Karoline Logman is the Product Owner for our BIM application. We asked Karoline to write an article about BIM and the impact on window manufacturers.

The ‘BIM’ acronym has been used for over two decades, what does it really mean and who does it impact?

BIM or Building Information Modelling is a process for creating and managing all of the information on a project – before, during and after construction.

There is a common misconception that it is only a 3D model of a building, and understandably so, as a lot of effort goes into creating this model. The real benefit from BIM however, is the information that it contains and the collaboration that is established across the different building project teams/players.

Why is BIM being used?

The BIM of a structure can be used for early clash detections, the goal is to find issues whilst the building is still in the model phase, to prevent problems from happening in real life. By visually planning and getting all parties collaborating on the project early, the problems can be identified in the model phase and prevented. This can save all parties money and time, and some headaches.

Research has shown that 80% of the cost over a building’s lifetime is made up of building maintenance. As governments own a large number of buildings, they consider BIM one of the means to reduce their long-term costs. An important part of the UK BIM specification involves building maintenance teams from the start of the project, to ensure an easy transition when the building is completed and handed over. Collecting the information the maintenance team needs from the start and throughout the project, will help reduce the cost of building maintenance.

Impact of BIM on the way manufacturers work

It’s important to have someone on your team with good knowledge of BIM and the tools, so that they can organize the communication, collaboration and the deliverables that are required. Your company will be involved much earlier in the project than you used to be, and this may involve changing the way you work. You will get to work together with other parties, share your knowledge and information more openly and collaborate on projects, which definitely has benefits for all involved.

For the parties contributing to the project, there is cost involved so they can start working with BIM; and a lot of knowledge and experience to be gained. There is also additional cost involved for each BIM project, for example creating the model, time in clash meetings and continuous improvements.  It is good to consider the additional cost of providing the required 3D model and requested information.

There may be some implications around sharing of information and intellectual property, so it’s best to get advice regarding these.

How do window manufacturers benefit from using BIM?

Window manufacturers can benefit as they will be:

  • preventing mistakes and clashes, which will save time and money
  • staying up to date with the latest software and ways of doing business
  • gaining a strategic competitive advantage and the great opportunities that come from that.

When should I start using BIM?

In the Americas, Asia and Europe, BIM is mainly used for large government and large commercial projects. Building owners, architects and large building companies are taking the initiative to ask sub-contractors to use BIM. In the UK and the US it is largely government-driven. BIM Level 2 compliance is mandatory for government projects in the UK.

Being an early adopter of BIM has the advantage that you will be ready when others start to get on board, and this will give you a competitive edge. Fine tune your processes now and find out all the relevant information to implement it successfully.

If you would like to talk about BIM and how it can help your business stay competitive, please contact the Soft Tech team because “alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”- Helen Keller.