ABSTRACT:A large research program of digital product process has been active (2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012) in Finland. The goal of the program has been to increase customer orientation and productivity in company networks that design and deliver products, systems and services to global markets. For small and medium sized companies the developing of multitechnical products usually has to be done in a network of companies. This requires a lot of data transfer and integration between various computer systems. To improve these processes the research project "Developing the digital product process of multitechnical products to improve the designing and manufacturing of small series product" (Monidigi) has been started.The aim of the Monidigi research was to improve the design process by using solely digital product information that is handled by proper product lifecycle management systems. The product development is guided by the philosophy of the digital prototype that is tested in a virtual working environment. Products are modeled in 3D and developed by various simulations and analyses before real prototypes are made. This allows a flexible design process and coordinated change management. Digital product processes allow easy data transfer, collaborated engineering and modern manufacturing in a network of companies. Several examples and development possibilities and the state of the art in construction industry are introduced and evaluated.

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Purpose POHVAII is a large research project carried out in Finland between 2007 and 2011 to develop and test a new automated process for concrete driven piling. We also describe recent developments in the Finnish industry and evaluate the technology worldwide. Method Design, modeling, and an XML-based information transferring tool for structure designer (Tekla Structures) were newly developed, as well as a new 3-D guided piling machine using two GNSS antennas for positioning tasks and a graphical user-interface for the operator. Furthermore we developed a wireless monitoring system of environmental effects such as piling-related shakings and vibrations that could affect other nearby structures, and a system to measure real-time geotechnical bearing capacity of piles during hitting work. In the automated working process the main aim was to design, measure, save, transfer, and utilize all the different useful data using 3D-information models throughout the whole working process of the driven piling. Results & Discussion Several practical tests and experiments were carried out during the POHVAII-project. We will give a short introduction to the most important results of our 3D-guidance testing: the monitoring system for generated vibrations and the geotechnical bearing capacity measurements. We analyze the new automated piling process and compare it with the traditional process used in most developed countries. Great economical saving and environmental benefit potentials are reported and evaluated.

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Purpose In this research, novel information integration technology and advances in wireless communication, positioning and machine control systems were combined into a general control method for an improved multi-contractor infrastructure building process. More intense competition and new environmental regulations in the field of infrastructure building are forcing companies to revise and intensify their processes. There is a clear need for tools enabling more efficient process management. In this research, the objective was to find out how to improve process management through more efficient information exploitation. Method We conducted a literature review and interviews with professionals in the field to find out requirements for improvements in process management. Results & Discussion Based on the requirements revealed by the literature and interviews, the developed control method exploits common ontology models to integrate design and construction time process data with the help of advanced communication, positioning, and machine control applications. In addition to construction time process control, the utilization of the developed control method also potentially intensifies operations before and after the project. The developed method for example makes offer requesting, project control and maintenance potentially more efficient and therefore makes processes safer, more cost-efficient, ecoefficient, and greatly helps the product data management. The development of the method is the first step and the results will be verified in a next research phase by practical implementation.