In a construction landscape marked by tight margins, supply chain challenges, and global competition, data-driven decision-making is emerging as the key to maintaining a competitive edge. According to Marcus Haynes, Senior Manager of Digital Strategy Acceleration at Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence division, “Digital engineering and the associated data are transforming the construction industry by enabling organizations to deliver on safety, quality, efficiency, productivity and ultimately projects that are on schedule and budget.”
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Data, he explained, serves as a “holistic, consolidated single source of truth” that simplifies complex processes like advanced work packaging (AWP) and building information modeling (BIM). This unified approach allows stakeholders across the value chain — from owners and contractors to engineers and suppliers — to achieve complete visibility over project performance, enhancing collaboration and decision-making at every phase.
Construction firms today are navigating an increasingly complex environment. Inflationary pressures continue to eat into margins, supply chain disruptions have become the norm, and competition has intensified with the rise of international players and labor shortages. Many firms, Haynes noted, are realizing that profitability doesn’t always come from cutting costs — but from improving performance.
“The savvier in the industry are choosing to win and profit in other ways,” Haynes said. “For example, delivering safety, quality, efficiency, and productivity through projects that are on schedule and on budget or that are profitable by improving the complex operating environment.”
With as much as 80% of an asset’s total installation costs occurring during the construction phase, the opportunity to leverage technology for better outcomes is immense. Through integrated digital tools, construction leaders can streamline workflows, reduce delays, and maintain greater control over budgets and schedules.
Hexagon’s Smart Digital Reality™ for industrial assets tackles these challenges by combining automation, analytics, and data visualization. “Coupled with reality capture and automated work processes, Hexagon’s portfolio for Project Planning, Design, Construction, Operations and Maintenance can remove human errors and the need for intervention,” Haynes said. This helps organizations move toward what Hexagon calls an autonomous future, where technology and intelligence drive outcomes rather than manual oversight.
Key examples of Hexagon’s digital success stories include:
Each case demonstrates how real-time insights can reduce complexity and boost transparency — helping construction and engineering firms make more informed, faster decisions.
Digitization and data visualization are not just about convenience — they represent a shift toward precision, accountability, and resilience in construction. By using integrated digital ecosystems, engineering, procurement and construction companies (EPCs) and general contractors can optimize planning and execution while gaining preferred status with clients.
“Hexagon helps remove the complexity from complex projects,” Haynes emphasized. “Digitization and data visualization provide decision-makers with a new level of transparency to make informed decisions with velocity.”
As the global leader in digital reality and autonomous solutions, Hexagon’s mission is clear: to put data to work in enabling autonomous, connected ecosystems that enhance efficiency, productivity, and quality across the asset lifecycle — from design and construction to operation and maintenance.
In a rapidly changing construction landscape, embracing data isn’t just a competitive advantage — it’s essential for future-ready success.
Originally reported by Marcus Haynes, Senior Manager, Digital Strategy Acceleration – Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence division in Construction Dive.
