MANCHESTER, NH and LONDON--(Marketwire - Apr 3, 2012) - Newforma®, a project information management (PIM) software company improving building and infrastructure project delivery, today announced that international design firm BDP has implemented the Newforma® Design Suite. BDP is using the software to simplify information technology administration, support knowledge management, and benefit the organization with PIM functions to manage email, search the full texts of documents on the company's network, exchange files with ease and security, mark up drawings electronically, and much more.
BDP Director of Information and Technology Alistair Kell said, "Newforma software is not simply document control and email management. We increasingly see it as a 'design management desktop' that offers a host of related processes that make us more robust, more resilient, more effective, and more responsive.
"Once you expand the capabilities of Newforma software project to project, sector to sector, profession to profession, or location to location, the ability to share and search information -- the knowledge management capabilities -- are far greater than what initially seem to be the sum of the parts of the product," Kell said.
BDP knowledge management
"For example," Kell said, "At any point in time we could have half a dozen large-scale projects of the same type being undertaken across BDP's offices. Newforma software allows us to say, 'I want to review scheme design reports,' and search by sector and location for relevant reports over any given time frame. The information can be made readily available simply and efficiently without unnecessarily burdening other team members. Such a capability improves efficiency and effectiveness, which ultimately benefits our clients."
BDP provides approved building information modelling content to make BIM more efficient. "We had been searching for content management software to share approved BIM content," Kell said. "Using Newforma software, we've created a process that makes this content available for use on projects practice-wide. Sharing allows meaningful cost reduction as projects across offices can view and access content that's been approved for use."
Kell said Newforma software is live in all of BDP's U.K. locations, plus Shanghai, Dublin, and Abu Dhabi, with plans to implement soon in the Netherlands and India offices.
Simplified IT
Kell praised the software's simplification of the BDP information technology infrastructure. "Newforma's was the only system we evaluated that wasn't externally hosted," he said. "It effectively drapes across existing network structure and working practices without forcing us to abandon Outlook email or our internal project delivery processes.
"Because Newforma software contains so many complementary functions, it allows us to reassess and reduce subsidiary elements of software, such as FTP sites and content management plug-ins," Kell said. "We can standardize on one project information management platform that we know will work. Training and adoption are progressing at pace. Since the practice-wide implementation began in December 2011, over 500 staff have been trained with only positive comments!"
About BDP
BDP is the foremost interdisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers and urbanists in Europe. The firm works closely with users, clients and the community to create special places for living, working, shopping, culture and learning across Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Founded in 1961, the firm now employs approximately 800 architects, designers, engineers, urbanists, sustainability experts, lighting designers and acoustics specialists in studios across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, India and China. BDP has a leading track record in all major sectors, including health, education, workplace, retail, urbanism, heritage, housing, transport and leisure. BDP combines expertise across disciplines, locations, sectors and all major building types to deliver a truly integrated way of working -- resulting in high quality, effective and inspiring built spaces. See www.bdp.com.
About Newforma
Newforma develops and markets project information management (PIM) software for architecture, engineering and construction firms worldwide, and the owners they serve. Firms in the Newforma Project Network are using Newforma software to manage information on more than 760,000 projects, raising productivity, reducing exposure to risk, strengthening their brands, and freeing time and attention to focus on design, construction, and client service. The Newforma PIM solution (comprising the Newforma Design Suite, Newforma Construction Suite, and Newforma Owner Suite) is the first AEC/O industry-focused, fully integrated solution to connect firms to each other, to manage project information, and to streamline work processes, all for the purpose of more successful project delivery. For more information, visit www.newforma.com, or phone +1 603-625-6212.
(C) 2012 Newforma, Inc. Newforma is a registered trademark of Newforma, Inc., in the United States and in other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.
Contact Information:
Contact
Kelly Murray
+1 978-660-1716