Todd Zabelle, founder of PPI, along with PPI instructor Roberto Arbulu and invited speaker Alex Kunz, discussed Digital Prototyping in Support of CAPE as well as Process Design and Validation. Because of its roots in Operations Science, these advances are ushering in a new era of project delivery.

Zabelle provided an introduction, stating that currently we can understand when the work should be done (the schedule), but not what work should be done and how to do it. By using a computer-aided approach, production engineering can be applied early in the process, mitigating risk. The later you introduce production engineering, the more limited you are in the ability to make necessary changes.

Kunz discussed his experience in data centers working with companies such as Amazon, Google and IBM. The function of the data center is continually evolving and they were wondering why is it so hard for construction to keep up with shifting business requirements. He provided examples of how CAPE can be useful for combining product and processes to the design and construction of data centers.