Engineering Firms are Creating the Future with Innovative Solutions

Engineering is all around us, from the roads and bridges we travel on, to the cars and planes we use to ride in. Though often unseen, the cleverness of engineering makes our lives easier and safer in hundreds of different ways.

Engineers play a vital role in developing innovative solutions to global challenges that impact future generations. By working together to develop new technologies, products and opportunities, engineers create new possibilities that make the world a better place.

We are proud to highlight a few of our innovative engineering customers who are using new technologies to help them achieve their goals today and into the future.

CHA Consulting, based in the US, is an award-winning design firm recognized nationally by the American Counsel of Engineering Companies (ACEC). The firm is at the forefront of innovation, tackling projects which create a more sustainable world through infrastructure, buildings, and power projects that help clients achieve their goals by design.

One project includes the Niagara County Landfill in New York. CHA recommended a remediation plan using a ClosureTurf® system that was accepted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and was implemented for $3.1 million—one-quarter of the cost of another consultant’s original remediation strategy. The ClosureTurf® system met the remedial expectations at a lower installation price and provided long-term maintenance savings, meeting all the owner’s objectives. The project earned a Diamond Award in the Environmental Category at the 2021 ACEC New York Engineering Excellence Awards.

When consulting on projects such as the Niagara Landfill, its critical to have visibility into the entire project lifecycle. CHA has used Deltek CRM for more than 20 years and, with the addition of financial data, the fully integrated ERP system now makes it easier to take a project opportunity from the initial planning stage through project delivery in one system. Having project opportunities, client information, project plans, and financials in one place delivers greater clarity across the business.

Lerch Bates is an international architecture, engineering and construction consulting firm with offices worldwide. The firm’s legacy involves working on the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) a 110-story skyscraper in downtown Chicago and the second-tallest building in the United States. The firm also consulted on the building of Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the tallest building in the world. It took six years to build and at the height of the project more than 12,000 construction workers were working on it at any given time.

This innovative firm was facing a few persistent issues including computing profitability at the project level, plus inadequate timekeeping tools and processes were preventing accurate time recording. They realized that a more integrated technology and software solution was needed.

After a thorough evaluation of six ERP solutions, Lerch Bates decided a Deltek ERP software solution would best meet the firm’s needs. The Deltek solution provides tight integration between project accounting and general ledger functions with transparency and reporting capabilities at all levels of Work Breakdown Structure.

With help from Deltek, the firm is now on a digital transformation journey and sees a bright future ahead.

Willy Naessens Netherlands is the Dutch branch of the Willy Naessens Group, one of the largest construction companies in Benelux. Currently the branch has 100 people working on approximately 20 projects.

The company specializes in industrial construction, distribution centers and hotels. One of their projects includes the multi-store distribution center for WDP De Jong, in Lier near Rotterdam, which is considered a masterpiece of construction.

In recent years, safety has become a priority for the management of construction companies, including Willy Naessens Netherlands, which is VCA certified, a Dutch safety certificate for contractors.

According to Yme Jager, the company’s quality, health, safety and environment (QHSE) coordinator, “Management wants to stay informed about safety at our sites, including compliance with guidelines, violations, and incidents. Before, compliance with guidelines was less monitored. Now, monitoring is much stricter. Thus, VCA certification is often also a condition for winning new projects.”

To aid with stricter site monitoring, Willy Naessens uses Deltek ArchiSnapper for site visits, work acceptances, and inspections.

Yme says “For site visits, ArchiSnapper works like a reminder, by going through the checklist, we confirm everything has been done correctly and if adjustments are necessary. For VCA certification, site visits must be carried out once a month by the operations manager, project managers and management team.”

He adds “An application like ArchiSnapper is a real improvement on the traditional pen and paper duo and using printed plans. During a site visit, you can simply note an observation, locate it on a plan and then add a photo with a sketch. Everything is immediately noted digitally, and the report is created automatically after the meeting.”

Whether you are designing the world’s tallest building or a community center, Deltek’s industry-focused expertise helps firms of all sizes maximize productivity and revenue.