Laing O'Rourke - Centre of Excellence for Modern Construction

Author: Simon Hall

Laing O’Rourke is an international engineering and construction company delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure and buildings projects for clients in the UK, Middle East and Australia.

Through their fully integrated Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) business model, Laing O’Rourke deliver single-source solutions for some of the world’s most prestigious organisations. Laing O’Rourke’s DfMA solutions are transforming traditional construction methodologies into a modern process of component-based assembly.

Laing O'Rourke's Centre of Excellence for Modern Construction (CEMC) is the most advanced concrete products manufacturing facility in Europe. Every week, this facility produces 9,000 square metres of lattice floor and twin wall, enough to completely cover a football pitch, and 1,350 square metres of architectural cladding, enough to cover 2,000 apartments. It has produced precision components for more than 350 UK buildings and infrastructure projects to date.

Laing O’Rourke implement laser scanning digital verification process to strengthen their right first time strategy, ensuring accuracy and efficiency when producing their project briefs and manufacturing their complex prefabricated concrete panels.

Laing O'Rourke's Centre of Excellence for Modern Construction in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom

Challenges

To deliver complex projects with certainty, Laing O'Rourke required reliable digital verification methods for actual build versus BIM, otherwise known as the digitally engineered build.

“The company had been looking for a reliable, accurate end to end solution. Our Research and Development teams evaluated various hardware and software packages available on the market. Only Leica Geosystems provided solution that could meet our tolerances, specification, design workflow and speed of inspection.”
Patryk Ziejewski - Project Surveyor, Laing O'Rourke CEMC

Implementation

Leica Geosystems’ digital verification solution was first implemented by CEMC Laing O’Rourke in June 2015 and is now widely adopted across the entire company. The Leica MS60 Fully Robotic Multistation instrument combined with 3dreshaper software was initially chosen for 3D inspection. Based on great package experience and customer service Laing O’Rourke decided to upgrade in 2021 to newest MS60 Power and Cyclone 3DR.  The latest version of MS60 enabled Laing O’Rourke to perform all the required surveying, laser scanning and setting out tasks with one instrument. The MS60’s onboard software, including DTM, selective scanning, stake out, measure auto points, prism tracking, surface analyses combined with Leica CS35 Captivate controller improved the productivity of the project. CEMC can also take advantage from latest MultiStation upgrades through Dynamic Lock utilisation as well as the revolutionary Autoheight Feature and Band Scan, which allows the user to collect more data in less time without compromising on accuracy.

The captured point cloud from the MS60 is then input directly into the Leica Cyclone suite of powerful software solutions, including Cyclone 3DR, a seamless extension of the Cyclone product family, which worked hand in hand to take Laing O’Rourke users from field data collection through registration and deliverable creation.  By automating common tasks, Laing O’Rourke was able to reduce unexpected project delays and quickly deliver actionable 3D information accompanied with end quality report.

In addition to the Cyclone suite of software solutions, Laing O’Rourke also utilised Leica Infinity, the user-friendly geospatial office software, designed to manage, process, combine, analyse, quality check and share all field survey data.

“CEMC is utilising laser scanning capabilities of MS60 and Cyclone 3DR processing power to achieve the best 3D representation of scanned prefabrication components for quality assurance. It gives the ultimate confidence in our final products. It also achieves a positive impact on our supply chain management, allowing us to discuss issues more precisely at an earlier stage.”
Patryk Ziejewski - Project Surveyor, Laing O’Rourke CEMC

Terminal 2 extension, part of the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, United Kingdom

Project experience

Terminal 2 extension, part of the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, United Kingdom

One of the most challenging projects for a digital verification system at CEMC was the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme where laser scanning had been utilised in each step of the manufacturing and assembly processes of the spiral ramps. The whole scheme contained over 300 bespoke elements with various design in twists, curvatures, and transitions. Laing O'Rourke's in-house design and project coordination capability allowed the company to deliver a reliable, clash free digital model as a solid reference for manufacturing and digital inspection. Laser scanning together with real time setting out made a significant positive impact on the final quality and delivery programme and Laing O'Rourke produced complex elements, on average, 50% faster than originally planned

A view to the future

By using the MS60, the Cyclone and Infinity software products, Laing O’Rourke has gained a solution that transfers actual inspection from paper drawing to digital modelling, or BIM seamlessly and effortlessly. It has allowed them to use the power of their experience to deliver complex projects to their clients with certainty.

“CEMC is investing in a digital future through a variety of projects. Utilising 3D scans and heat maps is a high priority project as we move into FY23. The drive for this development is due to the positive input on the RFT that the digital verification tool has given to date with greater opportunities available.”
Luke Harrison – Area Quality Manager, Laing O'Rourke CEMC