One specialist software package for the structural steel industry.

In the early 1990s, our founder Jos Bonte began his graduation project at a structural steel company in Hardenberg, the Netherlands. With great energy and a strong interest in the organization and the structural steel industry, he got to work. He immediately appreciated the no-nonsense mentality of steel fabricators – rolling up their sleeves and getting things done together. Jos made it his personal mission to help the structural steel company innovate, drawing on his previous experiences in the metal industry and at Philips in the field of software. He discovered and implemented the then-little-known 3D-BIM package Tekla Structures (Xsteel) for the engineering department, which provided the steel fabricator with many new opportunities to work more effectively.

Driven by this enthusiasm, Jos continued to search globally for an innovative software solution for all departments within structural steel companies. CAD/CAM solutions for controlling CNC machines—such as a drill/saw machine and a punch/shear line—were integrated with the 3D-CAD system Tekla Structures. New estimation software was introduced for better cost calculations and quotations. Improved planning software was developed for production and erection departments. Enhanced project administration made it possible to create accurate post-calculations for each project phase, which in turn improved future estimations. This business project had a significant positive impact on the steel fabricator.

However, after implementing these standalone solutions, Jos encountered limitations. Maintaining various linked software solutions, especially after updates, was challenging. Jos saw this as an opportunity: this could and should be better. After years of searching globally for a comprehensive system for steel fabricators, Jos decided to create it himself: a specialized total system for the structural steel industry, composed of independently functioning modules that work together as an integrated whole. Available worldwide to assist all steel fabricators, this laid the foundation for ConstruSteel.