When it comes to BIM, many construction companies feel that it is an approach that is more commonly used on government projects or larger businesses in the public sector. While this may have been true in the past, as larger companies tended to adopt BIM first, there is a risk that smaller companies may miss out on the benefits it can bring. In fact, they would be better investing fully in BIM as soon as they can in order to gain from all of the advantages it can bring.

In this article, we will look at BIM in regards to small and medium construction companies, including its benefits and the challenges that SMEs may face when adopting it as an approach.

The benefits of BIM for SMEs

As a BIM company, we are well aware of the benefits of BIM for bigger companies and government projects – and in fact, they are the same as the benefits for SMEs:

#1 Better Continuity

Using a streamlined workflow is at the heart of BIM as it supports the entire process of the building lifecycle. This means that everything from the design of the building through the construction to the demolition (many years down the line) can be documented and updated in one central location. The benefit of this is that no data is lost, and there is a smooth and clear journey throughout the entire project.

#2 Enhanced Communication

The use of BIM makes communicating with clients much easier too – especially when there are difficult concepts to explain and grasp. The use of BIM helps information to be presented in an interactive format which can help everyone get up to speed quickly. Also, the fact that everything is updated in real-time also means that even the smallest of changes are communicated straight away and nothing gets missed.

#3 Greater Collaboration

Thanks to its cloud functionality, BIM allows for greater collaboration between all members of the team, no matter your business size. Designs can be viewed and reviewed in real-time, and the history of a project is stored securely so there is no need to worry about losing any files or files becoming corrupt either.

#4 Improved Visualisation

3D Modeling is a large part of BIM, and what this enables companies to do is to visualise the whole design before the first brick is even laid. This not only makes it easier to communicate with the client but also any potential issues can be spotted and solved before they become expensive.

#5 More Cost-effective

One of the main stumbling blocks when it comes to SMEs investing in BIM is they feel that the cost of it will be prohibitive, but actually, if they think about it in a long-term way it is actually a very cost-effective solution. This is mostly due to the fact that clash detection helps to avoid costly mistakes at the construction phase. BIM also does away with the need for a large amount of documentation and so there is no need to worry about duplicated processes either.

BIM adoption can be an overwhelming thought for SMEs, but there is no need for any worry. The CAD Room can act as your outsourced partner acting as an external department which will be managed in a way which suits your company procedures and standards. The great thing about this is that we can flex our service to you to match with the peaks and troughs you have in your business – allowing you to maximise the opportunity while keeping costs manageable.

If you would like to find out more about our outsourced BIM and CAD services, please get in touch with us on 0161 427 0348 or drop us an email to office@thecadroom.com