How BIM's Potential Can Only Be Unlocked When Combined with Automation

Nevertheless, construction companies have begun integrating new technologies gradually. The push for digitalization is accelerating, and although many in the industry still remain skeptical and hesitant about the shift to new technologies in a sector that has traditionally been bricks and mortar, the time has come for them to develop a true digital strategy. However, to truly harness the power of digitization, companies must also embrace automation.

One area of digitization that should prove particularly fruitful for the construction sector is the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM). It is a process of creating and modeling information for the entire lifecycle of a construction project, from planning and design to construction and operations. BIM allows for sharing, collaborating, and versioning what paper drawing sets cannot provide. Schedules can be planned more accurately and communicated more effectively, and improved coordination helps projects to be completed on time or ahead of schedule. Ensuring that the right information is available at the right time is essential for successfully completing a project with a high level of quality. Although a McKinsey study found that 75% of companies that have adopted the BIM system have reported positive returns on their investments, in many regions of the world, BIM adoption is low. Why is this? One of the main reasons is that BIM alone does not save a significant amount of time and does not save a substantial amount of money, as it still requires the same manual input as a typical construction project, with or without BIM.

However, the key to using BIM optimally and unlocking its full potential is to use it in combination with automation. BIM integrated into an automated system can save construction companies money and improve quality in countless ways. ObraLink is at the forefront of this optimization, using BIM in combination with an automated system. ObraLink utilizes a ciBot with IoT, computer vision, and infrared imaging as its core technology; this enables the automatic acquisition of construction project data and, as a result, automates project management. The ciBot allows for real-time monitoring of concrete strength measurements for pouring, formwork, and reinforcement, along with feeding data to the ObraLink platform where a variety of essential KPIs (concreting rates per week, execution time of each floor, and construction speed) are displayed. All this crucial information is integrated into BIM and thus enables project managers and key personnel to monitor progress in real-time.

In conclusion, unlike other companies offering project digitization or concrete measurement without automation, ObraLink offers something unique, a service that unleashes the full potential of digitization. The result is a solution that reduces costs, decreases construction time, and reduces the risk of human error.