By using the Aconex online collaboration platform, Malaysian developer TH Technologies was able to save time and reduce costs on its Menara Wakaf project in Kuala Lumpur.

TH Technologies Sdn Bhd (THT) has delivered commercial and infrastructure projects worth more than RM1 billion. The company’s Menara Wakaf project is a mixed-use development located in Jalan Perak, within Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle. The single-block, 34-storey tower covers a 1.21 acres area and was built at a construction cost of RM151 million (US$50m).

From the outset, THT faced a number of challenges, not least the development’s location in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s commercial centre, which meant there was an extremely restricted construction area. Added to this, there was a limited council-approved window – between 8am-7pm – for building activity each day. As a result, THT and its project team needed to be as efficient and productive as possible.

THT identified that project communication and timely information access would have a significant impact on project delivery. Mr. Majid Kamari, Project Director at THT, said: “We’ve always faced challenges with document management and so needed a system in place that allowed us to quickly retrieve and refer to items.”

THT selected to use the Aconex online collaboration platform to manage project documents and correspondence. The system allows project participants to access, distribute, track and archive their information in real time, using a secure, central platform. During the 40 month project, 20 companies used the system to collaborate, exchanging 13,000 correspondence items and storing 5,600 documents.

Mr. Kamari said: “We were able to complete the project on time with enhanced profit margins – our standard margin is 7% and on this project it was 9%. Aconex was a key reason for this.

“Particularly in the early stages of the project, there was still a lot of hard copies and email flying around. However, by aligning the system with our own processes, and using document controllers to ensure drawings, letters and correspondence were uploaded and correctly filed, we captured all our project information on the system.”

He added, “On previous projects, if we needed to refer to a document for a legal agreement, it required a lot of searching – it could often take weeks. With Aconex we could retrieve items in seconds. We had to do a lot of reporting to stakeholders, particularly financers, so we needed to be able to locate information quickly. With Aconex, I could instantly retrieve information on our costs and returns, and show how changes have impacted our project schedule.”