Thermoplan relies on long-term and trusting partnerships throughout the entire business process. For the new building, we also opted for existing partnerships and placed orders directly. All contractors were already known and involved in the project.
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a collaborative construction project procedure in which the relevant participants are involved in the construction and planning process from the very beginning. They collectively carry both benefits and risks. IPD demands more than people, technology and processes. The term implies a new culture of cooperation.
IPD embodies the project goals and creates consequences for success or failure. It puts all project participants in control and makes them responsible for the overall project outcome – not just their individual performance.
Planner 4.0
In the special edition of the company podcast thermoplan talk (Youtube Video) Urs von Arx, CEO of the HHM Group and Adrian Steiner, CEO of Thermoplan AG talk about the special features of IPD. Urs von Arx is not only CEO of HHM, but as a planner of unique, he also integrated digitalisation into the conception phase. Since all parties were involved in the construction (client, planners, entrepreneurs, suppliers, etc.) as early as possible, a large amount of information was available. All (construction) data from the various entrepreneurs were generated, collected and implemented in a digital twin of the new plant 5 building.
In traditional construction projects, the individual phases run sequentially, the trades only come on board when they complete their own tasks. «This is no way to create innovation». Urs von Arx assesses this approach. «If the whole is understood by everyone involved through the digital twin, more thoughts, experiences and heart and soul are brought in – and they influence the result in a positive way. Digitalisation forces us to constantly question processes. Digital building enables me as a builder to make better decisions». Adrian Steiner explains the approach, which required courage on the part of the builder and planner, but deliverd a significantly higher quality in the end result. By avoiding communication breaks and competence wrangling and by tackling the individual levels together, quality, costs and time got to one level for all involved. The jointly achieved success was also shared jointly, which was reflected not least in the salary of the entrepreneurs.
The new building was planned extensively digitally. We took advantage of the opportunities and possibilities offered by the new technologies.
Building sustainably and responsibly - for us and for future generations.
The need for an additional production and administration building for Thermoplan had existed for a long time.
