Nuno Figueiredo
Board member, Sales & Marketing Director, Abaco Consulting
Interview with Nuno Figueiredo, Board Member of Abaco Consulting, for Construir Magazine [PT Only]: https://www.construir.pt/2022/12/28/e-fundamental-que-as-organizacoes-revejam-os-seus-modelos-de-negocios-e-tecnologias-implementadas
To CONSTRUIR, Nuno Figueiredo, board member of Abaco Consulting, explains why the implementation of an Integrated Management Software (ERP) can be fundamental for business sustainability, as it allows organizations to reduce costs, obtain greater control of the business, and also strategic planning of all production points.
How important is it for companies to implement strategies to become more ‘intelligent’?
We currently live in an age whose market is increasingly competitive, and for that very reason it becomes urgent that companies, regardless of their sector of activity, differentiate themselves from their competitors, without ever losing sight of the growth of their business and the provision of an excellent service to their clients. More and more organizations are making efforts to reinvent their business in order to become more agile and efficient, following the trends and demands of a hybrid organizational ecosystem (face-to-face and online). This growing change in mentality is due, above all, to the changes that society has undergone during two years of unprecedented pandemic, as well as greater pressure and focus on the customer and their respective interests. Thus we can affirm that those organizations that relegate a paradigm shift in digital transformation to the background, place themselves in a very privileged position for business failure.
In the specific case of the construction sector and taking into account the necessary cost containment and reduction of construction time, what are the main advantages?
If we look at the current context of the construction sector and what will be its future we understand that the implementation of an Integrated Management Software (ERP) is essential for business sustainability. An Integrated Management Software can be understood as a technological tool that helps organizations to make their businesses more profitable, as it allows them to obtain, in real time, all the data that managers need (and anywhere), to act accordingly, and on time, if any aspect of the business is not showing the expected indexes.
In this sense, ERP allows organizations to reduce their costs, obtain a greater total control of the business and also a strategic planning on all production points, thus maximizing the efficiency of the production process and leading organizations to a profitable growth. Thus, through its use, companies have a system with all information centralized, resulting in savings of resources and time.
Through artificial intelligence, ERP also enables better performance, transforming organizations’ business processes, with up to 50% less data footprint and up to 100 times faster report extraction.
Thus we can conclude that an ERP provides real-time graphical data analysis to support decision making, displays data in a simplified way by eliminating aggregates and indexes, enables better workflows through industry-specific business processes, and improves the user experience on different device types, reducing errors and increasing productivity, among others.
Integrated management from “the first moment
At what stage should information systems preferably be applied in the construction sector?
Integrated Management Software such as ERP must be implemented from the very first moment. This is because the data that these same softwares have the ability to extract, by themselves, are useless. It is necessary to implement ERP from the very beginning in order to define an effective strategy and a data management model capable of taking advantage of all forms of practical and efficient use of data in the construction industry.
From your experience, what is the main trend concerning the systems used by companies?
We have witnessed in recent times a massive adherence to integrated management software in order to facilitate the control of all dimensions and a timely reaction. That is, in the particular case of construction it is possible to monitor each project in real time and forecast the impact of any deviations.
Lately we have seen a growing demand for “Building Information Modeling” (BIM) solutions, which is the basis for a new digital transformation in this sector. This is a collaborative tool between all parties involved in each phase of the construction process, starting right at the initial planning stage. Among many other possibilities, it allows the creation of a 3D model, budget management, and real-time control of execution.
NeedS will accelerate digitization
How do you see the future of this area in companies? Do you believe that the need will accelerate the digital transformation in companies?
The future of organizations in the construction sector is extremely promising and interesting as companies will be forced to adapt their entire business to the digital and technological context. The need to keep up with the natural evolution of the organizational ecosystem will undoubtedly accelerate the digital transformation of companies in the sector.
Technology is here to stay and to contribute, on a large scale, to the integrated management modernization of any organization in the construction sector. In this sense, it is essential that organizations review their business models and implemented technologies in order to keep up with the constant market developments.