Warehouse Efficiency Revolution, Saint-Gobain Acquires Maturix and Hexagon’s spinn-off

Snapshot

Happy Friday. Here is what happened in the AEC world: Saint-Gobain acquired Maturix, a Danish concrete monitoring solutions provider. Hexagon announced plans to spin off Octave. Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Transport launched the Binaa digital platform to streamline building permit processes. UK housing data showed continued weakness with building permits falling.

New Innovations and Partnerships

Hexagon launches software-as-a-service business Octave: Hexagon announces the spin-off of a new SaaS company, Octave, expected to launch in 2026, focusing on asset management and geospatial solutions. (constructionbriefing.com)

DMT launches Binaa digital platform for building permits: The Department of Municipalities and Transport launches the Binaa platform to streamline building permit processes in Abu Dhabi. (mediaoffice.abudhabi)

BEAMA calls for joined-up decarbonisation strategy in the UK: BEAMA urges collaboration with the UK government to decarbonise energy, heating, and transport, launching the Smart Building Group to support this strategy. (installeronline.uk)

Funding Rounds and M&A Activity

Saint-Gobain acquires Maturix to enhance digital offerings: Saint-Gobain expands its digital construction chemicals platform by acquiring Maturix, a provider of real-time monitoring solutions for concrete. (prnewswire.com)

Opinions

Hardware integration targets labor costs in warehousing operations: Foundamental's Jacopo Siniscalco breaks down why hardware-integrated solutions targeting labor costs and space optimization outperform autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots in 3PL warehousing, where brutal 3-7% margins make ROI the ultimate decider. (foundamental.com)

Residential construction data shows declines in permits and starts: In May 2025, building permits fell to 1,393,000 and housing starts dropped to 1,256,000, reflecting decreases from previous months. (census.gov)