Landsec, one of the UK’s leading commercial real estate companies, is launching an optimised Landsec Experience app across its entire London portfolio of prime workplaces using Smart Spaces’ smart building OS. The new app is designed to help people who work in Landsec’s buildings get the most from their time
MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions and services, announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Capita One, a leading provider of software solutions across the UK public sector. Upon close, MRI expects that the acquisition will expand and complement its existing offering and accelerate
OryxAlign wins Managed Services Project of the Year at the IT Europa Awards 2024 London-based managed IT services provider (MSP), OryxAlign has won Managed Services Project of the Year at the prestigious IT Europa Channel Awards, which took place at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square on June 26, 2024. The
The industrial real estate manager and developer BENO Holding AG has opted for dTwin from Nemetschek. dTwin is the innovative platform for networked and visual intelligence and visual analytics for buildings. The solution bridges the gap between planning, construction and operation and enables building managers to make better, data-driven decisions. The aim of BENO
Hiab, part of Cargotec, launches the MyHiab mobile app, to improve operator productivity and safety. The digital companion provides features and content about Hiab equipment throughout its lifecycle. It also establishes a communication channel between Hiab and the end-users. MyHiab provides operators with immediate access to the tools they need
The Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders revolutionizes the UK’s residential construction sector, offering unparalleled efficiency, visibility, and growth potential. sa.global, the leading Microsoft partner for the house building industry, announces the launch of the Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders in the United Kingdom. This groundbreaking offering is designed
TerraQuest, the operator of Planning Portal, has launched its combined portal for Planning and Building Control applications. The service comes with a raft of new features built from the ground up to meet the needs of contractors and developers, creating a unified portal that serves as the home of planning
Nearly half of building maintenance professionals state that systems integration is one of their most significant struggles, according to a recent poll by SFG20, the industry standard for facility maintenance specifications. Using this industry insight, SFG20 have developed an Application Programming Interface (API) that streamlines the integration between SFG20 content
Reynaers Aluminium has launched two new online tools to provide fabricators and installers with real-time comprehensive product and technical information, as well as its hardware selection and comparator. In line with its digitalisation strategy both software solutions are now accessible through Reynaers Customer Portal. Docu Portal brings together the equivalent
Nationwide Platforms, the UK’s leading provider of powered access for working at height, has recently announced its new game-changing tracking service, HireTracker. HireTracker allows a customer to track their hire through every stage of the rental process, with a live tracking link that remains active from the moment the order
Landsec, one of the UK’s leading commercial real estate companies, is launching an optimised Landsec Experience app across its entire London portfolio of prime workplaces using Smart Spaces’ smart building OS. The new app is designed to help people who work in Landsec’s buildings get the most from their time in and around their offices. In addition to digital access control, it provides office customers with access to a range of personalised experiences, events and discounts along with the latest information about their workplaces, through their smartphones and smartwatches. The app also integrates with Landsec’s flexible office brand – Myo – allowing Landsec customers to book meeting rooms and events spaces through the app in Piccadilly, The City of London, Southbank and Victoria. In line with Landsec’s wider focus on leveraging data and insights to improve customer experiences, the app will also enable two-way consumer feedback for Landsec with customer surveys to better understand how its buildings are being used and any opportunities for its services to be enhanced. Smartphone access to buildings is now ‘live’ The Landsec Experience app will also provide contactless entry for customers, aligned with Landsec’s strategy to deliver digital-led solutions which enhance guest experience. At all London locations, access credentials can now be stored in digital wallets to make this a seamless experience. To facilitate this, Landsec has optimised the technology throughout its spaces with upgraded doors readers in many buildings, as well as implementing HID Mobile Access. This makes it straightforward to deal with all the licensing and credential management for tenants and visitors, as well as setting building access rights which is now all done quickly and remotely. Oliver Knight, Head of Workplace at Landsec said: “Alongside our exciting plans to activate our places and buildings, the Landsec Experience app is designed to help the people who work in our spaces get the most out of their time in and around the office. By launching this optimised Landsec Experience app, with even more capabilities, we’re providing a personalised and digital user experience which will enhance the working week for everyone who uses our workplaces.” Today, registered users simply have to download the Landsec Experience app to then use their Android or Apple smartphones or watches to have quick and seamless access by holding their device near any HID reader to open the turnstiles and doors automatically. Smart Spaces’ OS provides easy central control with the ability to modify the app per building and an architecture designed to allow access control software from multiple vendors to be incorporated easily. Dan Drogman, Smart Spaces’ Chief Executive Officer, says, “We’re delighted to support Landsec with the development of its customer experience app and introduction of mobile access. It’s an important step on their smart building journey with our OS platform capable of scaling with them. It helps a customer like Landsec maximise the investment in its estate to the full.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions and services, announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Capita One, a leading provider of software solutions across the UK public sector. Upon close, MRI expects that the acquisition will expand and complement its existing offering and accelerate future technology innovation for local authorities and local education. Founded in 1994, Capita One is a subsidiary of UK-listed Capita plc, a modern outsourcer supporting primarily UK and European clients with people-based services underpinned by market-leading technology. “The acquisition of Capita One significantly enhances our ability to serve the UK public sector with flexible solutions that meet its evolving needs,” said Patrick Ghilani, Chief Executive Officer of MRI Software. “MRI’s AI-first approach and platform are designed to empower clients to break down information siloes, unify data across systems and deliver the best outcomes for their communities. Today’s announcement ushers in new possibilities for the industry, and our teams are excited about what’s ahead.” The combination of MRI and Capita One is expected to create a broad suite of solutions that help local authorities optimise the asset lifespan, reduce team workload through self-service tools, drive data-informed decisions, and manage educational touchpoints to deliver optimal outcomes. The public sector has been subject to continuous regulatory change, driving an increased need for software solutions that enable compliance. MRI’s offerings are designed to improve the living experiences for millions of residents worldwide through specialised technology that automates processes, streamlines operations, and adapts to changes in legislation. Capita One brings additional capabilities to expand MRI’s solutions for public sector customers in the UK and Northern Ireland, including: “This acquisition will give Capita One’s clients access to a wider range of complementary technology to address the complexities of a highly regulated sector, while clients who use our other products will benefit from our new scale and pace of innovation in the future,” said Jon Peart, Managing Director, Capita One. “The combined expertise of MRI and Capita One will build a bright future for the industry.” The acquisition has been unanimously approved by the boards of MRI and Capita and is expected to close by the end of August 2024, subject to regulatory approval and approval by Capita’s shareholders. Capita One will continue to serve its clients as usual, without interruption. For full details of the transaction, please see Capita Plc’s market announcement here: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/CPI/disposal/16558237 Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
OryxAlign wins Managed Services Project of the Year at the IT Europa Awards 2024 London-based managed IT services provider (MSP), OryxAlign has won Managed Services Project of the Year at the prestigious IT Europa Channel Awards, which took place at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square on June 26, 2024. The award recognises the firms successful work in improving cybersecurity for its clients in the property and construction sectors. Now in its 16th year, the IT Europa Channel Awards recognises excellence from across the European IT channel ecosystem. It encompasses managed service providers, solution providers, vendors, distributors and other channel partners who deliver exceptional results for their clients. All submissions are judged by an expert industry panel that assess criteria such as clarity, quality, uniqueness and value. OryxAlign was awarded The Managed Services Project of the Year prize for its work with one of the UK’s largest commercial property development companies. For this project, OryxAlign bolstered the customer’s cyber security posture across a portfolio of 32 buildings, aligning its infrastructure with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework. OryxAlign resolved over 400 critical issues across the customer’s portfolio of buildings, significantly reducing the cyber security risks. “Vulnerability scanning across the client’s network revealed inherent problems that had to be addressed systematically in line with NIST frameworks,” explained Peter Schwartz, senior technology consultant at OryxAlign. “We updated the client’s systems, networks, critical devices and firmware, and also performed hundreds of network infrastructure and firewall changes, including on OT devices such as CCTV and access controls. “We provided training for the client’s technical and operational staff, equipping them with the skills to effectively manage the new processes on an ongoing basis. We were also invited to conduct additional cybersecurity awareness sessions for all its staff beyond those linked to the project,” concluded Schwartz. Post-implementation, all new devices were added to OryxAlign’s managed IT services framework, including the new cyber security platforms. Ultimately, OryxAlign’s work gives the client better control and visibility over its network, leading to a more secure, stable and manageable IT environment. “In recent years, cybersecurity has become an increasingly pressing concern for businesses operating in key industries like property and construction,” added Carl Henriksen, CEO of OryxAlign. “This latest award win demonstrates that we are well placed to help businesses in these sectors and more overcome challenges relating to cyber security. Our approach goes beyond a simple transactional relationship with customers, we are trusted advisors they can count on to support them throughout their IT journey.” To find out more about how OryxAlign can support your managed services project needs and its cyber security training programmes, visit https://www.oryxalign.com
The industrial real estate manager and developer BENO Holding AG has opted for dTwin from Nemetschek. dTwin is the innovative platform for networked and visual intelligence and visual analytics for buildings. The solution bridges the gap between planning, construction and operation and enables building managers to make better, data-driven decisions. The aim of BENO is to create digital twins of all existing buildings in the portfolio and thus to take their management to a new level. BENO Holding AG, based in Munich, owns, manages and rents out light industrial real estate throughout Germany. These are warehouse and logistics properties that contain additional space for production or offices. BENO’s aim is to maintain existing buildings and transform them to meet the needs of their tenants. Most of the buildings in BENO’s portfolio were built before the year 2000, so the data situation is correspondingly very analog. “Due to the age of our buildings, it is often difficult to determine certain parameters. However, these are absolutely essential for conversions or new lettings,” says Michael Bussmann, CEO of BENO Holding AG. The use of dTwin enables BENO Holding to create complete digital twins. In addition to the digitalisation of all building information, this brings a wide range of economic and ecological benefits such as virtual tours, more efficient planning and execution of conversions, improved data analysis, for example in fire protection, optimised resource management and simpler maintenance and servicing. “We see ourselves as a pioneer in the digitalisation of operational real estate and are constantly working to improve collaborative processes. This saves us time and, in particular, reduces CO2 emissions. This is where dTwin fits perfectly into our corporate philosophy. We are convinced that dTwin will help us to further drive forward the transformation of our buildings and take building management to a new level. This will benefit everyone involved, especially our tenants,” says Michael Bussmann. In dTwin, all existing models of a building can be collected and visualised on a single platform and supplemented with laser scans and panoramic photos. This creates walk-through models in which the condition of a building can be called up at any time using real-time data from IoT sensors. The digital twin can thus be used for virtual inspections or the optimisation of energy management, for example. “We are delighted that BENO has decided to use dTwin. Michael Bussmann and his team have a clear idea of what they expect from a Digital Twin and have worked with us to create the best possible setup. Since every building is different and every operator has different needs, it was important for us to define dTwin optimally for the requirements of the BENO Group and to set it up in such a way that it can be easily adapted to different scenarios,” says César Flores Rodríguez, Chief Division Officer Planning & Design and Digital Twin at the Nemetschek Group. “The cooperation with BENO shows that we have succeeded in this. We are also gaining valuable insights into the further development of dTwin in order to increase its benefits even further. We are convinced that everyone involved will benefit from this close cooperation.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Hiab, part of Cargotec, launches the MyHiab mobile app, to improve operator productivity and safety. The digital companion provides features and content about Hiab equipment throughout its lifecycle. It also establishes a communication channel between Hiab and the end-users. MyHiab provides operators with immediate access to the tools they need to better plan their working day and troubleshoot when things are not working as expected. If they need further assistance the app enables them to call their nearest Hiab service centre. In the initial release, Hiab can contact end-users directly with essential information about the equipment and proactive service information. “Hiab operators are our biggest fans and the most influential advocates of our solutions. This app is designed to support and simplify their workday and is our way of giving something back. It also makes it possible for us to reach them directly and learn more about their challenges to create better solutions for tomorrow,” says Michael Bruninx, Senior Vice President, Services, Hiab. The app can be downloaded in local language versions from Apple’s App Store and Google Play in Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the US. More markets and language versions will be added during the year. The initial release contains mostly content about HIAB loader cranes, MULTILIFT demountables and MOFFETT truck mounted forklifts. However, there is also content of interest for users of other Hiab load handling equipment. While the app enhances the operators’ understanding of their equipment, it will also provide essential data, encrypted, to Hiab. This information will be used to improve Hiab’s services and product development. “MyHiab makes it possible to have daily touchpoints with our users, not limited to visits to workshops or on-road assistance. We aim to have an industry leading service experience and this is a natural evolvement of our HIPERFORM offering,” adds Michael Bruninx. HIPERFORM is a suite of smart solutions to maximise the Hiab equipment lifecycle value by optimising the performance and productivity of operators, equipment and fleets. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders revolutionizes the UK’s residential construction sector, offering unparalleled efficiency, visibility, and growth potential. sa.global, the leading Microsoft partner for the house building industry, announces the launch of the Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders in the United Kingdom. This groundbreaking offering is designed to empower the nation’s housebuilders with the unparalleled capabilities of Microsoft technology, specifically tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of the residential construction sector. At the core of the innovative suite of solutions is HomebuilderONE, a comprehensive end-to-end enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365. It is designed to manage every aspect of the building lifecycle, from land development to warranty, for both single-family and multi-family construction. This cloud-based solution simplifies operations, eliminates the need for multiple applications, and supports scalable business growth. Key Features of the Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders include: The introduction of the Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders also involves a key partnership with Double Diamond Delivery, a renowned UK-based consultancy specialising in transformation and business improvement delivery programmes for construction and housing industries. This collaboration enriches sa.global’s offerings with profound industry insight and expertise, specialising in the UK house building market. Oliver Lock, Director at Double Diamond Delivery, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, saying, “We are thrilled to partner with sa.global to advise and guide the evolution of their HomebuilderONE product and the Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders for the UK house building market. Our shared commitment to delivering successful outcomes aligns perfectly with sa.global’s vision for innovation and excellence in serving the needs of the industry.” Neill Hills-Johnes, Managing Director of sa.global United Kingdom, shares his enthusiasm, saying, “We are excited to introduce the Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders. This comprehensive suite of enterprise cloud solutions combines the robust capabilities of Microsoft technologies with our industry leading HomebuilderONE solution, specifically designed to serve the UK’s leading house builders.” He continues, “Our partnership with Double Diamond Delivery highlights our commitment to delivering unparalleled solutions and services for the UK house building sector.” The introduction of the Microsoft Industry Cloud for House Builders into the United Kingdom marks a significant advancement, simplifying and unifying the software ecosystem for the nation’s house building industry. It solidifies sa.global’s status as the premier Microsoft Industry Cloud provider for house builders across the globe, including in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This initiative is set to empower production house builders with cutting-edge technology, promoting efficiency, innovation, and growth within the industry. About sa.global sa.global, a trusted Microsoft partner, specialises in delivering cloud-based, vertical-focused solutions to address industry challenges. Our offerings are exclusively based on Microsoft business applications and the Microsoft Business Cloud, serving service-based verticals such as advertising and marketing, accounting, architecture and engineering, consulting, house building, legal, and IT services. By adopting an industry-first approach, we equip those closest to the problem with the tools needed to act swiftly and make informed decisions. Leveraging modern technologies like AI and Copilot, we empower organisations to make intelligent decisions and act faster. With over 800,000 users across 80 countries, sa.global’s expertise is trusted worldwide. We bring over 30+ years of consulting and implementation experience and have been recognised as a Microsoft Dynamics Partner of the Year 11 times. Additionally, we have been part of Microsoft’s elite Inner Circle for 11 years. Our global team comprises 1,000 professionals across 25 countries. For more information, visit www.saglobal.com. About Double Diamond Delivery: Double Diamond Delivery, a leading consultancy firm specializing in technology-enabled business improvements, announces the official launch of its services. Leveraging a proven framework and a team of experienced consultants, Double Diamond Delivery aims to drive successful outcomes for organizations seeking to transform their operations through technology. For more information, visit www.doublediamond.info Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
TerraQuest, the operator of Planning Portal, has launched its combined portal for Planning and Building Control applications. The service comes with a raft of new features built from the ground up to meet the needs of contractors and developers, creating a unified portal that serves as the home of planning and building control. Crucially, the new platform offers contractors and developers direct access to all their planning and building control applications via a single sign-on, while also providing a host of usability and interface enhancements designed to save them time and money. The service will allow applicants to pull information through from existing or approved planning applications to pre-populate elements of building control applications. Like Planning Portal, the new Building Control service is based on TerraQuest’s proprietary KeyChain software platform, which has been recognised by international experts for its quality. To enable the platform to operate on a self-sustaining basis without public funding, a service fee will apply to each application, with an introductory rate at launch of £21 including VAT. As a result of the investment that this modest service fee will unlock, applicants will benefit from continuous improvements to the service, driven by TerraQuest’s agile development team. This approach means there will be a pipeline of new features, developed on the basis of feedback from services users. Geoff Keal, CEO at TerraQuest, said: “Our new Building Control platform promises to be a major step forward for contractors and developers, substantially reducing the administrative burden that surrounds development. Planning applicants have already benefited from key usability enhancements and so it made sense to extend these to the Building Control application process with a new portal based on our proven KeyChain platform.” “The move to the new platform has in part being prompted by the need for greater agility in adapting to changes in health and safety legislation, so that applicants can make compliant submissions more easily.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Nearly half of building maintenance professionals state that systems integration is one of their most significant struggles, according to a recent poll by SFG20, the industry standard for facility maintenance specifications. Using this industry insight, SFG20 have developed an Application Programming Interface (API) that streamlines the integration between SFG20 content and FM systems used for operational activity. Almost 90% of FM professionals agreed on the benefit of implementing SFG20’s new ‘smart’ software, driven by new features such as automatic notifications that advise users when updates are made to the SFG20 standard. The new API makes SFG20 content available and accessible to all via the common FM systems used for operational activity i.e., CAFMs, IWFMs, CMMS etc. As users are notified of updates to SFG20’s content, they can choose when to accept them. SFG20 guidance will then automatically flow into their FM system. The API is also bi-directional, meaning that once work has been completed this information can flow back to SFG20 who will be able to provide reporting and insight around levels of compliance and value derived from their FM provider. Paul Bullard, Product and Professional Services Director at SFG20, says: “Our new freely available API will allow users to access and work with the SFG20 standard more efficiently than ever. By receiving updates to SFG20’s maintenance schedules and having this content automatically integrated into various FM systems, facility maintenance professionals remove the risk of falling off the standard and becoming non-compliant. The API comes at no cost, and allows any FM system to link in. SFG20 also provides support with the integration process, thereby removing any potential barriers and making it as easy as possible to carry out maintenance work and achieve compliance.” “To find out more about SFG20’s new open API solution, please visit their software integration page, which details the benefits of their open API, from improved efficiency, greater control, and standard compliance.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Reynaers Aluminium has launched two new online tools to provide fabricators and installers with real-time comprehensive product and technical information, as well as its hardware selection and comparator. In line with its digitalisation strategy both software solutions are now accessible through Reynaers Customer Portal. Docu Portal brings together the equivalent of 20,000 catalogue pages and is the latest in a number of online tools from the aluminium systems specialist that have been designed to provide real time information to make it easier to design, order, fabricate and install the latest window, door and curtain walling solutions. Through Docu Portal, Reynaers’ customers will be able to quickly and easily access in-depth, technical guidance for the fabrication and installation of its systems. Through a personalised login, customers will also have the ability to save favourites. They will then receive specific notifications of any relevant updates. Within the Docu Portal system, a Hardware Configurator has also been created to offer rapid analysis of the best suited hardware for a project. Drawing on all available Reynaers’ products and compatible components, the hardware configurator provides an overview that allows products to be easily compared to identify the best solution. Martin Boland, Technical Support Manager at Reynaers Aluminium UK, said: “Developed specifically to address the challenge in accessing and searching through the vast amount of information available, Docu Portal has been designed to make life easier for fabricators and installers. “As well as easy navigation of over 20,000 documents, the customer can also compare and select a number of hardware solutions. Coming soon will be the ability to set up tailored mini manuals to access offline. Docu Portal is a real step forward in the journey to complete digitalisation. “Ultimately we want to make life as easy as possible for our customers and by offering an up-to-date online solution to navigate our vast product range and technical support documentation, we aim to add real value to the support and products we provide.” Reynaers has introduced a number of digital innovations to help offer a seamless customer experience. These include a customer portal that links to a download centre containing technical information and allows deliveries to be tracked, while ReynaPro offers accurate pricing, generates order lists, production schedules, provides assembly instructions – and links to an electronic ordering system. Reynaers is also in the process of adding ‘digital passports’ to all systems that will provide electronic data associated with each individual product. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Nationwide Platforms, the UK’s leading provider of powered access for working at height, has recently announced its new game-changing tracking service, HireTracker. HireTracker allows a customer to track their hire through every stage of the rental process, with a live tracking link that remains active from the moment the order is placed all the way up until the machine has been collected at the end of its hire period. The customer can check in on the delivery at any time by clicking on the link, which will direct them to a screen displaying real-time updates on the progress of the hire. The new tracking system is something that Nationwide Platforms’ customers have requested via customer feedback in the past. Many clients reported that more accurate delivery timings would enable them to plan projects more efficiently, which in turn would boost productivity across the industry as a whole. Customers who already have a machine out on hire when HireTracker goes live needn’t worry about missing out. Even orders that are midway through being prepared will begin to receive HireTracker updates as soon as the system is online. With HireTracker, there is a guaranteed three-hour delivery window. As with other courier systems, once the hire is out for delivery, customers can see the driver’s location in real-time. In addition, the tracking system informs the customer when they are the next stop away, as well as when the delivery has been made and the machine is ready to be used. HireTracker works on collections too, meaning a customer can also use the same system to ensure their machine has been picked up by the courier. Daniel Smith, Chief Operating Officer at Nationwide Platforms, said: “We make every effort to take on board customer feedback, and HireTracker is a direct answer to many customer requests. “Knowing the precise arrival time of a machine enables you to plan your day more efficiently. You’re no longer left waiting around all day, nor are you forced to rearrange your schedule for a vague delivery window. Instead, through real-time updates and accurate delivery estimates, HireTracker empowers you to make informed decisions about how to best manage your time and resources. Whether your machine is being dispatched or only a few doors away, you’ll be the first to know.” For more information on Nationwide Platforms, please visit: https://www.nationwideplatforms.co.uk/en-gb Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
