KG Construction Case Study

Construction company KG Construction, which specialises in building facades, needed a new technology platform to give it the design, engineering, and manufacturing efficiency needed to successfully enter new markets while satisfying rising demand for more sophisticated products.

To develop a cutting-edge design, engineering, and production process, the company selected the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform and its Building Design for Fabrication Industry Solution Experience. The 3D modelling and design features of CATIA were advertised as having the potential to maximise effectiveness for users by enabling them to model any facade in the context of its natural surroundings.

Thanks to the 3D modelling capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the design team at KG Constructions has been able to produce Building Information Modeling much more successfully. Now that bills of materials are automated and errors have decreased, a substantial amount of time has been saved.

The Specialists Behind the Façade

Serving general builders, investors, and developers all around the region, KG Constructions has grown to become one of the largest facade contractors in Northern Europe. However, it isn’t taking things easy.

We spoke to Andrius Nikolajevas, Head of Design at KG Constuction, who said:

“We are currently expanding into the UK and Switzerland. Our main product is unitized curtain walls. These large units are manufactured and assembled in our factory, transported to the site and then installed on the building. We implement the most complex customer ideas and find the best balance between aesthetics, cost and effectiveness for every project.”

The company currently employs 400 people across the Group but has lofty ambitions for the future and expect to employ at least a further 100 employees in the near future. But it’s not simple to expand in a highly competitive industry like construction.

Nikolajevas told us:

“If we want to meet our goals and get ahead of our peers, then we need to stay wide awake. We have to listen to our customers and pay close attention to changes in the market.”

This entails taking urgent topics like sustainability seriously. Nikolajevas, understanding this pressing need, said:

“A couple of years ago only a few contractors cared about sustainability, but now we have to be fully onboard with it. We have to establish concrete plans, implement official strategies and meet growing regulatory requirements around CO2 emissions, waste reduction and more.”

Building Success, the Sustainable Way

As a result, KG Constructions has established its five-year sustainability strategy, which details its commitment to reducing CO2 emissions to zero by 2025 and details how it will improve its efforts in the areas of cybersecurity, employee health and well-being, waste reduction, product sustainability, and operational efficiency in addition to laying out how it will achieve a responsible supply chain.

Nikolajevas said:

“We’ve realized that sustainability is about much more than being green. It’s also about taking care of our employees, communities and our customers. Our new sustainability strategy will help us adapt to new market requirements and ensure we stay competitive.

In an effort to meet the ever-growing demands of its customers, Nikolajevas said:

“Every project we embark on is unique. Architecture needs to align with stringent construction standards and fulfil strict project requirements too. Expectations are rising – our clients are now demanding bespoke glazing, specialist leaned facades and multiple cladding facade systems.”

This is a lot to manage from a design, engineering and manufacturing perspective. Nikolajevas said:

“Every year, requirements are getting more complex. Now, almost every building we work on needs not only Building Information Modeling (BIM), but also detailed 3D design for fabrication. With this, we can access more accurate information for production faster. It also means that all stakeholders can experiment with designs and iron out any issues before construction.”

In Search of Greater Efficiency

The 3D design software that the KG Constructions design team had already tested, however, had its limitations.

Julius Zykus, Design Team Lead at KG Constructions told us:

“We tested countless 3D modeling platforms, but none of them were flexible enough for our needs. They were unable to deliver bills of materials (BOMs) for industrialization. We wanted a solution that could unify BIM and product lifecycle management (PLM) to create virtual twins of our construction projects.”

At a loss of where to turn and with the pressure to ensure future growth through innovation and efficiency growing, KG Constructions searched for a new technology platform that could help them capitalize know-how about construction knowledge. Their main aim was to align their processes so that they could deliver data from design to manufacturing, and to be able to design in 3D.

Having almost given up their search, Nikolajevas and Zykus discovered the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

They told us:

“The 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and specifically its CATIA application, offered something different. It had the flexibility that we were looking for.” And “CATIA’s 3D modeling and simulation capabilities promised to optimize the effectiveness of each and every one of our users. The software would allow us not only to model any facade, but to do so in the context of its real-life environment. At last, we had a solution that could deliver the results we were looking for.”

The business decided to use the cloud to implement the solution in order to realise the greatest efficiency savings. With the ability to connect from anywhere in the world whilst remaining confident in the version history of any said model, KG Construction where able to alleviate any worries they may have had regarding costs or management of a local server, with all security requirements already in-built on the Platform.

Build and Collaborate

On a six-hectare site, a new plant will be developed over the course of two phases. The first stage will see them build a factory of 13,800 square meters, along with an administrative building. This includes a plan to install six element assembly lines, and a separate window and door assembly line in the factory which is estimated to double their current production capacity. In addition to the new factory, a modern, first class, three-story office building with a total area of 2,620 square meters will be constructed.

Zykus said:

“We used the platform to help us design, build and manufacture the entirety of the new fabrication plant. We implemented all key processes from the platform, using 3D modeling to create the BIM and visualize the factory as a whole. We were able to automatically create a bill of materials (BOM), which previously we’d have done manually. This meant there was no chance of errors – which is fantastic.”

In the second stage of the project development, another 7,000 square meter production factory with an administrative building is planned, which will be allocated to the subsidiary of the group, UAB Lignas. Construction is scheduled to begin this year.

Now able to move from design to manufacturing without any 2D drawings, and without any mechanical work, Zykus told us:

“We are all working in the same space. There’s no longer a need to create multiple copies of designs, so we are always working on the latest version.”

Nikolajevas added:

“It was incredibly efficient. Using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, we estimate that we saved 30% of the time it would have taken using traditional methods.”

Constructing the Future

Nikolajevas is certain that the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will play a significant role in KG Constructions’ future as a result of their success. By being able to reuse information, optimize their designs and manufacture their products right first time thanks to the accuracy of the Platform, KG Constructions are confident 3DEXPERIENCE will be a key player in supporting their sustainability strategy.

Nikolajevas is keen to get even more from the software. He told us:

“We want to be able to transfer data from our 3D designs to other departments. And we want to explore the use of different apps such as DELMIA and ENOVIA so that we can handle projects more efficiently. We are also looking to implement a CO2 calculation inside the platform, which will take a massive burden away from us as this is currently done manually.”

Nikolajevas is convinced that the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will ultimately help his business stay one step ahead.

More about the solution

The Building Design for Fabrication system is a cloud-based, digitally collaborative platform for civil and building projects, from concept through fabrication. The system offers end-to-end, collaborative BIM for any building, structure, or building element, and is advantageous for architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators, and producers of building materials.

Benefits

• Reduce the expenses associated with building design, delivery, construction, and lifecycle operations
• Decrease waste
• Reduction of design, change order, budget, schedule, and other related risks and rework
• Boost design effectiveness and quality
• Increase worker protection

Get in touch

We would love to hear from you. If you want to find out more about KG Constructions or the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, get in touch today to speak to an expert.