Helping design firms compete without increasing costs
According to Stephen Pangori, executive vice president of Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick, a 120-person engineering firm in Michigan, the struggling economy has led customers to ask more of their design firms, whether or not those customers intend to pay for it. "For instance, to make sure they're getting the most for their money, municipalities are increasingly asking us to evaluate and sometimes bid alternatives such as concrete versus asphalt, or open cut excavation versus directional drilling," said Pangori. "The pressure to improve client service while preserving profit margins has motivated us to streamline our project execution. We've adapted by using technology like Newforma Project Center to make project delivery more efficient than ever."
The building boom in the Middle East and Asia has also increased the demand for engineering and architectural design services and has placed new demands on project delivery expertise, requiring firms to seek technologies to support domestically-based employees working on international projects in increasingly virtual teams. Linda Letourneau, director of technology for LandDesign, a 280-person land planning and design firm based in Charlotte, N.C., believes that U.S. firms represent a large and affordable source of labor for these international projects. "LandDesign is engaged in projects from Honduras to the UAE to China. We rely on Newforma Project Center and Newforma Info Exchange to make project information easily accessible to all team members no matter where they may be located."
"The value of Newforma's PIM software is really evident in times where firms must be especially careful about managing growth and their bottom line," said Ian Howell, chief executive officer of Newforma. "Newforma Project Center helps busy project managers and team members spend less time finding and managing information -- freeing up billable hours and helping teams prevent the avoidable errors that result from information overload. Firm-wide, Newforma's solution helps improve adoption of repeatable best practices so that new or remote team members can interact on projects with minimal ramp-up effort. We are really pleased to be able to help our customers through these challenging economic times."
Recently, Newforma announced a new series of webinars that will examine how PIM software supports the collaborative processes required for more effective integrated project delivery. Drawing from Newforma's experience helping 24,000 users manage the information and communications for over 80,000 projects, the series will highlight areas where PIM software contributes to the DNA of a firm working toward a more integrated practice. For more detail on the webinar series, please visit http://www.newforma.com/News---Resources/Webcasts-2.aspx.
About Newforma
Newforma is a software company serving architecture, engineering, construction and owner/operator (AECO) organizations worldwide. Its mission is to develop and market software solutions which significantly improve the productivity of the building project team by streamlining work processes, reducing exposure from errors and omissions, improving coordination and communication, and enabling greater repeatability of project success. Newforma® Project Center, Newforma's flagship product, creates a more productive environment for project managers and the project team by organizing project information, facilitating information sharing, and enabling more effective project process. Newforma Project Center is currently implemented on over 80,000 projects in industry-leading AECO firms. For more information about Newforma, visit www.newforma.com or phone +1 (603) 625-6212.
© 2008 Newforma Inc. Newforma is a registered trademark of Newforma Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.
Contacts: Kelly Murray Email Contact 978-597-3377 Patrick Gillam Email Contact 603-625-6212 ext. 349