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Orange Business Services has helped infrastructure construction company McConnell Dowell to build a customised internet of things (IoT) platform to track on-site data.
The new platform built by Orange Business Services, which partners with the likes of Cisco, Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Zoom, allows for the Victoria-headquartered construction company to collect, report and visualise real-time information over a private network, digitising manual and paper-based tasks in the process.
The goal of the platform is to drive operational efficiency, time savings and cost reductions.
Through the platform, data is collected by multiple devices and sensors searching for environmental data and measures asset utilisation. The data is then sent across a long range (LoRa) low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) back to the company for analysis.
Telemetry data is collected, like machine movement and onsite asset tracking, and is displayed on real-time dashboards which gives project teams the ability to determine machine use efficiency and report on individual asset usage.
Materials, like concrete panels, can also be tracked from their manufacturer during transport and installation. Individual panels can be identified, which allows teams to avoid incorrect placement, reworking and project delays.
Prior to the Orange platform, McConnell Dowell had a manual system – reports were manually collated from physically captured data, which was considered time consuming and inconsistent.
There are also plans to adapt the technology for more business applications in the future, with Rhys Craigie, alliance systems manager at McConnell Dowell, calling Orange an “ideal innovation partner”.
“We are now working jointly to develop solutions that can be used at various project locations for different use cases. Together, we are future-proofing our business through agile, scalable and smart solutions that streamline business insights,” Craigie said.
Kevin Griffen, managing director for Australasia at Orange, added that he is looking forward to continue working with McConnell Dowell.
