The digitalisation of construction has the capacity to deliver significant benefits including cost efficiencies, higher standards, faster project times and improved safety and sustainability. However, it is critically dependent on fast and reliable connectivity on sites. International construction company Ardmac has partnered with Three Ireland to deliver that connectivity through its 5G mobile broadband service.
“We are a specialist contractor in data centre, pharma, high-tech cleanrooms, and turnkey construction of manufacturing facilities with clients in Ireland, the UK and Europe,” says head of technology and innovation Chris Fitzpatrick. “We have also moved into the construction of EV battery manufacturing facilities. We also recently welcomed Cental to the group. The company specialises in modular infrastructure: that is where the industry is going. We now have almost 500 employees and annual turnover of €200 million.”
Ardmac is a pioneer in digital transformation and relies on a digital building information management system for the timely and profitable completion of projects. Designed and executed on a collaborative digital platform that maximises the efficiency of all site activities, the company’s building smart programme combines the three pillars of lean construction, building information modelling (BIM) and field management which also involves proven methods to design out waste from projects.
“We’ve developed a technology-based working environment which is aimed at driving performance, empowering our people, and delighting our customers,” says Fitzpatrick. “We have 50 people working in our digital construction team. They are at the forefront of innovation and are constantly exploring how the latest tools, software applications and hardware can be deployed to support and enhance the work of our project and field teams.”
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The company has invested significantly in field collaboration platforms. “This offers a single source of truth to people when they go on site,” he explains. “They have access to all the information they need seamlessly and securely on any device they are using. We also have 5G connected clock-in systems for our operators and cloud-hosted training for them before they go on. The challenge we had was connectivity. It’s not always there. Many of our sites are in remote areas where it is simply not practical to install fibre. 5G connectivity gives us the latency and speed of fibre in many cases and it’s far cheaper and quicker to install.”
“5G is transforming how we connect, work, are entertained and how we live our lives,” says Karl Duffy, head of enterprise and public sector with Three Ireland. “Since 5G launched, it has opened up opportunities to Ireland as we strive to compete in a global environment where connectivity is crucial.”
5G broadband offers a viable alternative to both older, slower, networks and slow-to-expand fibre networks, he points out. “Three’s 5G network can deliver incredibly fast broadband to many areas that previously either couldn’t get broadband or were stuck on slow speeds. This is made possible by Three’s ever-expanding 5G network, which spans every county in Ireland and now has 85 per cent population coverage. 5G is constantly rolling out to new locations, which is one of the biggest benefits of 5G over fibre broadband. Our annual network investment of over €100 million ensures we can continue to cater for growing demand for data.”
5G can be as fast or even faster than fibre in some areas and the Three 5G network has been independently verified as the fastest in Ireland for the past years by Ookla. “Three’s 5G broadband is capable of delivering speeds up to 250Mbps,” says Duffy. “For many new customers, the difference between their previous internet provider and what we offer can be night and day. It will vary from location to location, but our area of 5G coverage is always growing.”
Fitzpatrick points to a recent Ardmac project where Three 5G mobile broadband came into its own. “We recently handed over a large student accommodation project,” he notes. “That was a really successful commercial fit-out project for us. The complexity of the project really tested the team who had to excel themselves on this landmark project. It involved lots of different rooms which had to be fitted out in different styles. We put QR codes into all the rooms which our people were able to scan to bring up the design for the individual room and see all the specs for it.”
There were also some ‘blind spots’ in the building where signal strength was compromised. “Three were able to sort that,” says Fitzpatrick. “We have a really good relationship with them. They are really forward thinking and are always putting forward new initiatives and solutions. We have done a few trials with them on those solutions. With Three it’s all about the relationship, they take that very seriously.”