Bentley > Case Studies > Optimizing Workflows and Profits with OpenTower®: A Case Study on Tower Engineering Professionals, Inc.

Optimizing Workflows and Profits with OpenTower®: A Case Study on Tower Engineering Professionals, Inc.

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - 5G

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Structural Health Monitoring
Time Sensitive Networking

Services

Testing & Certification

About The Customer

Tower Engineering Professionals, Inc. (TEP) is a leading firm in the telecommunications industry. With the advancement of 4G and the build-out of the 5G network, TEP has been at the forefront of the industry, dealing with the shift to cost sharing and optimizing contracts between major carriers and tower owners. TEP is constantly having to model and analyze various types of leg modifications due to the nature of the industry and the expected explosion of 5G growth. They are also dealing with an increase in load cases and loading scenarios being requested during an analysis cycle. TEP is committed to providing the most accurate and efficient services to their clients, and as such, they are always looking for ways to streamline their workflows and improve their processes.

The Challenge

The rollout of 5G has led to a shift in the telecommunications industry towards cost sharing, optimizing contracts between major carriers and tower owners. This has resulted in an increase in requests for load cases and loading scenarios during an analysis cycle, requiring the evaluation of four to five loading combinations to provide cost feedback to clients and carriers. The industry is also seeing an increase in multiple carriers co-locating on the same structure, leading to a surge in loading changes. Additionally, many owners and carriers are proactively analyzing towers to the most current code revision, regardless of the jurisdictionally adopted version of the IBC standards. This can be time-consuming and cumbersome, especially when there are multiple scenarios to evaluate. The data is also less reliable and prone to errors if multiple files need to be updated and modeled individually to capture all the possible loading combinations.

The Solution

Tower Engineering Professionals, Inc. (TEP) utilized OpenTower to streamline their workflows. The built-in UPT/Custom Database in OpenTower sped up custom modification shapes that they routinely encountered. The shape creation tool in OpenTower dramatically reduced the time spent on this workflow. TEP also appreciated OpenTower’s file tree and scenario analysis tool. By setting up all scenarios in one file, the model can then be used as the basis for the site moving forward. This eliminated the use of multiple files and multiple changes within each of those files, saving time and eliminating the need for rework. OpenTower’s scenario tools also assisted TEP to easily keep track of the multiple scenarios they need for each site, resulting in significant time savings for the QA/review process. OpenTower also offers immense flexibility in analysis of designed vs. installed modification layers, enabling companies to capture contractor changes that affect tower capacity clearly in one single model.

Operational Impact

The use of OpenTower has resulted in significant operational benefits for TEP. The software has streamlined their workflows, reducing the time spent on drawing shapes and inputting properties into the software. The file tree and scenario analysis tool in OpenTower has also eliminated the need for multiple files and changes within each of those files, saving time and reducing the potential for errors. The scenario tools have also made it easier for TEP to keep track of the multiple scenarios they need for each site, greatly aiding the reviewers and resulting in significant time savings for the QA/review process. Additionally, OpenTower’s flexibility in analyzing designed vs. installed modification layers has enabled TEP to clearly capture contractor changes that affect tower capacity in one single model. This has improved the accuracy of their data and enhanced their service delivery to clients.

Quantitative Benefit

TEP believes it could save 30 to 60 minutes per applicable site depending on the loading and modifications.
For sites that are analyzed repeatedly, there is approximately a 20% savings in time.
Users can draw the same shapes in two to three minutes, when it might take 10 to 12 minutes to draw several shapes using competing software applications.