Addressing the challenges faced by manufacturers in the BIM process requires that digital product information can be exchanged with supply chain partners. Steve Thompson, chair of BIM4M2 discusses the support and advice available
Even before the UK Government announced its intention to require collaborative 3D BIM on its projects by 2016, the construction industry had been busy readying itself for the change to a digital world.
Whilst it is clear that the creation, exchange and use of product data is crucial to the BIM process, a common understanding of the type of information that product manufacturers should provide to support BIM has been missing.
Transition to a BIM-ready industry
In March of this year, BIM4M2 was formed, with the purpose to support product manufacturers through the transition to a BIM-ready industry, and to provide a forum to share their knowledge.
For me, one of the most exciting aspects of building information modelling is the willingness of organisations and individuals across the industry to collaborate and work together to address the challenge.
Manufacturers have been using digital information and processes for over half a century, but exchanging digital information with supply chain partners is a very different proposition, and one that the sector is eager to tackle.
From the preliminary results of the survey of manufacturers that our Promotions Working Group are undertaking, 93% of those responding said they plan to invest in the process (41% already have, and 52% will have by 2016).
So, for many the question is less about whether to develop their BIM capabilities, but more about how, in what format and on which platforms? This is where the real challenges lie for the manufacturer, and the answers can be different for every organisation depending on their product types, supply chain routes, markets, regions and scale.
However, the basic principles remain the same, to provide structured digital product information that can be exchanged with supply chain partners.
Information requirements
Adding to the complexity is the different information requirements of members of the client and supply chain team on any given project. To find a way through the complexity, we need to work together as an industry and develop an agreed way of describing products and their attributes, both for the UK and internationally.
Certainly BS1192:4 (COBie) forms part of the solution as the mandated exchange format for Level 2 in the UK, and the broader Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) are also crucial; but these need to be supported by further definition of what information supply chain partners need and how this can be presented consistently by product suppliers. I’ll illustrate this using a customer satisfaction approach.
As we know, on any construction project the client has a set of requirements that need to be met through the delivery of the project, and to support their delivery is a set of information requirements.
In the BIM process these are the Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR). Added to this, members of the supply chain also need information to deliver the project effectively, and to share with others. In the BIM process these are described in the building information modelling Execution Plan (BEP).
The expectation-delivery gap
Without close engagement and accurate definition of what information is required and the level of granularity (element, system, product), there is real potential for a gap between the supply team’s expectations on what information a manufacturer provides and what will be delivered: the expectation-delivery gap.
With a common framework for product information, supply teams will know what to expect, manufacturers will know what to provide as a minimum, and the gap between expectation and delivery is reduced.
With the development of COBie, the Digital Plan of Work and BS 8541 parts 1-6 in the UK, the gap will certainly begin to close where they are applied. To reduce the gap further the BIM4M2 Data Templates Working Group are working closely with other BIM4 Community groups, clients, professional institutes, trade associations and content providers to develop and refine product data templates to enable suppliers to provide information in a consistent format.
There should, and will always be the potential to go further, but the templates will look to set the baseline to support the requirements of a Level 2 building information modelling maturity.
For those supplying products internationally, a common concern is that in developing structured information or objects for the UK, they will need to create different information for use in every region they operate in.
The good news is that with the development of an ISO standard for the building information modelling process, there is the potential to reduce the differences that exist, and by structuring our information in a common digital format, it makes exchange of information across regions much more straightforward.
Furthermore, the BIM4M2 Education Working Group is developing guidance for product manufacturers on the implications of BIM, and how to develop and deliver a BIM strategy that is fit for their business.
If you would like further information on the group, or to get involved please contact us through our website or on the details provided.
Steve Thompson RIBA
Chair
BIM4M2 – BIM4 Manufacturers and Manufacturing
www.linkedin.com/company/bim4m2
