Despite the fast approaching deadline, the industry is still debating whether the government’s mandate that all centrally-funded work should use building information modelling (BIM) at least to Level 2 by 2016 is achievable.
But where the mandate is succeeding is in making firms of all sizes – from small architectural practices to large construction corporates – take a long hard look at their processes and workflow.
Aside from the clever technology behind it, BIM is all about improved streamlining and collaboration. It’s also about moving to a digital workflow and reducing the amount of paper throughout the design/build cycle and supply chain.
However, for many companies in the construction ecosystem, the paperless office is still a long way off – and at some stages along the process plans, maps, bills of materials, invoices and other documentation will need to be printed.
In an article entitled Are You BIM Ready? What your business needs to do before 2016, National Building Specification (NBS) gives a list of steps to take to prepare for BIM. As it happens, these correspond to the stages we work through with clients who take up our managed print services – assessing the existing situation, reviewing current workload, defining future goals and so on.
Of course we are print, not BIM, experts, but it struck me that while a company is going through a time of reassessment and change, it’s a good time to consider updating print estate alongside other functions. Many businesses in the industry are opting for a managed print services approach and a chosen partner will manage the audit phase before making their recommendations.
Working with a vendor such as OKI, companies can consolidate their printing function into one contract covering hardware, consumables, maintenance and support while taking advantage of some the huge strides in print and document management and in print quality made over the past few years. There are many benefits of working this way, not least that the service can expand alongside the business without the need for large capital investments. Instead, customers pay a regular fee as part of this one all-inclusive contract.
For example, the robust and resilient MC800 series fits comfortably in the corner of any site office, while helping to rationalise paper flow with functions such as scan or fax to email. Printers from this range offer the reliability of OKI’s digital LED technology, together with the added functionality and performance of more costly and complex copier-based devices.
This series is part of our range of smart multifunction printers. They include embedded software to allow site managers, visitors and estimators alike to capture documents on a smartphone or table and distribute them either directly to the company network, email, fax, or home, or on to third party products such as SharePoint, Google Drive or Dropbox. At the same time, mobile printing is supported by the Explorer app which enables site visitors to print from their mobile or tablet.
Also, the move to BIM won’t take away the need for marketing materials, admin surrounding land purchases and the growing need for public consultations. So for high-end work, the MC800s could be complemented by the OKI C931 A3 colour printer, which offers exceptional print quality down to 1 pt font level. This model can play a dual role, printing on demand any size and level of document from A3 plans and drawings to marketing collateral, banners and posters on a range of media.
Working alongside print experts in this way can have one final advantage – it enables the business to focus on evolving and enhancing their use of BIM while making sure they still have the right operational tools in place elsewhere.
Andrew Hall, Marketing Manager, Oki Systems UK
For further details contact OKI now at http://www.okismartprinters.co.uk/contact-us.aspx.
For more information see www.oki.co.uk
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LinkedIn: Andrew Hall, Marketing Manager
