SENER, with the help of the prestigious leading risk management and control entity LRQA, has successfully completed the process of assessing the certification of its Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology according to the standard UNE-EN ISO 19650. The certificate was delivered at SENER’s offices in Tres Cantos, Madrid, in the presence of the General Manager of SENER Engineering, Gabriel Alarcón, and the Managing Director of LRQA Inspection Services, José Rivero.

Thus, SENER has become Spain’s first engineering company to certify its BIM methodology with LRQA, being certified as a Lead Appointed Party profile. This is a milestone within SENER’s digitalization strategy; after completing its own digital transformation, with the implementation of the BIM methodology and other digital tools, the company is specializing in customer solutions that combine data processing technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning and virtual reality applications, including RESPIRA^®, ACROT and ORUGA^®.

According to SENER Engineering’s General Manager, Gabriel Alarcón: “With the certification in BIM methodology we meet one of the objectives set in 2017 when we created the SENER BIM Office. This milestone demonstrates that SENER’s firm commitment to technology and innovation is enhanced by the digitalization strategy of our solutions. SENER is a trailblazer in the use and application of virtual design tools for construction and, specifically, the implementation of BIM methodology in SENER’s construction projects dates back to 2006. SENER is internationally recognized for being at the forefront of technology. This is possible thanks to our transversality and the talent of our people, integrated in highly qualified professional teams, whose passion for their work enables us to be the first to discover and apply best practices and offer to the market highly innovative and quality solutions.”

In the words of the Managing Director of LRQA Inspection Services, José Rivero: “Our strong determination and service vocation to ensure the success of our clients’ present and future business, thanks to our technical knowledge, our industry experience and our innovative approach in the field of certification, verification and inspection, enables us to be today a leading entity in risk management and control of recognized prestige worldwide. It is a pleasure and a source of pride to have worked side by side once again with SENER, to obtain in this case its BIM-ISO 19650 certification, with which it continues to demonstrate day after day its commitment to quality and innovation, reaching the highest levels of excellence in each discipline it develops.”

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing data of a project during its life cycle through the digitization of the project and through integrated management in a collaborative technology platform, obtaining a virtual recreation of the project in a database with 3D visual representation. BIM allows to communicate, reuse and share information effectively and manage projects and assets comprehensively. It is a methodology that advances efficiency, by having an extremely reliable basis for decision-making, and a fundamental element in planning: the real-time management and integration of data. As a result, this leads to better specifications, quotations, compliance, construction simulations and risk reduction, including an increase in project sustainability (in terms of reducing consumption, materials used, predictive maintenance, etc.), present from the early stages of design and construction.

Over the last fifteen years, the BIM methodology has been established as a key tool in urban and infrastructure. However, certification in this methodology is recent, and few Spanish companies, including SENER, have thus far obtained the UNE-EN ISO 19650 certification, which guarantees their correct handling of information under the BIM methodology.

The use of this type of technology has been written in SENER’s DNA, a trailblazer company in the use of digital applications in the field of design and construction, some of them developed internally. In 2006, SENER began working with BIM software applied to buildings and infrastructure projects, becoming one of Spain’s trailblazers in the use of this methodology and developing an internal work team, SENER BIM Office, which promotes ongoing improvement in the implementation of this methodology. SENER’s projects that apply BIM methodology include innovative systems such as the retractable pitch of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, metros and trams, such as Panama Line 3, Guadalajara metro, Cairo monorail, Doha Red Line, workshops and depots of the Doha metro, Ontario Line, the Edinburgh tram, the Sidney–Melbourne metro, high-speed projects such as the High Speed 2 line (HS2) in the United Kingdom and buildings such as the BBVA bank headquarters in Madrid. Similarly, in the energy sector, the solar thermal power plants Noor I in Morocco, Bokpoort in South Africa and Termosol I & II in Spain have implemented BIM in their execution.

SENER’s experience with BIM has enabled it to become a benchmark company in the application of BIM technology and processes both in its own projects and in corporate implementation for other companies.

SENER, with the help of the prestigious leading risk management and control entity LRQA, has successfully completed the process of assessing the certification of its Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology according to the standard UNE-EN ISO 19650. The certificate was delivered at SENER’s offices in Tres Cantos, Madrid, in the presence of the General Manager of SENER Engineering, Gabriel Alarcón, and the Managing Director of LRQA Inspection Services, José Rivero.

Thus, SENER has become Spain’s first engineering company to certify its BIM methodology with LRQA, being certified as a Lead Appointed Party profile. This is a milestone within SENER’s digitalization strategy; after completing its own digital transformation, with the implementation of the BIM methodology and other digital tools, the company is specializing in customer solutions that combine data processing technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning and virtual reality applications, including RESPIRA^®, ACROT and ORUGA^®.

According to SENER Engineering’s General Manager, Gabriel Alarcón: “With the certification in BIM methodology we meet one of the objectives set in 2017 when we created the SENER BIM Office. This milestone demonstrates that SENER’s firm commitment to technology and innovation is enhanced by the digitalization strategy of our solutions. SENER is a trailblazer in the use and application of virtual design tools for construction and, specifically, the implementation of BIM methodology in SENER’s construction projects dates back to 2006. SENER is internationally recognized for being at the forefront of technology. This is possible thanks to our transversality and the talent of our people, integrated in highly qualified professional teams, whose passion for their work enables us to be the first to discover and apply best practices and offer to the market highly innovative and quality solutions.”

In the words of the Managing Director of LRQA Inspection Services, José Rivero: “Our strong determination and service vocation to ensure the success of our clients’ present and future business, thanks to our technical knowledge, our industry experience and our innovative approach in the field of certification, verification and inspection, enables us to be today a leading entity in risk management and control of recognized prestige worldwide. It is a pleasure and a source of pride to have worked side by side once again with SENER, to obtain in this case its BIM-ISO 19650 certification, with which it continues to demonstrate day after day its commitment to quality and innovation, reaching the highest levels of excellence in each discipline it develops.”

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing data of a project during its life cycle through the digitization of the project and through integrated management in a collaborative technology platform, obtaining a virtual recreation of the project in a database with 3D visual representation. BIM allows to communicate, reuse and share information effectively and manage projects and assets comprehensively. It is a methodology that advances efficiency, by having an extremely reliable basis for decision-making, and a fundamental element in planning: the real-time management and integration of data. As a result, this leads to better specifications, quotations, compliance, construction simulations and risk reduction, including an increase in project sustainability (in terms of reducing consumption, materials used, predictive maintenance, etc.), present from the early stages of design and construction.

Over the last fifteen years, the BIM methodology has been established as a key tool in urban and infrastructure. However, certification in this methodology is recent, and few Spanish companies, including SENER, have thus far obtained the UNE-EN ISO 19650 certification, which guarantees their correct handling of information under the BIM methodology.

The use of this type of technology has been written in SENER’s DNA, a trailblazer company in the use of digital applications in the field of design and construction, some of them developed internally. In 2006, SENER began working with BIM software applied to buildings and infrastructure projects, becoming one of Spain’s trailblazers in the use of this methodology and developing an internal work team, SENER BIM Office, which promotes ongoing improvement in the implementation of this methodology. SENER’s projects that apply BIM methodology include innovative systems such as the retractable pitch of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, metros and trams, such as Panama Line 3, Guadalajara metro, Cairo monorail, Doha Red Line, workshops and depots of the Doha metro, Ontario Line, the Edinburgh tram, the Sidney–Melbourne metro, high-speed projects such as the High Speed 2 line (HS2) in the United Kingdom and buildings such as the BBVA bank headquarters in Madrid. Similarly, in the energy sector, the solar thermal power plants Noor I in Morocco, Bokpoort in South Africa and Termosol I & II in Spain have implemented BIM in their execution.

SENER’s experience with BIM has enabled it to become a benchmark company in the application of BIM technology and processes both in its own projects and in corporate implementation for other companies.

• Sener is in the process of qualifying and manufacturing VNE/NAVIGA, a low-cost modular space navigation unit for space transportation, the first application of which will be in the European VEGA-C launcher.
• After the flight model is delivered in 2023, SENER Aeroespacial expects to close a ten-years contract with AVIO for the mass production for subsequent VEGA-C missions.
• Sener has designed a novel product, whose features make it the first of its kind in Europe. It can work as a hybrid unit, inertial-only unit or as a GNSS receiver, and will be able to be used on both launchers and satellites.

Sener has signed a contract with AVIO for the C/D phases of the navigation unit for the VEGA-C launcher, VNE (VEGA-C Navigation Equipment), after successfully completing phases A (feasibility study) and B (preliminary design). Phase C involves the development of the detailed design, and phase D is the qualification and delivery phase of the first flight model.

Sener is the design authority for this unit, which is delivered to the Customer as an integrated product. One of the main features of the unit is the reduction in the production cost by incorporating processes and materials from the world of defense. In addition, this contract paves the way for the mass production of navigation units for subsequent launches of VEGA-C and other space missions.

The navigation unit uses a six-axis compass (position and attitude of the launcher) to provide the rocket’s position to the Guidance, Navigation and Control (CNG) system, developed by AVIO, which is necessary to steer the rocket. NAVIGA is thus a critical component for the success of the mission.

NAVIGA combines an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, and hybridizes the two readings to achieve a high-performance product – its software is Class A, the most critical in the space industry – but also low-cost compared to the inertial navigation units available on the market.

In the words of Sener Project Manager Silvia Díaz, «the development of this navigation unit puts us at the head of an emerging market in Europe, that of medium cost units with good performances and high reliability. We achieved this product by combining our 55-year experience in the traditional space market, with more than 270 devices and systems on board space missions without any faults, and our experience mass producing products for other markets such as defense and the telecommunications satellite commercial market, which involves lowering the costs of processes and components to adapt to the demands of a more competitive market.»

NAVIGA, a versatile and low-cost navigation unit

NAVIGA is a navigation unit that combines two key elements for future space transportation systems: low cost and versatility.

The design of a unit capable of achieving the same performance as other similar space navigation units at a lower cost was made possible by combining our know-how and experience in space navigation solutions, with our technical knowledge in the development of high-precision aviation and defense products for complex environments.

The three implementation aspects applied to the project to reduce the recurring cost of the unit, while maintaining the required performance, are: the use of sensor hybridization techniques to provide a robust navigation solution; the inclusion of radiation-tolerant parts from the automotive market (new in space); and the adoption of defense production processes to manufacture the unit.

The second key element, versatility, is achieved thanks to the modular and flexible design, which allows a complete and certified unit to be adapted, with minor modifications and testing, to other environments, such as short-duration space missions. The advantages of this versatility are significant in the current market, which is increasingly demanding new products in less time and with lower development costs.

Supplementing these two key elements is a third: NAVIGA is a fully European unit, which renders any ITAR restrictions irrelevant.

To develop this innovative product, Sener invested its own funds for the qualification for using components and processes from the defense and automotive markets and will be installing new and specific equipment within its facilities to test the units.

The project is the result of the partnership between the Italian companies AVIO and CIVITANAVI Systems and the Spanish company Elecnor DEIMOS. The VNE/NAVIGA project is funded by European Space Agency (ESA).

SENER, with the help of the prestigious leading risk management and control entity LRQA, has successfully completed the process of assessing the certification of its Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology according to the standard UNE-EN ISO 19650. The certificate was delivered at SENER’s offices in Tres Cantos, Madrid, in the presence of the General Manager of SENER Engineering, Gabriel Alarcón, and the Managing Director of LRQA Inspection Services, José Rivero.

Thus, SENER has become Spain’s first engineering company to certify its BIM methodology with LRQA, being certified as a Lead Appointed Party profile. This is a milestone within SENER’s digitalization strategy; after completing its own digital transformation, with the implementation of the BIM methodology and other digital tools, the company is specializing in customer solutions that combine data processing technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning and virtual reality applications, including RESPIRA^®, ACROT and ORUGA^®.

According to SENER Engineering’s General Manager, Gabriel Alarcón: “With the certification in BIM methodology we meet one of the objectives set in 2017 when we created the SENER BIM Office. This milestone demonstrates that SENER’s firm commitment to technology and innovation is enhanced by the digitalization strategy of our solutions. SENER is a trailblazer in the use and application of virtual design tools for construction and, specifically, the implementation of BIM methodology in SENER’s construction projects dates back to 2006. SENER is internationally recognized for being at the forefront of technology. This is possible thanks to our transversality and the talent of our people, integrated in highly qualified professional teams, whose passion for their work enables us to be the first to discover and apply best practices and offer to the market highly innovative and quality solutions.”

In the words of the Managing Director of LRQA Inspection Services, José Rivero: “Our strong determination and service vocation to ensure the success of our clients’ present and future business, thanks to our technical knowledge, our industry experience and our innovative approach in the field of certification, verification and inspection, enables us to be today a leading entity in risk management and control of recognized prestige worldwide. It is a pleasure and a source of pride to have worked side by side once again with SENER, to obtain in this case its BIM-ISO 19650 certification, with which it continues to demonstrate day after day its commitment to quality and innovation, reaching the highest levels of excellence in each discipline it develops.”

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing data of a project during its life cycle through the digitization of the project and through integrated management in a collaborative technology platform, obtaining a virtual recreation of the project in a database with 3D visual representation. BIM allows to communicate, reuse and share information effectively and manage projects and assets comprehensively. It is a methodology that advances efficiency, by having an extremely reliable basis for decision-making, and a fundamental element in planning: the real-time management and integration of data. As a result, this leads to better specifications, quotations, compliance, construction simulations and risk reduction, including an increase in project sustainability (in terms of reducing consumption, materials used, predictive maintenance, etc.), present from the early stages of design and construction.

Over the last fifteen years, the BIM methodology has been established as a key tool in urban and infrastructure. However, certification in this methodology is recent, and few Spanish companies, including SENER, have thus far obtained the UNE-EN ISO 19650 certification, which guarantees their correct handling of information under the BIM methodology.

The use of this type of technology has been written in SENER’s DNA, a trailblazer company in the use of digital applications in the field of design and construction, some of them developed internally. In 2006, SENER began working with BIM software applied to buildings and infrastructure projects, becoming one of Spain’s trailblazers in the use of this methodology and developing an internal work team, SENER BIM Office, which promotes ongoing improvement in the implementation of this methodology. SENER’s projects that apply BIM methodology include innovative systems such as the retractable pitch of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, metros and trams, such as Panama Line 3, Guadalajara metro, Cairo monorail, Doha Red Line, workshops and depots of the Doha metro, Ontario Line, the Edinburgh tram, the Sidney–Melbourne metro, high-speed projects such as the High Speed 2 line (HS2) in the United Kingdom and buildings such as the BBVA bank headquarters in Madrid. Similarly, in the energy sector, the solar thermal power plants Noor I in Morocco, Bokpoort in South Africa and Termosol I & II in Spain have implemented BIM in their execution.

SENER’s experience with BIM has enabled it to become a benchmark company in the application of BIM technology and processes both in its own projects and in corporate implementation for other companies.