Since 2016, engineering firm Peter Kapitanov in Chemnitz has been using Tekla Model Sharing from Trimble, a cloud solution that supports users of the BIM software Tekla Structures in collaborating with colleagues and project partners.
Founded in 1997 by Peter Kapitanov, the engineering office now has a total of seven employees. The small office places great emphasis on flexibility: the managing director and two of his employees work in the Chemnitz office or from home, while four other colleagues are based in Bulgaria and the USA and support the office from there. The focus is on projects in the field of steel structures: From project planning, modeling and partial static calculation to elaboration (including complete documentation submission, parts list drawings and NC data).
Switch to BIM software solution
In 2006, Peter Kapitanov decided to switch to the BIM software Tekla Structures: "We realized that we had to switch to BIM software quickly. If we hadn't looked around for another solution back then, the train would have left the station without us." The client also encouraged us to switch to Tekla solutions. In recent years, data exchange has also become increasingly important. The office initially used the multi-user mode, the precursor to the cloud solution, and purchased its first model sharing license in 2016. Today, there are already seven of them and demand continues to grow. Although the office is one of the smaller offices with seven employees, it manages a wide variety of project types and sizes - thanks to Tekla Model Sharing.
"With Tekla Model Sharing, as a very small office we can not only handle more projects, but also larger ones. Since we started using the cloud solution, doors have opened for us that were otherwise closed," says a delighted Peter Kapitanov. "In the past, for example, we had to cancel projects with very tight deadlines that could not be completed by three people in such a short space of time. Thanks to the cloud solution, we now work much more efficiently, as several people can work on the same model independently of each other," he continues.
With Tekla Model Sharing, as a very small office we can not only handle more projects, but also larger ones. Since we started using the cloud solution, doors have opened for us that were otherwise closed.
Peter Kapitanov, Managing Director, Ingenieurbüro Peter Kapitanov
Save time and costs
At the beginning, the collaboration with our colleagues in Bulgaria was very time-consuming. In order to be able to work together on a model, the employees in Germany had to pack the model after the work was done, export it and make it available to their colleagues. Not only very time-consuming, but also inefficient. With the multi-user solution, things looked very different. However, transferring, saving and importing the data took a very long time. For better collaboration, the Bulgarian colleagues even came to Germany from time to time. With the Tekla model sharing solution, such challenges are a thing of the past. Everyone works on the same 3D model - in different places and at different times: “It's a shame that a solution like this didn't exist 20 years ago!”
Current data at any time
Model sharing is not only extremely practical when collaborating with colleagues and project partners. It also makes it much easier to present models to customers on site: "If we want to show the model at a customer meeting, we don't have to download the model data beforehand. We simply open the cloud and the relevant model. Without a lot of preparation and a bulky handling solution. The data is always up-to-date and immediately available," explains Peter Kapitanov.
The cloud solution is also proving extremely useful for small projects. “Recently, we have often received orders where the client's employees have fallen ill.” To avoid wasting valuable time, the engineering office receives the model to be worked on via the cloud. The colleagues then continue working where the absent employee last left off.
This enables the office to increase its efficiency and productivity in a wide variety of situations when working on a Tekla 3D model and to make collaboration with colleagues and external project partners smoother and more flexible.
Find out more about Tekla Model Sharing on our product page and read in the topic stream how other customers work with the cloud solution.
