Having already been used in the Dallas Fort Worth Connector in the US, the software, designed to increase the efficiency of construction materials testing, will now streamline major infrastructure projects in the Middle East.
For over two years Fugro, which is heavily invested in advanced geotechnical engineering, has been working on a cutting-edge project with Spectra QEST to implement a global software platform for advanced geotechnical testing, often used in the oil and gas exploration industries.
Following the success of that project, Fugro's Saudi Arabian subsidiary, Fugro-Suhaimi, has decided to also implement QEST technologies for its construction materials testing business whose key customer is Saudi Aramco, one of the world's largest oil producers.
The project will start later this year and be completed by the second quarter of 2017.
Spectra QEST executive director global sales Stephan Mavrakis told Energy News the innovation also had important ramifications for the oil and gas industry.
"Spectra QEST is very excited to see Fugro, despite the global financially challenging times in the oil and gas industry, continuing to invest with us on software that is transformative and will greatly assist Fugro to remain the world's leader in advanced geotechnical engineering," Mavrakis said.
Mavrakis said the software reduced the testing time by eliminating paper-based processes.
"Normally things get delayed with about 30-40 people testing in the field and people don't get their information fast enough," he said.
"Our process is streamlined and everything is live and in real-time. The engineers get the results while people are still testing and it is immediately available in the laboratory.
"Processes that could take someone several days to do without a system, you can do in five minutes."
Fugro has previously used QESTLab, a laboratory information management system (LIMS), in a number of geotechnical engineering developments and will use it for the construction of infrastructure projects in their extensive operations in Saudi Arabia.
When construction materials are tested on site, technicians can access QESTLab on mobile devices to manage material and soil quality.
The program includes pre-defined forms and dropdown menus where relevant information can be entered including material density and moisture levels.
Information gathered is immediately relayed to laboratory engineers.
A study by the International Journal of Project Management found that about 75% of construction projects had an average time overrun of almost 20%.
Mavrakis said that while the allure of moving to the US was tempting with the major US pipeline project success, South Australia's capital was still the ideal location for Spectra QEST's headquarters.
