Always work with the right data

The promise of BIM on the construction site has sounded convincing for years. One model, one truth, everyone working with the same information. In practice, however, that promise often gets bogged down in scattered files, USB drives, and differences in interpretation between the office and the field. According to Jeroen Agterberg and Willem Graaumans of SITECH, things can be different. Much different.

“If you look at how work is traditionally done, it’s actually still done locally,” says Agterberg. “Files are shared physically—in the past with drawings posted at the site office, and later with USB drives. That takes time and is prone to errors. And you see the effects of that immediately on the construction site.”

According to him, this approach leads to a familiar problem: delays and frustration. “We call that ‘stagnation and whining.’ Train operators wait for the correct version of the design. Or they go ahead and start anyway, with all the risks that entails. Then you end up off by twenty centimeters. Those are simply failure costs.”

From USB flash drive to data stream

With Trimble WorksManager, this workflow shifts from a local to a centralized approach. Designs are no longer distributed manually but are shared digitally through a single environment in which all parties involved work.

“Just imagine: twenty machines on a project, and a foreman who has to go from machine to machine with a USB drive,” says Agterberg. “That can easily take a quarter of an hour per machine. And if something goes wrong with the file or the structure, it can easily take days before everyone has the correct version.”

Those delays are piling up, especially in projects where changes are constantly being made. “First there’s a change, then another adjustment, and in the meantime, everyone is working with a different version. That’s exactly what you don’t want.”

WorksManager breaks that pattern. “The design is central to the portal and is sent directly to the machines. This prevents those kinds of delays and errors.”

Always the right version

A common concern in the industry is reliability. What if the connection is lost? Will the system still work? “The internet is used to transfer data from the office to the machine. Once the machine has been synchronized via the internet, the files are stored locally on the machine and can be edited.” That makes the system more robust than is often assumed. At the same time, the real challenge lies elsewhere: adoption. “People often still lack the knowledge,” says Graaumans. “They don’t know exactly how it works, so they stay away from it. Then you end up falling back on the old way.”

According to Agterberg, the contractor also bears a clear responsibility in this regard. “It starts at the very beginning of the project. Once you know which machines will be used, you have to make sure they’re all in the same environment. That requires preparation and people who understand that. Ultimately, it’s about the operator knowing exactly what to do. And you can only achieve that if the information in the machine is complete and accurate.”

Data as a New Prerequisite

It is striking that technical capabilities have now surpassed client demand. For example, it is already possible to send real-time data from machines back to the office, including as-built information. “Those solutions are available,” says Agterberg. “But demand is still limited. Clients often still request a 2D revision. As a result, that 3D information remains unused.”

He even refers to a ‘2D gateway’ that data must pass through. “A lot of money is spent upfront on measurements and scans, but only limited information reaches the parties carrying out the work. That hinders development.”

According to Graaumans, there is a clear role for clients here. “If you really want BIM to work, you have to make those data streams available and put them to use.”

Graaumans perhaps sums it up most aptly with a real-world example. “Contractors know exactly how to arrange for diesel or electricity. That’s always in the plan. But how does the data get onto the machines? That’s often still a case of ”let’s just get started and see how it goes.“” According to him, that needs to change. “Data is just as essential as fuel. If you don’t organize it properly, your project will grind to a halt.”