The Urgency Behind Digital Transformation

At Autodesk DevCon 2025, David Noblet, Vice President Software Engineering for ARKANCE spoke to these global dynamics and the technological response required from the construction industry:

“Economic and geopolitical landscapes are driving digital transformation. Customers need to make smart decisions based on real-time data - predictable costs, on-time delivery - and that’s where we’re helping them face these challenges.”

But Noblet’s vision stands out because it rejects superficial tech adoption. His message was clear:

“Digital transformation is not tech for tech’s sake.”

The Problem with the Status Quo: Data Without Direction

Major infrastructure projects typically take decades to complete. From data collection to commissioning, they generate massive data sets - yet much of this information is lost, fragmented, or siloed by the time handover occurs.

“The amount of data gathered in large infrastructure projects can take up to 23 years to collect… and then it has to last the lifetime of the asset,” said fellow guest speaker Yanissa De Yonghe, Head of Technology and Digital Innovation, Lantis.

This data should be the foundation for long-term asset health, but instead it’s often locked away in incompatible systems, Excel sheets, or outdated file structures. Disconnected teams and systems create friction, cost overruns, and prevent predictive insight.

What If Data Could Flow Across the Entire Value Chain?

At ARKANCE, this question inspired the creation of the Be.Smart Construction Hub, a concept platform extending Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and Bluebeam capabilities. It represents a bold vision of connected construction - where insights aren’t just gathered but continuously leveraged across every phase of the project lifecycle.

Through its vision for connected construction ARKANCE aims to help its customers;

• Budget, schedule, and manage resources across sites

• Leverage location-based data from tools like Be.Smart Pointscene (reality capture)

• Track productivity, sustainability, and resource allocation in near real time

• Increase interoperability with tools like its ACC–Bluebeam connector (currently available via EAP program)

This unified view dramatically enhances predictability, risk detection, and collaborative coordination, empowering teams to make smarter decisions at every step.

“It’s really about resiliency, connected operations, and efficiency,” said Noblet.

From left to right: Michael Fleishman, Cofounder and CTO for OpenSpace; David Noblet, VP for Software engineering at ARKANCE; Yanissa De Jonghe, Head of Technology and Digital innovation at Lantis and Tulika Garg, Strategy and Product management Director for Autodesk Platform Services

Real Impact: The N141 Bypass by NGE

This isn’t theory. One of the most compelling validations of the Be.Smart platform came from the N141 Bypass Project led by NGE in France.

By leveraging Be.Smart Site Management, NGE achieved:

• Real-time tracking of heavy equipment

• Optimization of machinery usage to reduce idle time

• Lower fuel consumption, supporting traffic emission targets

• Streamlined collaboration across engineering and site teams

This implementation directly addressed the customer’s environmental and operational KPIs - proving that data-driven construction is no longer optional; it’s a competitive necessity.

Read the full case study here.

Extending Impact Across Industries: A Revit Automation Success Story

While infrastructure remains a core focus, the transformative power of connected construction tools and Autodesk Platform Services (APS) reaches far beyond roads and bridges.

Consider a leading European manufacturer of industrial and garage doors. Like many in the sector, their engineering team once spent significant time manually creating 3D Revit models for customers - a labor-intensive process that strained resources.

With support from ARKANCE, the manufacturer harnessed APS to fully automate Revit content generation. Now, customers can configure their ideal door through a web interface and instantly download a precise, BIM-ready model - no manual intervention required from the manufacturer’s engineers.

“With ARKANCE, this manufacturer turned a time-heavy process into a seamless self-service experience,” said Noblet. “This is how connected workflows convert data into real-world impact.”

But this story isn’t just about time savings. It represents a shift in how manufacturers plug into the construction value chain - empowering end users while enabling technical experts to focus on high-value work.

“We’re not here to compete with other tools,” Noblet added. “We’re here to align with them - to help our customers thrive in a connected ecosystem. Collaboration, not isolation, will define the winners in this space.

APS: The Foundation for Scalability and AI Adoption

What makes all this possible is Autodesk Platform Services (APS). APS enables partners like ARKANCE to build modular, and scalable solutions that extend far beyond Autodesk's native toolset. It serves as the backbone of connected construction, opening the door to AI, automation, and long-term data governance.

“That’s what made this panel discussion so powerful - it spotlighted leaders who are actively shaping the digital transformation journey, not just reacting to it. The consistent thread? A laser focus on customer value. As David Noblet emphasized, transformation should never be ‘tech for tech’s sake.’

“It’s about creating solutions that prioritize real customer outcomes - tools and platforms that drive measurable impact, speed, and quality in a constantly evolving tech landscape. That’s the mission of Autodesk Platform Services - to equip changemakers with an extensible foundation for building value-driven innovation.” Said Garg.

As highlighted in the AU 2024 ARKANCE publication, APS is not just a technical framework - it’s a transformation enabler that allows tools and teams to work together without friction.

APS enables:

• Breaking down barriers between platforms

• Building reusable workflows across tools

• Unlocking AI-driven insight for design, build, and operate phases

David Noblet sees APS as an accelerant:

“APS provides a scalable foundation that evolves with customer needs. It enables connected construction and prepares us for the shift toward continuous improvement.”

Connected Construction: A New Standard of Work

So, what does connected construction look like?

Picture a world where:

• BIM models sync with ERP systems

• jobsite progress is seen in real time

• project schedules automatically

• Equipment data triggers predictive maintenance workflows

• Subcontractors, engineers, and PMs work from a shared platform

This isn’t a future fantasy. It’s being implemented now through early adopter initiatives that align tools like ACC, Be.Smart, and APS into a seamless data-driven ecosystem.

“We’re reshaping the future by building connections - not just between tools, but across the entire value chain,” Noblet emphasized

From Transformation to Continuous Improvement

In the next three to five years, the industry will experience a shift - from early digital transformation efforts to ongoing cycles of refinement and optimization.

This will move the industry beyond reactive problem-solving and toward proactive, resilient construction models that prioritize uptime, data longevity, and sustainability.

Join the Movement: Be Part of the Early Access Program

ARKANCE is now opening its doors to forward-thinking construction firms and manufacturers ready to lead the transformation.

Whether you’re focused on infrastructure, civil engineering, or industrial manufacturing, you can get early access to Be.Smart Resource Management and Construction Hub via the official early adopter program:

Join the Early Access Program

This is your opportunity to:

• Explore connected construction use cases

• Co-develop the future of construction data

• Influence the next wave of ARKANCE solutions

Conclusion: A Future Built on Smart Data

Digital transformation is only meaningful when it delivers real outcomes. With APS, Be.Smart, and the commitment of leaders like David Noblet, ARKANCE is demonstrating what that looks like - not as a tech vendor, but as a trusted partner.

In this connected future, data is not just collected - it’s preserved, connected, and activated. The result? A new standard for how construction projects - and even product manufacturing - are delivered, managed, and sustained.