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Aconex selected for world's largest construction project, the US$11.2 billion East-West Highway in Algeria.
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| 25 Oct 2006 |
Aconex has been selected to provide its online information management service to the main section of the world's largest current construction project; the US$11.2 billion East-West Highway development in Algeria.
Aconex was chosen by the project development team COJAAL - a joint venture comprising five of Japan's largest companies, including: Kajima and Taisei, Japan's two largest contractors; major general contractors Hazama and Nishimatsu; and trading house Itochu. More than 50 representatives from all five parties unanimously selected Aconex ahead of providers from the rest of the world.
Mr. Minoru Ishida, Project Director at Kajima Corporation, said "Aconex will enable the five joint venture parties to manage and share information in real time, helping us to deliver this significant project to the Government of Algeria on time and within budget."
Aconex Managing Director, Leigh Jasper, said: "This contract will create many opportunities for Aconex to build upon its position in Japan, which has the world's second largest construction market and a fast-growing demand for web-based collaboration solutions. Having faced significant international competition for this deal, the outcome positions Aconex as the global industry standard."
COJAAL will be responsible for delivering the US$5bn Eastern section of the Highway which will be a 399km, six-lane motorway that includes 190 bridges and viaducts and five tunnels. Due to commence in September 2006 and expected to be operational by 2010, the entire East-West Highway development will extend 1,216km and ensure the link between Annaba in the north-east and Tlemcen in the north-west – passing directly through 24 provinces and linking Algeria to Tunisia and Morocco. The highway is a landmark infrastructure development for Algeria that will meet transport needs, improve road safety and help create a profitable new socio-economic region capable of attracting investments.
Construction of the Eastern section of the Highway will involve the flow of a large volume of information between around 2,000 project members, including the client, subcontractors, project managers, engineers, consultants, suppliers, and COJAAL's member-companies' Head Offices, situated across Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America.
Aconex will facilitate communication and collaboration between these project teams during the design and construction phases by storing all project information – such as drawings, documentation, correspondence and workflows – online in one central site. This will allow companies working on the Highway development to view, track and share their data any time, and from any location. Each participant can select to use the system in English, Japanese or French, according to their language preference.
Mr. Minoru Ishida, Project Director at Kajima Corporation, said: "Using traditional methods of communication, such as paper documents and couriers would have been inefficient and expensive on a project of this scale – particularly when collaborating with international teams. Through managing information electronically using Aconex, the cost of controlling and distributing documentation will be reduced, and productivity will be increased by team members having instant access to information.
"Aconex will maintain a complete, third-party archive of all documentation throughout the project lifecycle, which makes it the ideal solution for this large-scale joint venture development where equal access to information is required. Furthermore, because the system creates an audit trail which tracks all documents and correspondence, Aconex will reduce our exposure to risks such as information loss, disputes over variations, and defects caused by outdated documents."
Mr. Ishida added: "A primary reason for Aconex being selected for the Algeria Highway development is the Company's ability to provide expert advice in best practice information management and on-the-ground training and support to all project participants, regardless of where they are in the world."
Aconex currently has 23 offices including Japan, the United States and South Africa, and across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The company services more than 30,000 companies across 40 countries.
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