ENGINEERING.com recently featured Thomas in an article detailing the approaches Building Product Manufacturers (BPMs) are taking to respond to building information modeling (BIM), a new process for designing and constructing commercial buildings.
The article, titled "One Building Product Manufacturer's Path to BIM Compliance," explains the changing software tools and processes that Architects, Engineers, and Contractors are using as they utilize BIM for their building projects. As building owners demand cost savings and increased efficiencies from their projects, these AEC professionals are faced with an increasing need for manufacturer-specific product information in the BIM format they use.
This has created a growing demand for multi-format BIM data directly from the manufacturers of building products. Third-party solutions like Thomas help BPMs respond to their clients’ needs through a content management platform which can deliver multiple CAD and BIM formats generated dynamically from a consistently maintained database.
The Challenge
Plumbing component manufacturer, Uponor, was seeking a way to comply with the industry shift towards BIM and create an advantage over their competition; high quality, up-to-date product information in the right BIM format is the key to getting specified and winning deals.
In the past, the company manually created CAD and BIM models to satisfy its customers, but these models lived in static files, lacked metadata, and were difficult to update as the volume of products grew and changes in BIM became more frequent. A more sustainable approach to creating and, most importantly, maintaining a BIM library was needed.
“Manufacturers too often see this as simply a data problem for the Engineering team,” said David Bandi, Director of AEC/BIM Solutions at Thomas. “ Responding to customer demands for BIM data is actually a Sales & Marketing problem that drives brand, customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.
Manufacturers like Uponor often try to save time by creating static models in-house or through small service providers. This works fine when the product library is small, however as the number of individual files, formats and industry standards begin to multiply, the creation and maintenance challenge becomes a nightmare. The only way to deliver consistent quality and the multiple formats customers need is through a database approach.
The Solution
To address the needs of BPMs like Uponor, Thomas developed a comprehensive BIM content platform that captures and stores a client’s geometry and metadata in a cloud-based eCatalog. The BPM’s customers can search their site through Thomas’ Navigator Program and generate the CAD or BIM models they need, on-the-fly, based on the latest information maintained in the centralized database.
Specific features of the Thomas BIM Solution include:
- The ability to generate dynamic models for more than 28 industry standard file formats including Revit, DWG, ProE, SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD MEP, STEP, SAT, and IGES.
- Create customized models in real time with the most up-to-date data, eliminating the need to manage multiple formats of static files.
- Libraries are available on the BPMs website within a powerful search engine for easy discovery, comparison and configuration.
- Provides metadata such as part numbers, performance characteristics, and relevant building standards codes (e.g. OmniClass, COBie).
The Results
Since Uponor began utilizing the Thomas solution about two years ago, management has noticed the company and its customers can manage product information much more easily. The database approach saves time and labor by eliminating the need to create each new model from scratch. Instead, customers can browse the site and download the most up-to-date specs every time.
“It’s all based on one consistent set of geometry and metadata that we control and maintain,” said Mike Rivers, Design Services Manager at Uponor. “More importantly, we are confident that we our meeting the BIM data needs of our customers to make Uponor products easy to work with.”
Thomas has connected manufacturers to their specifying and buying communities for nearly 120 years. We understand the importance of adapting to industry changes and turning static product information into a digital competitive advantage. To learn more about the growing need for BIM compliance, we invite you to read the full article on ENGINEERING.com.
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