Digital Transformation in Construction EEI Corporation IN ASSOCIATION WITH DIGITAL REPORT 2020
EEI Corporation: Digital Transformation in Construction
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EEI CORPORATION
Lauro Matias, CIO of EEI Corporation, discusses the technologies involved in its digital transformation and its response to COVID-19
L
auro Matias is the CIO of the Philippines’ EEI Corporation, a leading construction company in the country. “First and fore-
most, we’re a general contractor company – the biggest one in the Philippines. Unlike engineering, 04
procurement and consulting firms, we do not end up owning or operating any of the property we have been tasked to construct, such as heavy civil infrastructure, electromechanical, petroleum refineries, beer-making and geothermal facilities, large building complexes, etcetera.” AI and machine learning have played a significant part in predicting construction outcomes. “The primary algorithm we’re using considers multiple risk factors such as fluctuating prices, labour availability, weather and environment disruptions or major change orders, and then tells us whether or not we’re still going to make money at the end. Typically these projects last for about three years, so AI is invaluable. We’re exploring the use of machine learning studios available in AWS, Azure or GCP, trying to push it into the cloud. That’s
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“ Digital business strategy is about the extension of a company’s physical reality and strategic capabilities using digital technology” — Lauro Matias, CIO, EEI Corporation
because right now it’s running on laptops, where it might take days to process the information - and on any given day, we have something like 40 projects happening.” Another AI use case comes in pedestrian simulation. “If you want to evacuate people, how long will it take from the farthest point? What happens if the fire’s in the middle? What happens if the fire spreads in, let’s say seven minutes, because of a petroleum spill?. Those things require simulation, and we’re using AI for that.”
Matias is overseeing the imple-
payroll time and attendance. Tableau
mentation of a comprehensive data
connects to our Primavera system,
strategy across the organisation. “We
the premier planning and scheduling
have field data collection, from mobile
software by Oracle.” That data is used
apps and IoT, for instance. Then we
to derive actionable insights. “We bring
have data governance and simula-
information up to Tableau so that we
tion. We use Tableau and Aufinia, a
can see and project into the future
Vietnam-based company which spe-
how many man hours and labour count
cialises in fraud analytics in terms of
we need, and the type of skills, trade
E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :
Lauro Matias
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Title: CIO
Company: EEI Corporation
Industry: Construction
Location: Philippines
Lauro MATIAS is the VP of IT for EEI Corporation, and a member of the IT council and the IT Governance Board of the Yuchengco Group of Companies. Prior to this, he was the CIO at Starbucks Philippines, the Global CIO for Jollibee Foods Corporation, and a senior IT expatriate of eight years - first as Asia Pacific VP IT at Lafarge Boral Gypsum Asia LBGA based in Shanghai, and then later based in Jakarta, with Indonesia’s Sinarmas Group of Companies, as VP and Chief IT Advisor for its palm oil and wireless telecoms divisions, and its mobile commerce business unit.
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3:29
09 and resources which are required. For
project sites are Synology drives that
example, how many plumbers do we
backup to AWS, so our backups are no
need? what type of equipment, how
longer tape drives, they’re backed up
much material is needed, and so on.”
on the cloud. We’re just launching with
“I have been a proponent of the
Office365 this month, and we’re using
cloud since I discovered elastic cloud
a cloud-based anti-spam system as
computing, offered by a company
well as digital signatures.”
not yet known to many as AWS, since
One of the core technologies
at the time, we still referred to the
deployed by the company is building
company as Amazon,” says Matias.
information modeling (BIM). “We’ve
Accordingly, he has made sure many
been a long time user of Autodesk, but
of EEI Corporation’s systems are
here BIM has never had the same sort
cloud-based. “We are using Oracle
of focus as in Singapore, for example,
for our ERP and migrated to its cloud
where the government itself is man-
ERP called Fusion. Our backups on our
dating the use of BIM. Our government www.e e i . com . p h
EEI CORPORATION
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is still asking for real blueprints on
While new technology can some-
paper. As a general contractor, we are
times be a hard sell, such was the
in a strange position where Autodesk
excitement around introducing BIM
is helping us use BIM, not just for mod-
at EEI Corporation that teams across
elling the finished product, but also in
the company wanted to be involved.
developing siteworks more efficiently,
“Everyone wanted to be part of it,
so that we can reuse material for the
designers, architects, field engineers,
future. It’s a whole new ballgame, and
everyone,” enthuses Matias.
Autodesk have realised it’s something they can use worldwide as well.”
Like all companies, EEI has been affected by the ongoing COVID-19
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“ It’s not just about physical health it’s also emotional health” — Lauro Matias, CIO, EEI Corporation
pandemic, especially so, given its role in the construction industry and the necessity of workers being on site. “Because we’re a construction company, we also have to look at resumption of construction, leveraging digital and virtual construction, the judicious use of barriers and so on. The typical measures in an office would be physical distancing and isolation. Our www.e e i . com . p h
EEI CORPORATION
Shaping the Future of Construction through Digital Transformation. CIM Technologies is at the forefront in supporting digital transformation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry by offering technology solutions and services.
job was to make sure that we minimise the susceptibility of the worker to other illnesses that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.” A number of strict personal hygiene measures have therefore come into place. “No open wounds, proper grooming, breathing
“ First and foremost, we’re a general contractor company” — Lauro Matias, CIO, EEI Corporation
exercises. It’s not just about physical health - it’s also emotional health. If you get stressed after picking up a heavy load, we have strict rest breaks to make sure that your temperature goes down.” 13
Technology has played a significant role in its response, such as altering the pre-existing method of clocking in. “Before COVID-19, our best way of measuring time and attendance was the handpunch - a technology which analyses hand and bone patterns to identify who you are. But now that would require surface contact, and would result in contamination happening left and right. What we did was create an in-house mobile app that scans employee’s QR-coded IDs, enabling contactless clock-in and clock-out.” One thing which Matias evangelises passionately about is the www.c o mpa www.e ny we bsit e i . com e. com .ph
EEI CORPORATION
1931
Year founded
$23.6b+ Revenue in US dollars
24,457 14
Number of employees
difference between information technology and digital technology, and the ramifications that it has for businesses. Information technology refers to traditional corporate technologies, focused on durability, streamlining and the integrity of formats, while digital technology is consumer focused and pervasive, with often conflicting standards. Adopting digital methods as a business is in vogue, but Matias sounds caution and has no truck with those who recommend the ‘uberisation’ of any kind of business they encounter.
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“Of the many speakers that talk
parking lots’. I don’t follow along with
about digital transformation, the one
advising everyone to become Uber.
type I am very disappointed with is
For me, digital business strategy is
the one that tells the audience to dis-
about the extension of a company’s
rupt, disrupt, disrupt and be like Uber,
physical reality and capabilities using
Amazon, AirBnB - without providing an
digital technology.”
embraceable framework on how to go
As for the future, Matias is not
about it. And so they lose their audi-
resting on his laurels, having devel-
ence very fast, who for the most part
oped a framework to help chart the
have brick and mortar businesses but
possibilities for where the com-
are being told to ‘crowdsource their
pany could go next for this new www.e e i . com . p h
EEI CORPORATION
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“ I have been a proponent of the cloud since I discovered elastic cloud computing” — Lauro Matias, CIO, EEI Corporation normal. “My boss is the head of business transformation,” says Matias, “which includes IT, Innovation, and Corporate Development. The Business Transformation group has been tasked, not just with the transformation of EEI Corporation’s current construction operations and synergies, but in paving the way for the company to explore all possible ventures and adventures outside the construction industry space. For EEI Corporation, this new normal is an opportunity to reinvent itself.”
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