WSB Set to Assist Bentley Users on Digital-Twin Workflows

The partnership of technology company Bentley Systems and engineer WSB announced recently is designed to show contractors how best to take advantage of modern digital-twin workflows, said Andy Kaiyala, vice president of construction technology and controls at WSB. The firms are joining to help contractors deploy Bentley's Synchro platform on major road, rail and other large-scale infrastructure projects.

"Nobody gets there in one step, that's not where the market is today," Kaiyala said at the announcement of the partnership at CONEXPO-CONAGG 2023, March 14-18, in Las Vegas. He adds that Synchro provides a platform for both engineering and construction decisions and aims to get them to a place where they're comfortable using digital twins to inform both.

The Minneapolis-based WSB and Bentley need to be able to walk with contractors along that journey to digital-twin workflows, says Kaiyala. WSB is supplying Synchro users with input on developing project models and moving beyond the design stage to the bidding process and delivery. The goal is to bring the value of digital delivery to the people actually building the project, Kaiyala adds.

Bentley said the partnership allows it to bring design-side technology and know-how to contractor customers that are not yet fully invested in building out project digital twins.

Kaiyala adds that analysis of a representation of a physical asset in a digital space before an excavator bucket touches the ground brings that value to construction. He said the earlier a contractor starts on project life-cycle management, the better equipped it will be to take advantage of the tools and opportunities looking at the entire asset life-cycle presents.

ENR Midwest Editor and Associate Technology Editor Jeff Yoders has been writing about design and construction innovations for 16 years. He is a two-time Jesse H. Neal award winner and multiple ASBPE winner for his tech coverage. Jeff previously launched Building Design + Construction's building information modeling blog and wrote a geographic information systems column at CE News. He also wrote about materials prices, construction procurement and estimation for MetalMiner.com. He lives in Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, where the pace of innovation never leaves him without a story to chase.

Post a comment to this article

The Groundbreaking Women in Construction (GWIC) conference is a leading event focusing on empowering women in the construction industry through discussions on leadership, diversity, and career development.

The annual conference features a wide array of topics, including infrastructure law, sustainability, and strategies to overcome industry challenges.

Coinciding with the release of the new 2024 Top 400 Contractors list, this annual webinar dives into the results of the Top 400 survey. We'll bring together a panel of executives from the largest contracting firms to discuss the industry’s pressing issues, from workforce challenges to data security.