A large-scale care complex is under development in Nieuwkerken near Sint-Niklaas. Commissioned by Zorgpunt Waasland, the project—which places a strong emphasis on open space—combines a residential care center, a service center, and housing for seniors with a new childcare facility. Developing this type of care housing is right up the alley of the Ibens construction group.
In this episode of Z-Impact (on Channel Z), see how the GMI Group has transformed all of its business needs into a technical solution.
We’re always looking for partners in the construction industry. And we’ve found one for digital transformation in Alistar. Specifically for our document management and customer management needs, they have a construction solution that has really helped us move forward.
Martin Geernaart, CTO and Board Member
BIM reduces failure costs and time loss
Ibens, a specialist in healthcare housing, is an Antwerp-based construction company with sixty young, enthusiastic engineers. Managing Director Martin Geernaart gets right to the point… “We differ from a typical construction company by truly focusing on what the client wants. We translate those wishes into a virtual model.”
“Ultimately, thanks to the integration with our ERP system, we have a clear understanding of how a change in the design might affect the customer. Then, once we’re cleared to proceed with the design, we’ll build a second model during the implementation phase, specifically designed to manage production. By further refining this process, we can also significantly reduce failure costs.”
Striving for better data centralization
In addition to linking BIM models to the ERP system, the group also wants to digitize other areas. IT service provider Alistar (formerly the GMI Group) helped them with this.
Our philosophy is to centralize data. Together with Alistar, we took the step toward digitization and implemented a CRM system using Dynamics 365 and a DMS system using SharePoint (now Docufly), both of which are based on that same philosophy.
Christopher Baute, a digital innovator, adds: “ibens has been working with BIM models for over 10 years. And the philosophy behind it is to centralize data. We went looking for a partner and came across Alistar, whom we saw as a sparring partner who gave us a fresh perspective on such systems.”
A digital construction solution that goes the extra mile
Alistar has extensive experience in the construction industry. For ibens, it combined standard Microsoft technology with solutions tailored to the construction industry. Our construction expert at Alistar says: “In the CRM solution, we actually track the entire sales process, project follow-up, and after-sales service, as well as all stakeholders.”
“In addition, we’ve also set up the standard GMI collaboration platform—now known as Docufly. This collaboration platform was built using Microsoft SharePoint and Teams technology. It’s a platform tailored to the construction industry, which means ibens has a solid foundation to get started right away.”
“In addition to the implementation of CRM and SharePoint, the digitization process at ibens extends much further, right down to the construction site. For example, they also use Power Apps to quickly and efficiently upload photos from the construction site.”
Looking to the Future with Confidence
For Alistar, this was one of the first remote implementations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ibens was able to reap the benefits of the new applications right away and sees great added value in this digital transformation.
We are convinced that we need to better capture the data—the information generated throughout the construction process—and use it to develop future solutions that we want to offer our customers and, ultimately, the residents of our housing solutions.
