The construction industry loses up to 10% of its project costs in inefficiencies and rework, mainly due to incorrect versions of plans. For Daniel Martinez, President of HP's Large Format Division, "the problem isn't a lack of digital tools, but in the gap between digital design and physical execution, with teams working on multiple systems that don't always communicate with each other." You must not "choose between paper and digital, but connect them." HP is tackling this problem with the launch of HP Build Workspace, a cloud-based platform that connects printed plans to the digital workflow of construction sites.
When printing from HP Build Workspace, a QR code is affixed to the plan. On site, teams simply scan this code to check in real time whether they are working on the latest approved version. Handwritten annotations on plans can also be scanned and fed back into the platform. When scanned via HP devices, plans are automatically archived as new versions, changes tracked and tasks created from the handwritten annotations.
This offer complements the wide-format strategy launched by HP last October, which brings together HP DesignJet, HP Build Workspace and HP SitePrint, for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals.
"With the introduction of HP Build Workspace version control, drawings are no longer considered static files", says Daniel Martinez.
