Engineering Design Trends and Technologies for Plants and Infrastructure

Engineering design tools (EDT) are primarily used in two major industry segments: infrastructure projects; and process, power, and marine projects.  In both segments, the Internet of Things (IoT), laser scanning and photometry 3D models, and advanced asset information systems all support today’s digital assets and enable the smart, connected plant, building, ship, or other assets.  These, and other emerging technologies, tools, and approaches are changing the way engineers design assets, manage capital projects, and hand the assets over to operations.

ARC breaks the two segments of infrastructure and plant design down further.  Infrastructure is comprised of four major segments: utilities (water and wastewater systems, gas & oil distribution pipelines, electrical T&D & communications), buildings and facilities (residential, nonresidential, industrial facilities), heavy and civil engineering construction projects (bridges, dams, highways, roads, land development), and other infra-structure (specialty trades, transportation, airports, rail systems, port facilities, etc.).  Business across these industry segments has shown growth in some areas (buildings and facilities, alternative energy generation) and decline in others (capital projects for upstream oil & gas).

Engineering Design Major Trends

CAPEX projects in general have become very large, exceedingly complex, of long duration, and very expensive.  Currently, CAPEX spending over-all has steadied as companies and the governments that fund these projects consider the complexities and cost of new mega-projects in light of future global markets and business drivers.  Risk aversion also continues to play a significant role in project planning.

Economic macro trends currently affect the EDT market as evidenced by some modest negative year-to-year revenue reports from leading EDT suppliers, and the flattening of the overall global business.  Distinct market drivers include the collapse of the global crude oil commodities market; clear growth slowdown in certain markets, such as China and Brazil; and continued budget tightening for large capital projects in O&G, energy, and civil infrastructure.

Often, executing these massive projects requires forming joint ventures or partnerships between engineering, construction, and owner organizations.  Interdependent joining of disparate stakeholders requires use of the latest generation of more collaborative 3D engineering design tools for efficient project execution.  Asset owners now see the additional value that design tools can yield beyond the project phase and into the operating expenditure (OpEx) domain of the operate/maintain lifecycle.  Next-generation 3D design applications play an integral part in the optimal design, creation, and construction of assets in plant design and infrastructure and now also play an increasingly important role throughout the entire lifecycle of infrastructure and plant assets. 

For the infrastructure/BIM portion of the design tools market, the current level of market activity results from the ongoing demand for creating new infrastructure in the developing regions of the world, as well as the need to update and improve existing infrastructure of industrialized countries.  The existence of a supportive infrastructure in developing regions is a precursor that is enabling the expansion of industrial facilities in these regions.

The emergence of smart cities and the technologies that support them are driving a significant portion of the activity in infrastructure and BIM.  Regional urban areas, as diverse as cities like Glasgow, Singapore, and Shanghai, are adopting technologies that support a move to the next generation of the smart connected city.  This involves planning for infrastructure, transportation, security, and building a smart connected ecosystem of building management systems (BMS) based on IoT.  Technologies like large-scale 3D virtual mapping and models and other geospatial applications are enabling city planners, architects, and construction companies to develop, design, and build the next generation of smart cities.

Emerging technologies are having a considerable impact on both plant design and infrastructure.  These include technologies like virtual reality systems that capture the physical world and create 3D models using advanced photometry, laser scanning point cloud, and photon LIDAR systems.  Virtual reality fuses perception and reality to enable human designers and engineers to interact with the digital 3D models captured from the physical world in a more natural and intuitive manner.  Advanced geospatial technology also allows users to accurately map any part of the physical landscape on a global basis.  Building new generations of smart cities will depend heavily on these technologies.

Engineering Design Report Table of Contents

• Executive Overview
• Current Business and Technology Trends
• Technology Game Changers
• Recommendations

   

   

ARC Advisory Group clients can view the complete report at ARC Client Portal on Office 365 or Box.com

If you would like to buy this report or obtain information about how to become a client, please Request ARC Info

Keywords: Engineering design tools (EDT), Internet of Things (IoT), Laser Scanning, Photometry 3D Models, Advanced Asset Information, CAPEX, ARC Advisory Group.