SOLUTIONS*

Contakt: Precise Daily Cycle Planning

Contakt uses in-house developed sensor technology, which transmits real-time data from jobsites, enabling workflow analysis and the optimisation of construction processes. The app enables the scheduling and planning of construction progress, materials and personnel required, reporting of actual performance, the execution of variance analysis, and improvements are made evident. Doka distributes this unique solution worldwide as the exclusive sales partner of CONTAKT GmbH, a company of the Umdasch Group Ventures

Concremote: Real-time Measuring of Concrete Strength

Doka's innovative Concremote is a real-time concrete strength measurement solution which provides construction customers with almost-instant poured concrete situational awareness and knowledge. Concremote combines estimation and scheduling with performance tracking and control via a mobile-internet-connected sensor that measures the compressive strength gain of fresh concrete.

Concremote uses digital sensors to measure the in-situ concrete maturity (temperature x time) gradient, and with this data, it calculates early age strength. It is an integrated system providing actual information on concrete performance to support decisions for subsequent construction work

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

BIM is a process of creating and managing information on a construction project from start to end. This intelligent 3D model-based process has already seen wide adoption by architects, engineers, and other construction professionals globally.

With BIM all project information, from planning through construction to the completion and maintenance of a structure, can be coordinated. The digital data for the entire life cycle are administered at a single, central location. The approach is holistic, supporting efficient interaction and automated, transparent exchange of data between all the partners involved in constructing a building - architects, contractors, planners, formwork specialists and others. Anywhere, at any time, stakeholders can access the latest data and coordinate the project much more smoothly than is possible in the normal construction process.

Remote Instructor

This software sets up a video link to an expert and allows you to virtually spirit them to your construction site on any device, for example, by sharing your screen or camera view. This saves time and money as employees can consult (internal or external) specialists without having them to travel to the site. Formwork plans and product applications can be explained, thereby solving a problem or query regardless of location.

myDoka app

To make the material flows on your site even more efficient, myDoka+ supports you with useful features such as the new stock view at the company level, including the availability status. This enables a quick material search at the push of a button. In this way, you can increase the utilisation of your material. You can carry out the corresponding controlling in the user-specific adaptable cockpit.

Doka-Tools

The Doka Tools app is a digital calculation tool for your site. With Doka Tools, you can plan wall and floor formwork: it takes just a couple of seconds to optimise the components for Dokaflex and to work out the permitted rate of placing and maximum fresh-concrete pressure during pouring. We aim to continually enlarge and improve Doka Tools so that it becomes an ever more useful digital helpmate for you at the site!

Doka Manuals

Doka Manuals offers the possibility to view product information and interesting documents on formwork systems at any time. With this, users can easily get technical details about Doka formwork systems. These apps are available for free download

Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR)

The Doka AR-VR-App is a powerful mobile application, which combines Augmented (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. It helps in experiencing Doka formwork solutions projected in 3D on chosen drawings by projecting them in life-size in your  screem. With the app, you can have a look at various formwork models (e.g. FramiXlife, Dokadek 30,) via Augmented Reality and get an exciting insight into the world of formwork technology. It is possible to download additional models on demand and to view an animated illustration of selected models directly in the app.

Besides placing the models on specified markers, the Doka AR-VR-App also provides a markerless Augmented Reality feature. The application scans the actual environment instead of printed markers and allows you to place virtual objects into a real context.

*Not all products are currently offered in India, please contact team Doka India for more details.

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