Software simplifies management of multiple projects 

Producers of concrete elements benefit from an overview. From many different projects comes a constant stream of requests, orders and - not unusual for construction - changes in specifications or delivery dates. With IMPACT Precast, and the IMPACT Production developed especially for production companies, this matter is relatively easy to manage. The result: production lines that run efficiently, accurate monitoring of the process down to the element level, and the possibility of comprehensive data analysis. 

Pascal van Wijk is Business Development Manager at software company StruSoft, where he works for the Precast Business Unit. Himself a user of the software for ten years at a concrete plant, he switched to StruSoft in 2022 to market the construction applications on the Dutch, German and Belgian markets. "More than 160 factories now use IMPACT and experience the benefits on a daily basis," he says.

IMPACT Precast can be divided into three topics. Van Wijk: "IMPACT Design is a powerful design package for factories to design structures and elements in 3D BIM based on the in-house developed programs IMPACT for AutoCAD, IMPACT for Revit and Tekla Base Tools. IMPACT Production allows manufacturers to implement the designs to efficient production. Finally, IMPACT Project management is the tool for managing one or more projects in terms of planning assembly, cranes, et cetera. The beauty is that because of the underlying relational database, everything is always and real time connected. And anyone can learn to use it efficiently in a few days."

"What we mainly offer for concrete producers is freedom to work," Van Wijk continues. "You can organize your planning from individual projects, but if you produce, for example, hollow-core slabs, it's most efficient if you can schedule several projects at once from a single work environment, interchangeably. Among other things, IMPACT Design also provides an assembly sequence, and with that numbering, the production planning can be controlled. So you know when you are going to deliver what, based on the adjustable standard intervals for drawing, ordering and delivery. IMPACT then provides all deadlines with which you obtain a smooth production planning. In this way, an optimal job planning for production arises almost automatically from the drawing environment."

Because IMPACT works with real-time information, it is possible to react quickly to changes. Van Wijk: "We all know that construction is fickle and that schedules often go differently than anticipated. Being able to act quickly is therefore important for efficient production. With IMPACT, the status of each element throughout the entire process, from design to assembly and beyond, is transparent to all parties. This can be monitored using mobile applications, among other things. An inspector can update that status at the bag field or construction site, for example, and in the event of a defect, enter this and have the necessary action taken. In this way, a digital twin of each element is in fact available. That is good information again later, when any reuse is considered." 

Through an open API connection, IMPACT can also control the ERP. Via that link, the ERP software can in turn send data to IMPACT. Van Wijk: "Every customer has their own ERP system and often we don't know which system they use. But the interface makes it all linkable. It's the same on the design side: designers, modelers or assembly companies work with different proprietary programs, don't have the same idea of production planning and just deliver models. We make sure that the follow-up process is as efficient as possible."