Does your company support BIM
One of the popular words being used in the press this month is “BIM” or Building Information Modelling. This follows Paul Morrell statement that he expects it to be used on practically every government project within five years. Consultancies and contractors are starting to fret about the cost of training architects, engineers and quantity surveyors in the use of the systems. But manufacturers should not ignore this, thinking it has nothing to do with them. As you will have heard me say if you have attended my Effective Specification Selling course, it is the next BIG OPPORTUNITY and like so many opportunities, if you fail to take advantage of it, it will become a threat as your competitors act.
In simple terms, and that’s the only level at which I understand it, BIM is CAD plus more. The extra it brings includes the ability to test concepts and ideas more rigorously at the design stage and the incorporation of performance and maintenance information about products and systems into the detailing. This is then available to help facilities managers maintain the building throughout its life.
So when an architect or engineer selects a component, they include all of its performance and maintenance information into the design. That means that if the product is subsequently changed, by a sub-contractor for example, the BIM system will need to be updated and any impacts on associated components or the operation of the building will need to be taken into account. Or to put it another way, once the design team have selected the components of a building it will be difficult to make changes post-design. And if you have still missed the point, that means it will be much harder to switch specifications.
For those manufacturers and specialist contractors who invest resource in specification selling – advising engineers and architects how to solve design problems, BIM will be great news as once their specification is incorporated in the design the chances of it staying firm will be much greater. Better transparency of product performance will be created, and potentially products which offer value over the lifetime of a building will be more likely to be selected.
To take advantage of this you need to understand BIM, how your products should be presented and the information that will be required (and I’m sure it will be extensive). Then just as standard specifications are provided today, you will need to create files which can be emailed or downloaded from your website and imported into the different proprietary systems. So now manufacturers don’t need to feel left out, they too can fret about the work and cost that BIM will mean for them, but they will get a return on their investment.
|
Chris is founder of Competitive Advantage Consultancy Limited which specialises in market research and training for the construction industry. He is also a member of the organising committee for CIMCIG, the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Construction Industry Group
View original article
|