Workflow Solutions
As a Founder and Partner in ReproMAX (www.repromax.com), the largest group of independent reprographic companies in the world, BarkerBlue utilizes the ReproMAX DFS electronic planroom solution to host and manage construction project information. BarkerBlue's renowned Digital Asset Department sets up custom project portals in which team members have access to the latest plans when and where needed. DFS' notification and tracking capabilities ensures process integrity and version control. DFS' custom Plan Room allows searching, viewing, downloading, and ordering plans for posted projects, and facilitates plan distribution, team notifications, and information tracking. It also contains digital tools which significantly reduce the need for our clients to order prints. BarkerBlue accepts data in all native formats and converts to an all-PDF workflow for collaboration and project management functions. We are currently hosting over 11,000 construction projects in DFS.
PDM 3.0 is an efficient and sustainable approach to managing project information, contacts and complex documentation through the project lifecycle; from concept to closeout. The result is a more efficient project workflow that helps companies increase productivity, reduce project costs, mitigate risks, and boost profits.
The PDM 3.0 Suite is an interoperable document management tool designed specifically for construction professionals. It is designed to foster rapid, efficient and accountable communication between owners, architects, general contractors, subcontractors, and construction support channels throughout the life of the project.
PDM 3.0 provides the power of an application and the power of the web in a single system, plus it is integrated with the best-in-class industry solutions, including McGraw-Hill Construction's Dodge Network and Meridian's Prolog.
BIM technology has proven to be a powerful tool on many of our clients' projects. However, it rarely lives up to its potential on large, complex projects simply because the Owner, GC, and subs often have different BIM packages. As a result, BIM is done in certain areas of the project but is rarely shared among as many team members as it could be. The project is completed in 3 dimensions, but still planned, largely, in only 2.
After observing our clients deal with this coordination issue for the past 6 years, we, along with ReproMAX (www.repromax.com), the largest group of independent reprographers in the world, of which BarkerBlue is a founding Partner, sought out a technology partner which had a proven solution in the BIM hosting space. We selected Asite (www.asite.com), which has been providing cloud-based hosting and collaboration services on massive construction projects throughout Europe and Asia for over 10 years. RMT, the technology arm of ReproMAX, worked with Asite engineers to integrate our platforms and the result is a powerful system called cMAX Collaborative Building Information Model (cBIM). BarkerBlue is an authorized Channel Partner.
To address the chief hosting challenge of integrating different BIM packages, the cBIM solution has the ability to store Industry Foundation Class (IFC) files. These are the building blocks of all BIM applications. Therefore, models from the leading BIM creation tools such as Autodesk Revit, Bentley Architecture and other BIM, CAD, cost estimation, simulation, scheduling, and analysis software can be used to create and edit models stored with cBIM Manager.
cBIM Manager stores all versions of every discipline's models. This allows each team member to share their part of the overall BIM with their project partners and merge their model into an overall project model, truly creating the Single Building Model, containing input from ALL parties. As well as centrally storing the models, cBIM allows team members to use the included 3D Viewer to walk through the model in an immersive 3D visualization and access the rich data contained in the BIM database. They can click on an object such as a door and access all of the information stored for that door within the BIM. They can also search and group components within the model in the Component Basket and automatically generate items like Bill of Quantities (BOQ), Schedules, and even links into Componentry Catalogs, which enables procurement (eProcurement, to be precise, another major module of this technology, with over one billion transactions to date).
As befits BarkerBlue's mission of always providing Risk Management to its clients, cBIM offers a comprehensive audit trail of all changes made to each component of the model. Essentially, we act as the librarian for a massive file. That file size, which, taken in whole, has prevented true cloud sharing of BIM for our clients in the past, is broken into pieces by the technology. Each team member "checks out" their part of the model and then checks it back in with revisions. We are tracking all of that metadata. This frees up the team to truly collaborate rather than trying to design in isolation. The resulting interoperability among team members offers a real opportunity to achieve true Integrated Project Delivery (IPD).
RevLine drawings and RevLine document sets provide a unique ability to identify changes with a high degree of accuracy in a minimal amount of time. Instead of manually comparing two drawings, detail-by-detail and dimension-by-dimension, simply request a RevLine drawing and the changes are highlighted for you.
While the ability to capture changes in digital files has existed for years, RevLine is the only application that clarifies those changes for document consumers - the professionals that must plan, build and manufacture from electronic and or paper documents.
Benefits:
Contractors and Subcontractors
- Reduce liability and mistakes. Capture and track all project changes whether or not they are clearly noted on the revised documents.
- Save time. Manually comparing drawings typically consumes 15-20 percent of a project manager's time. RevLine drawings make the changes immediately apparent and streamline information flow among project members.
Construction Information Managers
- Add value to the construction process. Your involvement in change management and communication makes you an important partner in the construction process.
- Create value with color. Highlighting what changed saves your customers time and helps them focus on understanding the impact of changes - not identifying them. RevLine documents demonstrate how color can assist the construction process.
- Differentiate through your core competency. RevLine document services illustrate your understanding and ability to impact key construction processes. RevLine output enables conversations with higher level customer contacts and gives you a simple tool to show how your services can improve the control and presentation of key project data.
Owners
- Create transparency. RevLine clearly identifies and tracks project changes, which helps avoid mis-communication and finger pointing.
- Save project time. Back and forth communication and discussion on large impact changes can take days or weeks. RevLine drawings make the changes immediately apparent and allow the project team to focus on implementing them.
Architects and Engineers
- Improve the end product. Use RevLine services as a part of the quality control process to ensure the all changes are clearly depicted.
- Clarify changes. RevLine documents can assist with partner communication during design, and can improve communication flow during construction. Increase the clarity of changes to the entire construction team allowing for tighter collaboration and a well-executed project.
OST Technology
BarkerBlue's online planroom technology, DFS, has a dynamic integration with the leading company in the on-screen take-off space, OnCenter Systems (www.oncenter.com). All of the drawings in BarkerBlue's portals are enabled with OnCenter's product tool set. The contractors and other project stakeholders can measure areas and length by just pointing and clicking their mouse. This enables bid responses to be completed an estimated 2 to 3 times faster than without this system. It also eliminates the need to order and ship prints. Since we have offered the OST integration, the amount of orders from subs has decreased significantly, as most of them were ordering one complete set to then scan and upload into their take-off programs.Finally, our OST integration offers significant risk mitigation. If at any point in the estimator's work on the drawing that drawing is updated, the screen will flash to notify the estimator of the revision. The estimator can then stop wasting time on the old information and begin working on the new information immediately.
