Bechtel Draws on 128 Years of Proven Delivery to Lead the Next Era of Building

September 29, 2026

Bechtel Draws on 128 Years of Proven Delivery to Lead the Next Era of Building

Featured on Advancements, Bechtel shows how AI, automation, and robotics are building on more than a century of experience to deliver projects at the pace the world now needs

For 128 years, Bechtel has delivered some of the world's most complex projects by pairing proven processes with new ways of working. Today, as demand for new energy, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure accelerates, the company is using that experience to lead the industry's next leap forward: using artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics to deliver projects faster, safer, and more efficiently.

Bechtel's approach was recently featured in a segment of Advancements with Ted Danson, an educational program that aired on Bloomberg Television. Filmed at Louisiana LNG, where Bechtel is delivering three LNG trains for Woodside Energy, the segment shows how robotics, autonomous equipment, and AI-enabled tools are enhancing day-to-day work for Bechtel craft professionals and professional staff.

"The industry is asking for more and more every day," said John Platt, Bechtel Senior Vice President, EPC Transformation. "It's a tremendous time, whether it's additional energy demand, infrastructure, chip manufacturing … Every day, I'm seeing new ways for us to leverage artificial intelligence in the way we execute engineering, procurement, and construction."

A Century of Experience, Built for What's Next

Bechtel has long embraced new tools that improve how projects are delivered, from advances in construction methods and computer-aided design to early work with artificial intelligence. In 2026, the company named John Platt Senior Vice President of EPC Transformation, an enterprise-wide initiative that brings its work in digitization, robotics, automation, and AI together under one strategy.

What sets that work apart is its foundation. Bechtel's new technologies are built on more than a century of project experience, data, and proven work processes. Because engineering, procurement, and construction are connected under one integrated model, innovations and lessons learned move quickly from design to execution. That helps teams make decisions faster, reduce rework, and improve overall project performance.

"Energy, advanced manufacturing, and infrastructure continue to expand at a rapid rate. If we look at each project individually and do them in singularity, we'll never be able to meet the demand that's coming," said Michael Dorris, Bechtel Senior Project Manager. "When we look at the way we do work, we have one team across an entire scope. We have a playbook for how we go and do these things, over and over again. So the first time we do it and we learn it, we implement that in a more structured way going forward."

Technology in the Field Today

The segment shows how integration closes the gap between the design office and the field. Design updates that once needed significant manual coordination can now go directly to autonomous equipment on site, which speeds up execution and reduces delays.

"If we make design changes and drawings today, we are currently leveraging autonomous equipment in the field that will take that design directly to the equipment and in almost real time-same day-work through the changes in the field to meet the design conditions," said Platt. "This is something in the past that would have taken weeks, maybe days-never hours."

The segment features technologies already in use on major Bechtel projects, including:

• Four-legged robots with cameras, sensors, and laser scanners that capture data in areas that are hard or hazardous to reach

• Autonomous construction equipment that runs with minimal manual input, so skilled operators can oversee multiple machines at once

• Automated welding that improves consistency, quality, and productivity

Running these machines and making sense of the data they produce still depends on the expertise of our highly skilled people. What changes is reach: one operator can now oversee several machines at once, extending that expertise further than ever before.

Building the Next Generation of Builders

The segment also shows how careers in engineering and construction increasingly combine hands-on project work with advanced technology, giving people the chance to solve complex challenges and deliver projects that will serve communities for decades.

"The beautiful part about construction today is you don't have to choose anymore," said Samantha Bowman, Bechtel Earthworks Foreman. "It's not desk job or construction. You can come to construction and it's constantly evolving. You'll be out in the field, you can deal with the people and the equipment; but you can also go in the office and you're dealing with drone scans, AI scans, the data. It's not one or the other anymore."

"Building the next generation of builders is so important right now," added Platt. "This is a once in a generation opportunity."

The Advancements segment featuring Bechtel can be viewed below:

About Bechtel

Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Manufacturing & Technology; Mining & Metals; and Nuclear, Security & Environmental markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. https://www.bechtel.com

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