IBE Generalplanung specializes in the comprehensive management of construction projects. With a wide range of services, the company takes on all stages of a construction project for its customers, from the design to coordination on the construction site, and also acts as a central point of contact for all parties involved.
The origins of the Baden-Württemberg-based company date back to the 1990s. The company has long relied on modern software solutions for successful and efficient project management. However, a lot has happened since the company was founded and in order to keep pace with the changes in the construction industry, project processes also need to evolve. By integrating a common data environment such as Trimble Connect, the company is further optimizing its work processes and ensuring smooth collaboration both within the team and with external partners.
IBE works with a permanent team of specialist planners and covers a wide range of construction projects: "We are very well positioned and implement a wide variety of projects, from laboratories and bus depots to medical centers, event centers and classic commercial and industrial projects. Our focus is on tailor-made solutions, for which our 20 or so employees familiarize themselves very specifically with the respective requirements and needs of new projects," explains Jannis Eberhard, Managing Director at IBE.
Working more successfully with Open BIM
In order to master the complex challenges of a general planner, it was clear to IBE early on that a common data environment as a central, cloud-based data platform was essential. The necessary information is available to all project participants at all times.
Before introducing a CDE platform, the company used various software solutions for planning and coordinating its construction projects. The starting point of the discovery and decision-making process at IBE was a new project for which a solution was needed that consolidated various models on one platform. In the course of this, the IBE employees carefully evaluated various solutions. "Rarely do all parties involved use the same software. So we had to look for a suitable platform that supported the open BIM approach," recalls Maximilian Stengel, project manager at IBE. For IBE, the decision to use Trimble Connect had not only a technical but also a strategic background. "If you want to successfully implement BIM in the construction industry, there is no way around Open BIM," says Abdulaziz Noah, BIM Manager at IBE.
"Trimble Connect is very user-friendly and we liked it straight away. It's now impossible to imagine everyday project work without the tool. The simple visualization, the fast data processing, or the fact that I can display the model transparently in order to obtain the desired sectional view - that impresses clients and specialist planners alike," says Maximilian Stengel. It was particularly important for IBE to be able to define its own workflows and to ensure that the platform can be optimally integrated into project processes. The first step was therefore to determine what the typical project workflow would look like and when Trimble Connect would be integrated into the process, particularly with regard to collaboration with external partners.
"The quality of our models and plans has improved significantly thanks to Trimble Connect, as everyone can now view the current planning status and exchange information."
Abdulaziz Noah, BIM Manager at IBE
During the project, the main communication takes place via Trimble Connect, in particular the exchange of information with the specialist planners. "The quality of our models and plans has improved significantly thanks to Trimble Connect, as everyone can now see the current planning status and exchange information. This wasn't always the case before and our specialist planners benefit greatly from this transparency and overview in the project," says Abdulaziz Noah.
Efficiency in the office and on the construction site
Even in the office, planners benefit from the functions of the CDE. Using Trimble Connect eliminates the need to store data multiple times and creates a single source of truth, which improves transparency and efficiency in project management. A continuous log also makes it easy for everyone involved to track all activities in the project and an effective task management tool ensures easier communication and collaboration.
"Added to this is the component-oriented communication and the ability to discuss information, such as individual component parameters, in detail. This is a great advantage because the flow of information at the end of a large project is often so extensive that problems have to be discussed very specifically and precisely. If it is clear exactly what the issue is, we can work more productively," says Abdulaziz Noah. Trimble Connect has functionalities such as coordination views, an organizer function and a task function for this purpose. These are designed to improve collaboration between project teams, establish efficient workflows and facilitate the exchange of information about specific components.
In the past, the construction site was a strictly separate location from the planning office. If changes were made to the planning at short notice, these did not always arrive reliably on the construction site. Thanks to CDE, everyone involved has access to the current planning status at all times, even in the field, and can quickly and efficiently clarify open questions between the office and the construction site. The workflow on the construction site as a whole has become more agile, especially thanks to the notification of changes to the planning and the ability to work directly in the model.
Mastering the challenges of the construction industry
"For me as a project manager, the flood of data - in planning, in the model and in correspondence - and the associated task management is one of the biggest challenges," says Maximilian Stengel. With an adaptable CDE and solutions for document management, efficient collaboration and an optimized data flow can be achieved. "The pressure from clients is extremely high. A 'zero-error culture' is required. Of course, this is not possible, but our aim is to create the greatest possible transparency in terms of costs, model status and construction progress for the client and everyone involved." This also includes giving clients access to visually tangible project overviews in order to maintain the exchange of information and reduce time-consuming status reports.
For IBE Generalplanung, the implementation of BIM often means additional work, especially in the early service phases of a project. "For us, BIM still often means that we have to work in advance. The proportions of the phases are shifting, as a large part is already planned in service phase 3, which was previously located in service phase 5. Together with our specialist planners, we need to become even more efficient here, step by step. Nevertheless, BIM offers added value for everyone involved and is now required in major projects," says Jannis Eberhard. In order to remain competitive and meet the increased requirements of its customers and the construction industry, there is no way around BIM-based work processes and the use of suitable software tools for the company.
This article first appeared in Bautechnik from Ernst & Sohn (August 2024 issue). Image source: IBE Generalplanung GmbH
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