Construction ERP "imforce Arch®" New Version Released to Highly Accurately Forecast Project Completion Costs

NTT DATA Business Systems Corporation (hereinafter, NTT DATA Business Systems) and NTT DATA Biz Integral Corporation (hereinafter, NTT DATA Biz Integral) will begin offering a new version of "imforce Construction Industry Integrated Core Model (imforce Arch®)", their next-generation ERP for the construction industry, with enhanced cost management functions.

The new version supports both work type-based and budget sheet-based cost management, assisting construction companies operating multiple businesses in integrating and standardizing cost information. Furthermore, by supporting the latest platform of "Biz∫®", the latest integrated business package provided by NTT DATA Biz Integral, it not only supports the latest OS/middleware but also establishes a foundation for enhanced data linkage with external systems, realizing an environment that can flexibly respond to future institutional reforms and inter-system collaborations.

These enhancements will enable improved accuracy in budget-versus-actual management and forecast management, advanced cost control, and increased efficiency across the entire business process, including purchasing and property management, thereby contributing to strengthening the management foundation and promoting DX in the construction industry.

Moving forward, NTT DATA Business Systems and NTT DATA Biz Integral will leverage their respective strengths through collaboration to accelerate product enhancements aimed at further improving user convenience and productivity.

【Background】

In the construction industry, where diverse work types and partner companies are involved in each project, cost information tends to be fragmented by department and business unit. This has led to the prominent challenges of delayed company-wide cost grasp and difficulty in early detection of budget-versus-actual discrepancies. Additionally, many companies rely on Excel or individual management for execution budgets and order information, leading to data inconsistencies, reliance on individual expertise, and delays in information updates, which degrade the accuracy of management control.

These challenges are more severe for construction companies operating multiple businesses, increasing the importance of a company-wide integrated cost management foundation. Moreover, timely and consistent grasp of cost information and highly accurate calculation of budget-versus-actual and forecast figures are themes directly linked to speeding up management decisions and improving profitability. Against this background, there is a demand for mechanisms that realize standardization of cost management processes and data integration.

【Overview】

NTT DATA Business Systems and NTT DATA Biz Integral will begin offering a new version of "imforce Construction Industry Integrated Core Model (imforce Arch)", their next-generation ERP for the construction industry, with enhanced cost management functions. This enhancement was carried out against the background of (1) the complexity and siloed nature of cost management operations in the construction industry, (2) reduced accuracy of budget-versus-actual due to distributed management primarily using Excel, (3) delays in cost information necessary for management decisions, and (4) the need to resolve these issues and strengthen the management foundation.

This version includes functional enhancements to review business processes in cost management, purchasing management, and property management, aiming to achieve data standardization and integration, operational efficiency, and improved accuracy of budget-versus-actual and forecast figures.

Functional enhancements in the cost management domain

・ Supports both work type-based and budget sheet-based approaches, enabling unified rule-based cost management across businesses.

・ Expanded version management for execution budgets, realizing early budget management and enhanced control by consistently managing from execution budget approval to ordering and sales recording.

・ Enhanced import/export of execution budgets, improving linkage with external systems.

・ Strengthened forecast management, realizing standardization and improved visibility of cost management, and enhanced control such as preventing missed orders and early detection of budget overruns through forecast approval.

・ Enhanced construction ledger functions, allowing easy confirmation of costs by detail, work type, and vendor under unified rules, improving the accuracy of cost management for various construction projects such as building and civil engineering.

Functional enhancements in the purchasing management domain

・ Enables ordering instructions without modifying the execution budget, realizing efficient purchasing operations.

・ Expanded item code management supports purchasing data analysis and cost reduction.

・ Enhanced offset transaction functions, improving the accuracy of advance payment and offset management.

Enhancements in property management and user interface

・ Bulk import of properties allows importing inquiry information from SFA and Excel, reducing input load.

・ Compatibility with the new React-based user interface (Biz∫UI3) improves input efficiency and convenience, including input completion, attached file preview, detail filtering, and Excel paste.

【Future Outlook】

NTT DATA Business Systems and NTT DATA Biz Integral will continue to expand the functions of "imforce Arch" while incorporating user feedback, aiming to advance cost management and strengthen the management foundation in the construction industry. They will continue to provide a flexible system environment that can respond to institutional reforms and infrastructure renewal needs in the construction industry, contributing to faster management decisions and improved productivity for their customers.

【About NTT DATA Business Systems】

As a core company in the corporate sector of the NTT Data Group, NTT DATA Business Systems has been engaged in application development, system integration, and critical system development and operation in NTT Data's corporate and telecom sectors, addressing business challenges across a wide range of industries. Leveraging its extensive implementation track record and operational know-how, the company will continue to provide new value to customers and society through its business brand "imforce".

【About NTT DATA Biz Integral】

NTT DATA Biz Integral was established in 2009 with investments from leading domestic package vendors, and it develops, sells, and provides various services for the ERP package Biz∫ (Biz Integral). In collaboration with approximately 60 partner companies possessing expertise in various industries, it pursues systems tailored to customers. The company will continue its efforts to contribute to improving customers' business value and realizing a diverse and prosperous society.

For more details on NTT DATA Biz Integral Corporation, please visit https://corp.biz-integral.com/ .

Reference

・https://www.nttdata-bizsys.co.jp/solution-service/business-suite/construction/

imforce Construction Industry Integrated Core Model "imforce Arch"｜NTT DATA Business Systems Corporation (nttdata-bizsys.co.jp)

※ "imforce Arch" is a registered trademark of NTT DATA Business Systems Corporation.

※ "Biz∫" is a registered trademark of NTT DATA Corporation and NTT DATA Biz Integral Corporation. ※ Other product names, company names, and organization names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. ※ The contents described in this release are subject to change without notice.