Semmtech helps Besix integrate data for SE and BIM methodologies

When Besix wanted to better integrate its usage of Systems Engineering (SE) and Building Information Modeling (BIM), the construction group turned to Semmtech for support.

Headquartered in Belgium, Besix is one of the world’s largest construction groups (employees: 11,000). Renowned in Europe for its involvement in building the European Parliament in Brussels, Besix is best known globally for the role it played in the construction of the world’s tallest tower – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

In the delivery of its projects, Besix makes use of best practice methodologies, including Systems Engineering (SE) and Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Systems Engineering is an approach within engineering that takes an integral and multidisciplinary view for designing, integrating, and managing delivery projects, across the entire life cycle.

Building Information Modeling is a process for enhancing design and build outcomes through the help of intelligent software modeling and data. BIM enables architects, engineers, and contractors to digitise processes, allowing for more scenario-based planning, more accurate designs, as well as enhanced collaboration between teams.

“We were hired by Besix to help better ‘connect’ the two methodologies together,” recalled Daan Oostinga, CEO at Semmtech. “One of the key issues Besix was facing was a lack of standardisation between the tools they were using.”

As a result, Besix team members were spending “quite some time on data capture”, and coordination between teams wasn’t as smooth as it should be. Meanwhile, Besix aimed to further improve information flows.

Semmtech offered a standardised approach to design and manage low-code SE applications and an information architecture that allows for integration between SE and BIM, both in terms of tooling and data.

Having materialised, key benefits of the work included: enhanced awareness of requirements with designers; an agreed-upon method of quality control amongst modelers; and more explicit and complete dataset.

Reflecting on the collaboration, Jan van Steirteghem, General Manager Europe at Besix, said: “Semmtech was able to advise us on the importance of information management and how it can help our teams to perform better.

“Their knowledge of data semantics and structuring in combination with very hands-on use cases and tools is unique in the industry. I have not found, to date, a competitor that is able to provide a solution like Semmtech that is scalable across projects and entire business units / companies.”