Powerful design and calculation software for steel, concrete and timber structures

Without prohibitively expensive licenses

Since its founding in 2014, Struct4U has made great strides. The developer and supplier of intelligent, transparent and price-friendly design and calculation software for steel, concrete and timber structures is continuously improving and increasing the quality and functionality of the software. Again in 2022, great strides have been made with many new functionalities and even an expansion to another continent.

Working with Struct4U's design and calculation modules, according to director Rob Baaij, is tantamount to reaping the necessary benefits. The in-house developed software is reliable, user-friendly, modern, always up-to-date and very powerful. "Customers pay a low fee just for use. And that pays off, both during its use and in the wallet. The number of new users is growing rapidly. Not only in the Netherlands but worldwide. We now have users from 68 countries. Through our offering of XBeam2D, XFrame2D, XConstruct and XFEM4U, we can offer our customers all the tools they previously had with other vendors."

By using the latest programming and development techniques, Struct4U makes new strides every day. Not only are the quality and functionality of the software constantly increasing, the software tools are also becoming more user-friendly. "For example, this year we have provided a load generator in XFEM4U and we are working hard on the deflection calculation for concrete slabs (incl. creep) that we expect to implement in XFEM4U by the end of 2022," Baaij reveals. "That also applies to the calculation option Water Accumulation. Every year, the damage due to water accumulation runs into millions of euros. With the latest calculation option, you can therefore test whether the structure with, for example, solar panels still meets the standard requirements in the event of water accumulation and/or whether the structure needs to be reinforced."

Good can always be better. That is also the motto at Struct4U. "We listen carefully to our customers and argue ourselves that the customer is always right," says Baaij. "Why? Because the customer works with the software and can therefore determine better than anyone else whether something is awkward or unclear or if a certain functionality is missing. In short, improving and making Struct4U's software more functional is the result of a close collaboration." Also with science, by the way. Among other things, this has already resulted in a hybrid quadrangular plate element that can be used to make accurate calculations, including a reinforcement calculation.

Baaij and his staff are bursting with ambitions and are working on international expansion. "Our software will soon be released in Latin America through our distributor in Argentina. The American standard is currently being implemented in XFEM4U." There is also the Struct4U wiki, a Web site that includes manuals, documentation, backgrounds and tutorials on YouTube. And if that's not enough, there will also be a Struct4U Forum for users.