BIM For Manufacturers
It’s halfway into the second decade of the 21st century and it’s been about twenty years since the birth of BIM. Well, certainly for the AEC industry, BIM has proved itself as a game-changer: the stand-out factor. The world has changed. Its rules have changed. Excuse me: the rules are changing.
The great George Bernard Shaw has said “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”. This change has presented itself in the form the new advanced technology of BIM and it is undeniable that after the emergence of BIM, the world of millions of architects, structural analysts, MEP professionals, etc. has taken a turn. Whether one perceives this change as good or bad is however subject to individual discretion. Progress, after all, is a choice.
BIM isn’t anymore an infant. It has grown wide and strong, and this strong bird is stretching its wings to cover as many processes of the complex construction workflow as possible. Services like Visualization, Structural Analysis, and Design are already under its aegis, but there are no signs of stopping now. Other important arenas such as building management are actively pursuing Facility Management through BIM and this will continue. One field though, which is highly overlooked is that of Manufacturing perspective on this BIM idea.
I am sure that BIM for manufacturers isn’t unheard of. We often come across online discussions and reports on how BIM is beneficial for the manufacturers and can help them earn revenue. Construction industry isn’t quite famous for innovation, maybe because many times we find ourselves looking in the wrong direction. Manufacturers do not quite actively take part in the process. Rather they choose to sit out and play for their products. One thing however, which is missed by many of these manufacturers is that no industry which is even minutely connected to a bigger industry can remain immune and aloof to the change in the wind direction; in AEC there is a change of climate itself.
Buildings and structures are composed of smaller components. Different types of components are needed to make the structure habitable and usable. These components may refer to beams and columns or even fixtures like air conditioning, lights, etc. Now, here lies the hotspot of opportunity for the manufacturing sector. How to use this digital space depends on the creativity of the manufacturers.
When the 3D visualization models of structures are created, the exterior as well as the interior of the building is aimed at replicating the actual environment — just exactly how a visitor might find this building when visiting it. This means that the visual walkthroughs show the building with all the furniture, cooling and heating systems, natural and artificial lighting, fans, fixtures and what not. This might sound mundane and quite obvious, but this is what most manufacturers tend to overlook or ignore.
Buildings and structures are composed of smaller components. Different types of components are needed to make the structure habitable and usable. These components may refer to beams and columns or even fixtures like air conditioning, lights, etc. Now, here lies the hotspot of opportunity for the manufacturing sector. How to use this digital space depends on the creativity of the manufacturers.
When the 3D visualization models of structures are created, the exterior as well as the interior of the building is aimed at replicating the actual environment — just exactly how a visitor might find this building when visiting it. This means that the visual walkthroughs show the building with all the furniture, cooling and heating systems, natural and artificial lighting, fans, fixtures and what not. This might sound mundane and quite obvious, but this is what most manufacturers tend to overlook or ignore.
Opportunity comes to those who look for it. People who are always out there looking for opportunities are the ones who strike gold and this is no exception to the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers often have to make a computerized, digital model of their own products for overall smooth manufacturing. These digital models can then be used by the construction designers as the fittings in the new structure under construction. This has the potential to create accurate models and prevent later errors in the workflow for the construction side. For the manufacturing side, opportunities galore.
The designers of the model need only the information about the product, its geometry and few bits about the attachment procedures to flawlessly incorporate the product into their model. The product is chosen if it fulfills the basic tenets of the standard protocol followed by the construction company. Manufacturers should be more than happy to provide these designs openly on their online portals or otherwise and must even market the usage of their particular product in the 3D models developed by the different BIM construction companies as it increases the probability of the end customer or owner commissioning the same fittings as shown in the model multi-fold.
Today’s designed and built facilities are more complex than ever, requiring active collaboration between the AEC industry and the product manufacturers and fabricators. The collaboration must start early and continue throughout the life cycle of the structure. Such a collaboration, however, requires full information about the product specifications, warranty, maintenance manuals, etc. so as to encourage speedy designing, manufacturing, commissioning, maintenance, and finally decommissioning and recycling.
Models which are used for analysis/design by the manufacturer can be further simplified/converted into BIM objects and passed for use during construction.
What manufacturers can do is turn tables and take charge. BIM isn’t a buzzword anymore. It’s a reality and it is high time manufacturers take stock of that. Professionals proficient in various BIM software can be engaged by these manufacturers to create accurate, high-precision and compatible models of their products. These can then be made available for usage on their online portals or even marketed by the company to the top-notch construction brands.
The focus of the manufacturers and fabricators must be on the three essential fronts. The first of these is presentation of the model and the related information in an appropriate software. The model must not cater to only one of the software platform; it must serve multiple vendors. Although almost half of the market is using Autodesk Revit, the other half can and must not be ignored. Today, we cannot expect a website to launch only Microsoft Internet Explorer version. It must be compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and so on. Similarly, multiple compatibility is a necessity.
The second is quality of information presented. The demand for consistency and standard in the industry is now more than ever. Designers and contractors want quality information through the model so as to help them deliver accurately. The accuracy of the product models, the tiniest of details make the biggest difference. The property set information should represent the attributes of the real-world product.
The third and the last front is linking the object to other important sources of information. The model may not contain all the information needed by the construction professional, and hence it must come with specification clauses, catalogs, maintenance manuals and other necessary documents.
Alas, only a handful of companies in India are well-acquainted and proficient with this new art of BIM. While countries like Australia and UK are making strides in this technology with proper impetus from the government, India is sluggishly slow. However, there are still a few companies who have embraced this new beacon of light and acclimatized with the new situation. At Techture, we are dedicated towards our duties as the sentinels of the new era brought by this disruptive technology and have pushed for greater BIM penetration. With our experience in the field of BIM, we look forward to bring the required transformation in the Manufacturing industry.
The fact that the involvement of manufacturers and fabricators from the early stage of the construction process saves most valuable time and cost is uncontested. The fact that an early involvement can lead to better and more accurate visualization, planning, design and construction is most obvious. And the fact that greater information from the early stages of the construction leads to better database management and maintenance in the post-construction period of the building is logical and understandable.
The grass however is not all that green.
The major hindrance is the supply chain. The designers and contractors work separately of each other in most of the cases. The final decision of approving the fittings, although is in the hands of the owner, the contractors play a very crucial role. Contractors are often motivated by the cost concerns and therefore they stimulate the owner to buy the products which further their own interests. The supply chain is then referred to the sub-contractor phase, whose main concerns are labor-related rather than being component related. Thus such a supply chain repels innovation and the components are chosen based on the criteria of price and labor.
The need, therefore, is to accommodate innovation in our workflow and supply chain and in the matters of products, the onus lies on the shoulders of the manufacturers. The buildings need products which optimize their functioning and enhance their lives; products which the manufacturers produce and provide. And no doubt, innovation is the key. Henry Ford developed the assembly-line setup which helped him make his products more efficient by accommodating various changes cost-efficiently. That one idea by Ford revolutionized the way manufacturing was done and led to a complete revamp of the supply chain. A similar phenomenon is awaited in the ailing AEC industry.
Manufacturers are known to create inroads for themselves even in the most unlikely the situations. BIM however has carved out half of the way for the manufacturers. The remaining journey has to be travelled alone.
