The company is implementing the 3D EXPERIENCE platform in its business worldwide, benefiting from improved decision-making, reduced waste, enhanced quality, and the ability to manage increasingly complex projects.
Video: management’s perspective
Video: user perspective
For the sake of its own business and the future of the industry, Bouygues Construction has decided to radically change its approach to construction.
“The construction sector is one of the least digitized, and in recent years its productivity has stagnated,” said Frédéric Galle, business transformation program manager at Bouygues Construction. “We want to be proactive and digitize to transform our operations.”
Bouygues Construction is collaborating with Dassault Systèmes to create next-generation solutions that will help address key challenges in the construction industry and support the shift to mass customization of buildings.
“Our goal is to create buildings according to customer requirements using industrial methods,” said Galle. “To achieve this, we are developing a project management digital platform (PMNP, Plateforme de Management Numérique des Projets) based on the 3D EXPERIENCE platform. PMNP will be a collaborative solution allowing all stakeholders to manage all projects. We are working with Dassault Systèmes to understand how their knowledge and expertise can help us change.”
The 3D EXPERIENCE platform brings together all stakeholders, serving as a single source of reliable information.
Bouygues Construction uses the 3D EXPERIENCE cloud platform with CATIA, ENOVIA, and DELMIA applications to eliminate fragmentation in industrial collaboration and prioritize project goals. To succeed, Bouygues Construction and Dassault Systèmes are working on a methodology for digital transformation projects. This consultative approach is designed to identify digitalization priorities based on targeted business outcomes. The overall goal of both companies is to transform the entire construction ecosystem, enabling all stakeholders to benefit from virtual twin technologies and collaboration.
“We will see health and safety benefits for our workers when we approach the design phase with much greater detail,” said Gal. “This will allow us to be more efficient and build faster, ensuring much higher quality. We are also improving customer service by effectively responding to their individual requirements, reducing design and construction timelines, and providing accurate progress reports.”
Digitalization offers tremendous opportunities to enhance our response to the challenges of sustainable development.
In addition, this partnership supports Bouygues Construction’s transition to an even more socially and environmentally responsible company and addresses key sustainability issues: participation in the sustainable development of regions; creating a culture of carbon emission reduction within the company; digitization to enhance efficiency; and developing an environment that allows all talents to thrive.
“Digitization offers tremendous opportunities to improve our response to sustainability challenges,” said Marie-Luce Godin, Deputy CEO of Bouygues Construction. “For example, it can enhance the calculation and optimization of carbon emission costs, better manage material resources, while simultaneously updating and enriching relationships with project stakeholders: suppliers, subcontractors, architects, and clients.”
By optimizing processes from design to production and installation, the company will reduce waste on construction sites and factories. Additionally, measures to ensure responsible construction and renovation will be strengthened.
“Bouygues Construction has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030,” said Gal. “The 3D EXPERIENCE platform will help us achieve this goal by simplifying the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions. We are focused on designing low-carbon buildings. This platform will help us track, optimize material flows, and find various construction elements to reduce waste, assess, and minimize our impact on climate change.”
Bourgoin described the construction site as an exciting adventure, adding that while the goal is digitalization, it is crucial for people to remain at the center of the strategic transformation program throughout its implementation.
“Every day on site, many people work together, constantly communicating with each other, managing large flows and volumes of information,” Bourgoin said. “We needed the 3D EXPERIENCE platform to optimize our processes.”
To truly understand the challenges faced by Bouygues Construction, Dassault Systèmes studied the daily activities of the construction firm.
“Dassault Systèmes listened carefully to our needs,” Bourgoin said. “And they took another step forward to understand what we do every day. There was an opportunity to bring Dassault Systèmes employees to our site for several months. This allowed them to understand how we work and identify specific use cases to test the platform in action. This was a real advantage and one of the main reasons for the success of this initiative.”
The 3D EXPERIENCE platform gave Bouygues Construction workers the opportunity to learn new habits and procedures.
“The platform has become a tool for us to shape best practices,” Bourgoin said. “Now it’s easy to engage people and introduce them to the platform, whereas our previous system didn’t always provide that opportunity.”
Particularly useful for construction teams was the use of DELMIA 3DLean on the construction site. Instead of taking notes on paper, they can connect to an online meeting and collaboration app to see the actual status of all tasks and track progress.
“DELMIA 3DLean is very helpful in terms of visibility management,” Bourgoin said. “We were used to sticking notes on walls in offices. Now all this information is stored on the platform, and we display it on a big screen during meetings. This way, everyone is more engaged and knows exactly what’s happening, which simplifies problem identification and prioritization of critical actions.”
“The Dassault Systèmes team developed a customizable solution that streamlines our processes and helps in our daily work,” added Gal. “When we asked our employees if they would do the next projects without the 3D EXPERIENCE platform, they unanimously replied: no way!”
By gathering all data and information into one source with ENOVIA solutions, the 3D EXPERIENCE platform helps overcome communication barriers, identify potential issues and delays in construction, and take action to prevent them from escalating into serious problems on site.
“For example, we improved our delivery schedule by adding useful information to the platform, such as the name of the person responsible for delivery, the location of entry points to the site, the need for a crane, etc.,” said Bourguen. “We didn’t do this before, and it could lead to tension or disruptions due to incomplete or inaccurate information. Now everything runs much smoother.”
The cloud platform has played a key role in maintaining communication among remote workers, bringing people together within the organization, and uniting interdisciplinary teams in one environment.
“As for the Panten project, it was easy for us to work with teams scattered around the world during the pandemic,” said Gal. “Anyone can connect to the platform remotely from anywhere in the world. This saved people time and allowed them to focus on their tasks, as they no longer had to constantly ask questions like, ‘Where are you now?’ or ‘Did you do this?’ The 3D EXPERIENCE platform contains all the information. Additionally, we benefit from constant updates, knowing that we are working with the latest version of the solution.”
Centralized data storage on the 3D EXPERIENCE platform allows Bouygues Construction to make confident and quick decisions based on reliable and accurate data.
“The platform brings together all stakeholders, serving as a single source of trustworthy information,” said Gal. “Data is entered only once, and all participants can access it, easily find the files they need, and visualize this data according to their own function in the company. This is extremely valuable for us.”
Instead of digitizing all its processes at once, Bouygues Construction adopted a two-phase approach with Dassault Systèmes. The first phase involved implementing project-oriented collaborative methods. The second phase is based on applying innovative working methods to enhance efficiency and meet modern sustainability requirements. This means taking building information modeling (BIM) to a new level by using digital building twins. Such an approach will allow the company to connect project data and regulatory requirements to a virtual construction twin and test procurement, logistics, and construction work in a virtual space. This will increase the overall efficiency of projects.
“The goal of the digital twin is to gain insights into construction prospects before it begins,” said Gal. “This means we can eliminate all anticipated discrepancies and create a construction model that can actually be built, avoiding mistakes directly on the construction site. Once the design and construction are completed, there will be no questions about its design integrity.”
Bouygues Construction is currently implementing the CATIA application based on the 3D EXPERIENCE platform for its teams, aiming to unite 15,000 users. The company has worked with Dassault Systèmes partners Beam3 and Impararia to customize the platform and accumulate knowledge about capital construction in virtual templates, supplemented with design, construction, and business rules. The company utilizes the parametric and modular capabilities of CATIA, as well as the automated design templates of the application to make complex custom design decisions. At the same time, CATIA can easily connect to conceptual models created by architects in other project solutions to ensure that each project is unique, as intended. “By setting specifications in the CATIA application, we can adapt the construction site configuration to specific requirements, speeding up and automating the execution of certain tasks,” said Gal. “Our goal is for our architects to be at the center of the project. Using the CATIA application, they can create custom homes for our clients and bring them to life using very efficient industrial methods.”
Ultimately, the 3D EXPERIENCE platform helps Bouygues Construction rethink its future and industry working methods. By bringing together all stakeholders in the value creation chain, the company can take on even more complex and bold projects. “All data at the stages of capital construction projects, from design and construction to operation and maintenance of buildings, will be stored on the platform, ensuring invaluable digital continuity,” said Gal.
The success of the project is reflected in the collaboration between Bouygues Construction and Dassault Systèmes, aimed at putting technology to work for people. “The platform allows us to achieve our business modernization goals while supporting our clients in delivering both unique and increasingly complex projects,” said Godino. “Everyone can take advantage of this opportunity to see the benefits and make this project successful for Bouygues Construction and its clients.”
As a global player in the construction sector operating in 60 countries, Bouygues Construction designs, builds, and operates buildings, infrastructure, and industrial facilities. As a responsible and committed leader in sustainable construction, Bouygues Construction views innovation as a key source of added value: it is “collaborative innovation” that benefits clients by enhancing productivity and working conditions for over 58,700 employees.
For more information: https://www.bouygues-construction.com
Beam3 offers the best digital project management and design (BIM) tools for the construction industry based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The company supports and trains firms in architecture, construction, and land resource management, helping them leverage the advantages of next-generation BIM tools, which it believes are key to global progress in the construction world and will benefit everyone. Building on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Beam3 provides its clients with the most effective approaches that
Impararia, a company operating in the aerospace and defense sectors, is a key player in virtual design and construction, building information modeling, and product lifecycle management for architecture, engineering, and construction. The company offers innovative business processes and technologies that help organizations tackle the most complex challenges in construction and achieve the best results in their work.
