Why is the same reinforcement still remodelled several times in precast concrete construction? According to Ewoud Vlieg, this is one of the biggest inefficiencies in current construction practice. Architect, modeller, structural engineer and precast factory all work with the same information, yet are forced to redefine data for their own system or way of working. That costs time, increases the risk of errors and hinders the step towards fully data-driven production.
Ewoud Vlieg starts by saying that Rodly Engineering and Rodly Manufacturing do not want to break the inefficient way of working by adding yet another software package to the chain, but by organising the flow of information in a fundamentally different way. “A machine has no use for a PDF,” he says. “It wants data. Yet in construction we still work as if a drawing is the end product.”
Vlieg’s ingenuity has not gone unnoticed. Last year the software earned him the Prefab Efficiency Award 2025. According to the jury, Rodly shows how digitalisation actually leads to more efficient precast production. For Vlieg, that recognition is above all a confirmation that the sector is ready for the next step.
Four times the same work
The foundation for Rodly was laid during his work for a manufacturer in Heerenveen, where he developed algorithms for automatically generating floor reinforcement. While working on that software, he noticed how much information in the precast chain is built up again and again.
“The architect creates a design, the modeller develops it, the structural engineer rebuilds the model to make his calculations, and then the factory creates yet another model to make the element producible. You are actually doing the same work four times.”
According to Vlieg, a fundamental inefficiency still lies there. Every translation step costs time and introduces new chances of errors. That is exactly why he decided not to improve the individual software packages, but the connection between them.
Digital bridge
Rodly Engineering forms that connection. The software sits between the BIM model and the structural calculations. Where modellers now usually deliver drawings or PDFs, Rodly generates a digital data file that the structural engineer can read in directly. “The structural engineer no longer has to redraw anything. He has all the geometry immediately and can start calculating right away.”
After the calculation, Rodly automatically redefines the structural design basis into production-ready reinforcement. Among other things, the system interprets bending moment diagrams, shear forces and reaction forces and translates them into a complete reinforcement configuration that meets the structural engineer’s requirements. According to Vlieg, this removes a large part of the repetitive engineering work that is currently still needed to convert calculations into executable reinforcement.
From engineering to production
That standardised engineering then forms the basis for Rodly Manufacturing. According to Vlieg, that order is essential. “Many people ask about Manufacturing straight away, but that is only possible if the engineering has been standardised first. Only then can you pass data on to the factory without another translation step.”
In current practice, precast companies usually receive production drawings that are then translated again into machine files. According to Vlieg, that is an unnecessary step. “The factory actually already receives all the information. It is just locked in a drawing, and a machine cannot read a drawing.”
Rodly Manufacturing replaces those drawings with a so-called Engineering Bill of Materials: a digital file in which all information about geometry, reinforcement and components is recorded, but which is not yet linked to a specific factory or machine. As soon as that file arrives, the software automatically checks whether the element can be produced. Are the chosen bar diameters available? Are reinforcement bars not too close together? Does the element fit within the capabilities of the machine park? Any deviations are immediately fed back to the engineer. “If you define the production constraints up front, an engineer can in principle no longer deliver an element design that cannot be produced.”
Lower failure costs, more flexibility
According to Vlieg, the biggest gain lies not only in time savings, but above all in the quality of the information. Because checks take place much earlier, errors disappear from the process before they reach the factory. Every error message is also used to improve the software. “It would be a waste not to use that information. Every deviation provides new knowledge with which you make the system smarter.”
A second advantage is greater flexibility in production. Because the digital model is not yet tied to one specific machine, an element can be assigned to a different factory or production line until shortly before production. “If a machine breaks down somewhere or capacity is lacking, you don’t want to start engineering again. You want to be able to decide at the last moment where you produce.” According to Vlieg, this creates a much more robust production organisation in which planning and capacity can be aligned more easily.
The engineer’s role changes
According to Vlieg, the introduction of data-driven production does not mean engineers disappear. Their work does change significantly. “You will always need engineers. They will just spend less time rebuilding information and more time assessing the quality of the generated data.”
Now that the sector is struggling with a growing shortage of technical staff, he sees an important advantage in this. Automating routine work creates room for tasks where expertise and experience really make the difference.
Rodly deliberately does not opt for custom software per factory. The platform is set up generically and works with predefined constraints such as machines, available bar diameters, moulds and production capacity. As a result, the same software can be used in a wide variety of precast environments.
Digitalising step by step
During development, Vlieg learned another important lesson. According to him, many digitalisation projects try to solve the most complex situations right away. “We made that mistake ourselves too. You think: if we can automate the hardest part, we can do everything afterwards.”
In practice, the opposite turns out to be more effective: first fully automate the most common elements and then expand step by step to more complex applications. “Start simple, but be aware of the big picture. You shouldn’t think that ‘starting simple’ is naive. Quite the opposite. You build a stable foundation on which you can keep developing. In the end you arrive at the same destination and you get measurable benefits sooner.”
Towards the data-driven factory
Although Rodly is currently mainly used for precast concrete, Vlieg sees the development as part of a much broader movement. According to him, construction will shift from document-driven to data-driven production in the coming years. “In five years it will no longer be only about passing data on automatically. Then we will be talking about fully data-driven factories.”
According to him, this requires not only new software, but also a different way of working together. Design, engineering, planning and production will increasingly be steered from one digital information flow. “The technology isn’t even the biggest challenge. It is complex, but we have it under control. The real challenge is how organisations take their processes and people along in this new way of working.”
According to Vlieg, that is exactly where the next step for the precast sector lies. Not adding yet another digital tool, but reorganising the entire information chain. Only then does the drawing disappear as the link between design and production, and does data itself become the starting point for the factory.