How Linxon AMEA transformed short-term planning across their construction portfolio

Critical power infrastructure

Linxon, a joint venture between AtkinsRéalis and Hitachi Energy, manages a diverse portfolio of substation construction projects across Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. The company combines AtkinsRéalis’s project management expertise and Hitachi Energy’s industry leading technological knowledge to deliver critical power infrastructure globally.

Their portfolio includes turnkey AC substation projects across the region. A flagship example is the 380 kV Taibah power plant substation in Saudi Arabia's Madinah region, which will evacuate power from one of the country's largest combined cycle power plants.

Another notable project includes the Rabigh IPP substation near Jeddah—supporting Saudi Arabia’s growing industrial sector and representing one of its first Independent Power Plant projects.

To deliver these complex programs with precision, Linxon needed a better way to plan short-term work across multiple concurrent sites. We spoke with Ayman Thabet, Operations Director Linxon AMEA ,and Manikandan Rangasamy, Head of Planning Linxon AMEA, to learn more.‍

The challenge: manual planning and limited visibility‍

Before using Aphex, the Linxon AMEA team relied on Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project for high-level project planning, while short-term plans were created in Excel.

The planning process was time-consuming and disconnected. Teams struggled to consistently break down high-level timelines into actionable weekly work plans. Coordination across teams and contractors lacked the structure and detail needed to stay on track.

"With many projects running in parallel, we wanted to improve our planning process and create a comprehensive overview—to always be one step ahead and anticipate what lies ahead."
_{Ayman Thabet, Operations Director}

A standardized, streamlined approach to short-term planning‍

Linxon adopted Aphex to establish a unified approach to short-term planning across its portfolio. At Linxon AMEA, Aphex fits into a broader digital ecosystem that includes in-house tools like Site Pro, HSE Flow, and Planning Flow, as well as OpenSpace for site capture.

Together, these tools help teams execute projects more efficiently, with real-time data to optimize its project management and execution processes.

A key reason for choosing Aphex was its seamless integration with Primavera P6. P6 is used by the team to handle broader project timelines and milestones, while Aphex is used for Level 4 schedules to cover daily activities.

With Aphex, Linxon introduced a new weekly routine. After each plan publication, the team holds structured lookahead meetings to review updated schedules, assess potential slippages, and ensure all interfaces are aligned.

“From half a days work to 30 minutes— creating a four-week lookahead plan is now faster, easier, and more collaborative."
_{Manikandan Rangasamy, Head of Planning}

‍Spotting risks, removing bottlenecks‍

Aphex also gives Linxon powerful visibility into bottlenecks and delays. That data-driven insight is helping teams proactively remove blockers and improve delivery performance.

Aphex also supports Linxon’s strong focus on safety. All site activities are coded using Linxon’s internal safety standards reference manual, automatically generating a weekly risk heat map.

This enables project teams to identify high-risk activities and determine the necessary precautions.‍

‍Looking ahead to a digital future‍

Looking ahead, Linxon is committed to advancing its digital capabilities to streamline operations and improve efficiency. A strong focus on leveraging digital tools to minimize manual tasks allows employees to concentrate on more critical aspects of their work.

By leveraging digital tools like Aphex, Linxon’s commitment to digitization is a strategic move to enhance efficiency, transparency, and innovation across its projects. By integrating advanced digital tools, the company strengthens its competitive edge and ensures smarter, faster, and more sustainable project delivery in a rapidly evolving construction industry.