Software to Enhance Construction Teams' Productivity, Provide Optimum Construction Paths, Shorten Schedules, Reduce Risks, and Improve Safety

HOUSTON, March 2 — (PRNewswire) — DIGITAL PLANT Conference 2010 -- Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for the infrastructure that sustains our world, today announced that Zachry Holdings, Inc., a San Antonio, Texas-based engineering, construction, and industrial maintenance company, has standardized on Bentley's ConstructSim. The software will be made available to all of Zachry's project teams at job sites nationwide to enhance their productivity, provide optimum construction paths, shorten schedules, reduce risks, and improve safety. The innovative software produces a construction information model that links data from design deliverables, schematics, project management tools, materials, and resource management systems in a virtual and visual environment.

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Ed Bardgett, president of Zachry Nuclear, Inc., said, "Investing in technology that positively impacts return on investment has always been critically important to the success of our organization. It enables us to leverage the experience and expertise of our very capable and hard-working project teams and extend our presence in infrastructure projects of substantial scale and scope."

Bardgett continued, "Our decision to standardize on ConstructSim was based on the success we've had using the software for many years on several important projects. Its ability to enhance the productivity of our construction teams provides us with optimum construction paths that shorten schedules, reduce risks, improve safety, and, ultimately, help us consistently achieve unmatched deliverables. These benefits are instrumental in driving new business to our organization."

ConstructSim enables owner-operators and construction managers working on large, complex projects to avoid costly mistakes and change orders by creating and tracking work packages that closely match the actual construction workflow. It also reduces the risk of delays and cost overruns by providing complete visibility into issues impacting the construction schedule that typically are unforeseen. As a result, construction work activities can be scheduled and managed based on actual material, labor, and equipment availability rather than planned availability. This unique "work-facing" orientation of ConstructSim provides an ideal tool for the construction project superintendent or field crew supervisor to organize, manage, schedule, and record the progress of actual installation processes and tasks.

Clay Briscoe, director of project controls at Zachry, added, "True project success is highly dependent on our ability to break down generalized high-level plans into smaller activities that can be measured and monitored. ConstructSim integrates the larger EPC team by providing them with a communication tool that automates the process of pulling together all of the required project specifics so detailed work can be effectively and efficiently planned, executed, and tracked. As design and engineering information becomes available, it can be easily visualized across all disciplines, including our procurement teams, which can view all of the specifications, scheduling, arrival dates, and other critical information."

Briscoe continued, "As changes are made in the engineering, design, and procurement phase, the construction group can easily make the necessary adjustments, demonstrate the requirements of their plan, and move toward a more successful outcome for our projects."

Zachry formerly loaded tracking systems largely through manual take-off and, as a result, could not easily correlate planned work activities with key constraints such as material availability. This approach proved to be both time-consuming and error-prone, and often resulted in inconsistent data across disciplines.

"With ConstructSim," Briscoe said, "we have tighter control over our projects, we benefit from improved on-site execution, and our teams are better able to make project adjustments as new information becomes available. On average, we're able to save a large percentage on our construction schedules, which translates into substantial dollar savings for the customer."

For additional information about Bentley's ConstructSim V8i construction simulation software, visit www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/ConstructSim.

About Zachry

Zachry is involved in the planning, building, and renewing of the world's most critical infrastructures including emerging energy, power, cement, refining, and nuclear facilities. As the largest direct-hire, merit-shop constructor in the United States, Zachry is a collaborative, practical, and visionary force, providing engineering, construction, and maintenance services to top industrial customers. Zachry remains a family-owned, privately held company whose values – Safety, Commitment, Trust, Integrity, Service, Economy, and Skill – lead every decision, every time. Founded in 1924, Zachry's long list of experience has led to more than 6,000 completed construction projects in the United States and abroad. For additional information about Zachry, visit www.zhi.com.

About ConstructSim

ConstructSim optimizes projects through the planning, sequencing, execution, and monitoring of construction activities from within a data-rich virtual plant information model. With an intuitive user interface, ConstructSim operates as a visual collaborative environment for project teams, providing a comprehensive set of information modeling tools to support the construction process. Through its powerful features and functionality, ConstructSim increases productivity, drives down costs, and reduces project cycle-time, all while providing improved risk mitigation and team safety. For additional information about ConstructSim, visit www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/ConstructSim.

About Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 2,700 colleagues and offices in more than 45 countries, achieved in 2008 the milestone of $500 million in revenues, and, since 1995, has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.

For additional information about Bentley, visit www.bentley.com. To subscribe to an RSS feed of Bentley press releases and news alerts, visit www.bentley.com/rss/news. To view a searchable collection of innovative infrastructure projects from the annual Be Inspired Awards, visit www.bentley.com/yearininfrastructure. For information about Be Communities, a professional networking site that enables members of the infrastructure community to connect, communicate, and learn from each other, visit http://communities.bentley.com.

Bentley, the "B" Bentley logo, Be, and ConstructSim are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Bentley Systems, Incorporated