One Bracket Away from Delays: How AR Keeps Pharma Construction On Track

09 June 2025

In pharmaceutical construction, precision is non-negotiable. Every component, from massive ductwork to the smallest pipe support bracket, must be installed exactly as designed to ensure safety, compliance, and seamless operations. Even a seemingly minor deviation can trigger a domino effect of delays and costly rework.

On a recent pharma project, our team faced precisely that kind of challenge. A single pipe support bracket was installed longer than specified in the design. While it might have appeared insignificant at first glance, its placement directly intersected with the planned route of a critical purification pipe.

In pharmaceutical projects, most piping arrives at the site prefabricated, manufactured offsite to strict specifications. Any clash discovered too late can force teams to halt progress while new sections are redesigned and fabricated. It can also pull multiple trades back into the same space, creating scheduling conflicts and driving up costs.

Fortunately, this bracket didn’t get the chance to become a problem. Equipped with engineering grade augmented reality™, our engineer conducted an on-site check that overlaid the digital model onto the physical environment. This made the discrepancy obvious, revealing both the bracket’s excessive length and its potential to obstruct the future pipe installation.

Instead of weeks of delays, the issue was resolved in less than a day. The bracket was cut back to the correct length before any pipes were installed. The clash was avoided entirely, the schedule remained intact, and no extra costs were incurred.

This is the power of real-time QA and QC. It transforms construction from reactive to proactive, ensuring problems are caught and corrected before they can ripple through the entire project. In pharmaceutical construction, where stakes are high and timelines are tight, that kind of foresight makes all the difference.

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