Digital transformation: Autodesk is assisting SPIE in the deployment of its BIM process

Signature of a 3-year Enterprise Business Agreement (EBA)
 

Cergy, May 17^th, 2018 – The SPIE group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has announced the signature of an Enterprise Business Agreement (EBA) with Autodesk, the go-to 3D-design, engineering and entertainment software publisher. This “EBA” offers SPIE dedicated assistance in the field of Building Information Modeling (BIM), and direct, flexible access to software and new technologies developed by Autodesk.

Under this agreement (signed in October 2017), the SPIE group can contact software publisher Autodesk directly, and does not need to go through the latter’s distributor network. This EBA, which covers a period of 3 years, enables SPIE to strengthen and accelerate BIM deployment within its subsidiaries. The Group will in fact be able to access the latest and most highly performing technologies developed by Autodesk and likewise request assistance from consultants when addressing issues arising from the deployment of these new tools. Key aspects of the new relationship are: deeper internal and external collaboration, enhanced productivity, and rapid assignment of the best technologies to complement software already in place.

“Autodesk is enabling us to consolidate the skills base of our designers when they need to work with BIM. They will now have access to up-to-the-minute tools and technologies. They are trained in real time, accessing assistance rapidly, which allows them to share their best practices”, comments Grégory Allouis, SPIE UK Operations Director. “This EBA is thus a ‘toolbox’ that will help us deploy and accelerate BIM processes throughout the Group’s subsidiaries.”

BIM at the core of SPIE’s digital transformation strategy

For SPIE, the BIM is both a market requirement, responding to client expectations, and a collaboration method suited to large-scale, far-reaching projects. Existing building are getting ‘smarter’, so the way in which they are designed requires collaboration between all those involved. SPIE has to be able to devise 3-D models suited to the technical packages for which it is responsible, and it has to be able to do so on the same terms as other parties to a project. Starting with the design phase itself, the Group assesses end-users’ needs and considers how a building will be used. A commitment to efficiency also allows lead times and (financial, environmental, etc.) costs to be reduced.

Against this background, SPIE develops partnerships by assuming the role of ‘technology integrator’, linking clients' requirements to available technological solutions. This method of collaboration, especially with Autodesk, allows advance identification of where investment decisions will be needed, and thus enables market trends to be anticipated. Conversely, SPIE has the ability to advise its partner on identified end-user needs, with the latter being taken into account in research and development strategies.

SPIE has been consolidating its BIM expertise since 2016 and thus successfully contributes to ambitious ventures combining electrical, mechanical and HVAC engineering. “We have already established a fine track record in the use of BIM in the United Kingdom with the design of a cancer research centre, in France with the HVAC installations for the Crédit Agricole regional headquarters at Le Mans (*), and in Germany in the field of facility management for Siemens’ main offices”, boasts Jérôme Vanhove, SPIE Group Strategy, Development and M&A Director. “The agreement signed with Autodesk enables us to consolidate our BIM know-how and to achieve even higher levels of performance on projects covering a number of different trades.” »

(*) http://www.spie.com/en/spie-helps-build-credit-agricoles-new-regional-head-office-le-mans