Building a Future Company Through Digitalisation

With a background in infra civil engineering and years as an infrastructure BIM consultant, Dávid has been at the forefront of digital transformation in Hungary. His story is not about technology for its own sake, but about how digitalisation becomes real when workflows are built together with the people on site.

What follows is Dávid’s own account of how Colas Hungary has approached digitalisation – the challenges, the turning points, and the lessons for the future.

Building a future company through digitalisation

By Dávid Kathy, Colas Hungary

When I joined Colas Hungary as a BIM manager, I had one vision: to connect the office with the construction site – not just machines, but people too. My background in infra civil engineering and my years as an infrastructure BIM consultant had already taught me that digitalisation isn’t just about technology. It’s about creating workflows, training, and culture that help people move from paper-based routines to real collaboration.

I thought we could use new tools for everything, everywhere and everyone would be happy.

At first, my dreams were big. I thought we could use new tools for everything, everywhere, and everyone would be happy. Reality quickly reminded me that digitalisation is not automatic – it doesn’t do itself. It’s a step-by-step process. Just like in modelling: at first we tried to model everything, and later we learned to focus on what truly matters. The same goes for digitalisation – you must identify the most relevant problems and solve them in order.

The biggest lesson? Tools alone don’t change anything. People do.

At the beginning, there was strong resistance on site. Fear of the unknown. Colleagues didn’t see why they should change. We realised we needed a new approach. That’s when we organised our first digitalisation workshop with the site teams.

Instead of presenting theories from headquarters, we asked foremen, engineers, and site managers: what are your biggest pain points? what wastes your time? what would make your job easier?

It was a turning point.
In those workshops, we built workflows together, not for them. A foreman could stand up and tell other foremen how a simple reporting tool helped him get home earlier. That peer-to-peer honesty was worth more than any HQ presentation. Suddenly, people began to see themselves in the bigger digital picture – not as passive users of a system, but as co-creators of a new way of working.

Since then, every small success has built momentum. Today, more and more colleagues on site can feel and see the benefits of digitalisation.

I want to see data driven workflow where systems connect seamlessly.

My next challenge is clear. Technically, I want to see live data from construction – a truly data-driven workflow where systems connect seamlessly. Culturally, I want digital tools to become natural, not exceptional. And in Hungary, with the new BIM law, we must also learn to process models faster for tenders and scale our methods to more projects.

Change requires investment, but the payoff is clear.

Has it been worth it so far? Absolutely. At the start, digitalisation feels like trial and error. There is a learning curve. But once workflows are in place, benefits appear in efficiency, quality, and even financial results. This is not a sprint – it’s a marathon. Major change requires major investment, but the payoff is clear.

My advice to companies still hesitating is simple: you have to start.

If you don’t, your competitors will, and you will lose ground. Be patient, set clear goals, and find the open-minded people in your organisation. Involve them, empower them, and don’t give up when challenges arise. Digitalisation is like a puzzle – every small piece contributes to the big picture.

And remember: if the door won’t open, make one. If there is no solution on the market, create one. That’s what my team and I have learned. Everyone has a superpower. Ours has been not to wait for doors to appear, but to cut them open ourselves.

DIMEA closing note

At DIMEA, we are committed to helping infra-companies take these same steps – from early pilots to scaled adoption. Dávid’s experience shows that digitalisation is not just about tools, but about people, processes, and persistence.

If your organisation is considering its next step toward digital maturity, let’s talk.
dimea@dimeaglobal.com