Customer Story: TPF Engenharia

TPF is a consulting engineering company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. We are a diverse group of creative people, brought together in a customer-centered organization, enthusiastically building a better world. In Brazil, contributing to the economic and social development for more than 55 years.

The Challenge: Pressure to deliver critical infrastructure across Brazil with greater control

TPF continually looks for ways to gain greater control over projects as Brazil rapidly expands infrastructure to underserved areas. TPF uses sophisticated software and processes for building information modeling (BIM), financial management, construction management, and field execution. But the tools were disconnected.

Project teams and owners couldn’t track all the data in a single location or cross-reference their models against project performance. On a bridge project, for instance, collaborators couldn’t view schedule alongside the 3D model showing the part of the span in progress. These types of gaps inhibit decision-making, obscure risks, and require time-consuming site visits when problems arise.

TPF sought to visualize its project data within the context of its 3D models.

The APS Solution: Model-centric management of cost, schedule, and quality

TPF built the Plug 3D Viewer, an application that connects cost, schedule, and quality tools to project models. TPF used the Model Derivative and Data Management APIs to organize models in the cloud, where the APS Viewer can display the data together in a web browser. They further linked model data to other tools and applications, developing a complete environment for monitoring and controlling key performance indicators, including:

Quality control: Project teams can now visually monitor issues as they arise on the jobsite. For instance, if the field crew discovers a concreting problem on pillar construction, the project manager can immediately locate the problem in the Plug, assess the impact, and cascade schedule, asset, and labor changes. No need to travel to the jobsite for damage control.
Financial management: The Plug integrates TPF’s existing cost management tools to be viewed alongside models. This gives business leaders an overview of project estimates versus actuals. Project managers can also gain detailed project views, identifying budget risks early on.
Project progress: The Plug links to schedules in MS Project, which allows teams to view simulations of the build progress and account for all planned activities. They can also see the relationship between construction progress and deadlines, responding quickly to potential delays.

The Plug also enables remote management of construction projects, reducing trips to the jobsite while providing visibility into project progress.

Business Outcomes: Greater control over quality, cost, and schedule

Quality issues surfaced in context enable rapid problem-solving
Macro and micro views of financials improve cost management
Easy-to-see schedule impacts speed response and risk mitigation

“This is a really powerful tool for remote project management, so you don’t have to go to the field to manage every challenge. When a problem comes up, you can immediately see where the issue is, who’s responsible for correcting it, and exactly what needs to happen next.” - Mariana Prysthon Moraes, Project Manager of the Systems Development Department, TPF