With the population increase in Asia, the need for smart city is rising, as a result, investment in the public transportation system and renewable energy are increasing. Naturally, the need for BIM implementation for sustainable infrastructure is growing. In the case of the Republic of Korea (ROK), all public building projects must incorporate BIM since 2016. From 2020, it is mandatory to submit BIM models for road construction projects (with more than $45M). Today, countries like Singapore, Japan, and Australia are witnessing similar trends. Especially, the COVID-19 pandemic has opened 'un-tact or non-contact' trend that signifies remote work based on CDE (Common Data Environment), which further sheds light on the importance of BIM implementation on the field. As a total solution provider for smart construction, TAESUNG SNI is the largest infrastructure BIM engineering service company in the ROK and Singapore with a focus on global projects. “TAESUNG SNI is not a simple BIM service provider. What we provide is advanced solutions to promote smart construction,” says Sunghoon Kim, CEO of TAESUNG SNI.

There are already various solutions that support 4D, 5D, or Construction Equipment animation, but it is hard to see the simulation that satisfies customers' true needs. To that end, TAESUNG SNI has developed virtual construction system based on the need from the customers' (site engineers) idea and have continued to upgrade and applied to many projects. In addition, the company’s experienced engineers from both design and construction background work on an assigned project from the early stages of the project, constantly have discussions with the client to search for potential problems and solutions.

“Our service includes documents preparation using BIM at the tender stage, supporting the creation of quantity survey, method statement based on BIM and establishment of BIM execution plan,” says Kim. TAESUNG SNI has carried out more than 250 projects worldwide and, based on this and has introduced various smart construction technologies such as competitive BIM utilization and Virtual Construction System.

TAESUNG SNI’s clients often propose and demonstrate an efficient and safe construction method to their customers for the bidding stage or construction plan approval. Here, the company’s BIM-based virtual construction system can be used very effectively. Kim highlights the case of Singapore's T301 project, which is the world's biggest rail depot project, it was important for the precast member to highlight their installation methods’ efficiency and safety in comparison to other competitors. By explaining the differences and problems with the comparative method through the virtual construction system, TAESUNG SNI’s client was able to get good scores and win the project. The company also supported site engineers to make optimal decision-making through the effective equipment combination planning for earthwork, including excavation during construction and sequence simulation according to construction material changes.

The company’s key to success lies in its highly efficient team. TAESUNG SNI puts a lot of efforts to train professional technicians and find excellent human resources. “We hold the qualifications of the officially accredited training institute of Major BIM Software (Autodesk, Bentley) so that our employees have various technical abilities and can train these talents. These BIM specialists undertake and operate a project-specific BIM team for project authorities, construction and design companies,” says Kim. Additionally, the company’s competitiveness and strategy lies in the development of convergence technology. The company is working on a Digital Twin Platform to combine various IoT and AI solutions. Although the company started in ROK, it seeks diversity from the early stage, and such effort fostered multicultural organization. Besides, its staff emphasizes on having an environment with ‘Challenge, Change and Passion’ along with the technical part.

In TAESUNG SNI’s carefully plotted roadmap, the company aims to become the best BIM-based smart construction consulting company working in APAC's major hub cities. Similarly, the company will move on to the Middle East and Japan, followed by Europe and America. “Our unique Virtual Construction System will continue to be upgraded, and a BIM-based Digital Twin System is being developed for operation and maintenance steps after completion of construction. This will cover the entire life cycle of infrastructure project using BIM system,” says Kim.