Post-tensioning of concrete is becoming increasingly popular in the Building & Civil Engineering market due to its long-term structural health and compliance with goal 9 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) on resilient infrastructure. Problems with design, operations, or influence from the direct environment in a construction work can result in faulty slabs, bringing high costs, litigation and often not without catastrophic consequences (e.g. Morandi bridge collapse, Genoa 2018). Design problems or failure in the anchorage zone, corrosion, creep and shrinkage, splitting etc. can cause faulty structural elements over time. There is a lack of commercial solutions supporting the instrumentation of the PT strand framework during the building phase and for monitoring it until after completion for the maintenance and inspection phase. PT-SMS, by 3S’TECH, provides a simple structurally integrated monitoring solution for real-time monitoring of post-tensioned structures. Its innovative sensor system design allows easy self-installation, accurate stress measurements and >5 years lifetime. Connected wirelessly to a cloud-based big data platform, real-time data and intelligence is available on-site for construction monitoring and post-construction structural health monitoring services. PT-SMS will disrupt a traditional & fragmented market of 353.2M$ and CAGR of 13.4% through a reliable IoT and big data driven structural health monitoring solution. PT-SMS will provide construction companies with a strong competitive advantage by delivering higher control and safety, reducing maintenance costs and risks and delivering extra building health monitoring services which will strengthen their position in competitive European and global markets. Commercialization will be through leading construction companies.
The objectives of the project were to study the technical as well as the commercial feasibility and to work on an updated business plan. Solutions had to be found to several technical bottlenecks encountered in the tests. The development strategy needed to be refined. From a commercial point of view it was important to study the market and get feedback from relevant stakeholders. The final objective was to update the business plan and prepare a roadmap reflecting the company’s ambition.
As such, a better understanding of the client’s needs, competitors, IP strategy, technical issues and of the company itself (organisation, structure, strategy, vision) has been possible through the feasibility study.
