In March 2000, the internet bubble burst. The digital economy got back on its feet, before shedding its inhibitions. From that moment on, innovations associated with soaring roaming data rates, the internet and new technologies came in quick succession and gradually took over our lifestyles. Consumption, health, education, habitat, mobility...Digital technology is revolutionising daily life! Customs are changing and the digital culture promotes an approach that focuses on the user experience. This user can be an employee, a client, a partner or a user of our constructions. 

Apple gave itself a new lease of life by founding its product strategy on the benefits felt by users when using its products, features and solutions...the iPhone came out in 2007, and the iPad was released in 2010.  Also in 2010, Nest created an intelligent self-teaching thermostat, to regulate its energy consumption. Mention must also be made of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, the company that, in order to “accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy”, is incorporating numerous technologies (automatic steering, defence system against biochemical weapons, etc.) while offering its users an optimal experience. 

The construction and public works sector remains one of the least digital industrial sectors but a revolution is building momentum, such as via the Digital Transition Plan for Construction in France. This plan, launched by the French government in 2015, is designed to accelerate the rollout of digital tools by experimenting, training professionals in the use of digitalised tools and encouraging initiatives. What is the aim? To allow the whole sector to take digital technology on board as part of its everyday construction business. The extension, the BIM 2022 Plan, was confirmed a few months ago. 

Wizom is an example of this, with the Wizom Connected offers based on connected housing, and Wizom for Life, where digital technology has become a way of making housing scalable so it can be adapted to all stages of life.  But we can go much further still. Take the example of offices, where incorporating digital technologies produces tangible savings for the client, in terms not only of energy optimisation but also of optimising the use of the building, by sharing certain areas with other users, for example. 

Thanks to the data we receive from the various sensors, we have a far greater understanding of how buildings work and are used, and this means we can offer a genuinely improved user experience.

 

More ambitious yet is the first French smart city, in Dijon! We are making it a reality with Citelum (EDF), Suez and Cap Gemini. This contract, worth 105 million euros and with Bouygues Energies & Services responsible for the overall management, is mobilising all facets of industry expertise from the entity: a centralised control cockpit for the city, multifunctional intelligent public lighting with Citybox®, traffic management, urban video protection, radio communication, means of communication managed together with citizens, and the safety and security of public buildings are assured. 

Digitalisation is also moving forward on construction sites. It is bringing improvements in several areas, particularly ergonomics. On the site for renovating the lighting of a motorway tunnel in Saint-Etienne, we are experimenting with using an exoskeleton to make the work less arduous for the engineers. We are also testing sensors to monitor their working positions. Finally, the connected operator project makes it possible to carry out daily tasks on the construction site in complete safety, thanks to a kit of communicating objects.

Some other tools very useful for public works are: the Télémach robot, which changes inaccessible control knobs; Atlas, which automatically pushes voussoirs; and Mobydic, used to manipulate tunneling machine control knobs. Another example is PYXIX, an automatic steering module currently still in the design phase.

Cranes have also not been forgotten, with the Lenel project using the IOT (internet of things) to improve maintenance. There is also Easydriver, a predictive anemometer, and ARC, a prototype for piloting cranes automatically. Finally, 3D printing is also digital, thanks to the Yhnova project!

 

How our data is structured is also being examined. The digital project management platform is a programme that originated from the requirements of our operational staff (improving the continuity between each phase of a project, better data management, and greater collaboration and capitalisation). It is a matter of gathering together all structured data connected with our processes on all our constructions, from the design to the construction study phase, all the way up to construction and use. It is used extensively in the aeronautics and vehicle industries, which use serial manufacturing, and should in particular help us tackle the challenges of industrialisation more effectively.

How and where do innovations arise within a company? Wherever there are challenges or there is value to be created, and wherever you can discuss and reconcile needs with solutions.     

The internal social medium Yammer is an example of a digital space that promotes the creation of new ideas. It not only allows questions asked to be answered from the pool of knowledge within the company, but also means that answer can benefit everyone, even those who did not ask the question. Digital uses are changing as well, in both our personal and our professional lives.

Yes, digital technology and innovation are undeniably making people at Bouygues Construction rack their brains. A large number of initiatives are taken and tests carried out; the enthusiasm is there. Right now the emphasis is on coming up with ideas, but the next phase in the process is consolidation. How can we arrange our digital transformation and our initiatives so as to enrich our professions, and create more value and satisfaction for our clients? 

The first step was to examine our current model, identify innovation wherever it occurred and develop new challenges...Then, we had to meet new players who could transform the Group. 

Where does management come in? “It has to keep pace with the movement, and be a driving force!” emphasised Marie-Luce Godinot. Digital reverse monitoring is furthermore in fashion in the Group's entities. After Bouygues Construction SA, Bouygues Energies & Services and Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France, Bouygues Bâtiment International recently convinced the members of its COMEX to go digital, with the help of younger employees.

Examples are already in place internally: the Digit’All campaigns at Bouygues Bâtiment France Europe, the digital transformation committees at Bouygues Energies & Services, SPQR at Bouygues Travaux Publics… All these initiatives are contributing to the spread of digital culture within the company. 

Digital technology, an essential lever for optimisation, has transformed all professions and customer relations, by creating new business opportunities. The way in which the construction and public works sector is currently transforming, and adapting to digital uses, is mimicking the way in which digital technology has transformed the world in general. Let’s continue to be proactive within our industry and its digitalisation; let’s transform!