Reims-based Gayet SA has been using Trimble Connect and Trimble Nova since 2017. This family-owned company, which has been in existence since 1911, is used to taking on new challenges to stay in the race. The BIM challenge is more topical than ever. Meet Hugues Bellanger, design office technician at Gayet SA.
In over 110 years of existence, Gayet SA has seen more than a century of technical and technological revolutions in the construction industry. With 180 employees, the family-run company based in Tinqueux, in the Marne region of France, boasts skills in a wide range of fields: HVAC, roofing, general electricity, plumbing, scaffolding, waterproofing, maintenance... Know-how is passed down from generation to generation, but also through the use of new technologies, essential for staying one step ahead of the competition and achieving maximum efficiency.
Hugues Bellanger has been a sales manager at Gayet SA for 12 years. For him, one of the advantages of this company is its family feel: "We're not subject to the constraints of a large group. I can go and see my CEO down the hall, without having to go through intermediaries. We're flexible in the way we operate It's a dynamic which, he believes, enables Gayet to make the decisions needed to stay on track. That's how BIM arrived at this company back in 2017.
Turning the corner on BIM with Trimble
In 2017, Gayet SA was faced with a realization: "We were faced with public and private tenders in which the need to provide digital mock-ups was emerging," explains Hugues Bellanger. "It was this situation that motivated us to turn to BIM. We had concrete needs in order to remain competitive. "
That same year, a small group consisting of Mr Bellanger, Mr Muzelet, department manager, and Mr Dreyer, in charge of plumbing, set up within the company to determine which solution would be the most suitable. " We put out a call for tenders with three technical solutions, and met with the companies to weigh up the pros and cons," sums up the project manager. Trimble's proposal quickly proved to be the most interesting for Gayet SA.
"What drew us to Trimble was the open BIM aspect, the fact that it was more open than our competitors' systems. We didn't want to use closed software."
That's how the company acquired licenses for Trimble Nova, CAD modeling software for HVAC, plumbing and electrical projects, and Trimble Connect, a cloud-based collaborative solution for the construction industry. Last year, the company switched to subscription formulas."the good thing about subscription is that each user has access to his or her own license," explains the sales manager.
However, Hugues Bellanger admits that while the choice of Trimble was an obvious one, it did take some time to adapt. "I had 15 years' experience with AutoCAD and Autofluid. I had to forget the methodologies I knew and learn Trimble's." The project manager was able to count on the help of Trimble's technical support teams to assist him in this transition. "They respond quickly when we have questions, which is a real asset." For some of his colleagues who had no previous experience in the field, the approach was simplified: "For a design office technician just starting out, I think it's easier to get started with Trimble Nova than with other products," says Mr. Bellanger.
BIM, an asset for professionals and customers alike
Hugues Bellanger emphasizes the graphic side of Trimble Nova, but also the ability to modify data in real time. "Before, we used to make our drawings on a software program and our calculation notes on an Excel sheet. The reality in the field meant that we had to make every change on both the drawing and the calculation note. But we quickly lost the rhythm of updating only the graphic part. "
Trimble's software greatly simplified the situation. "With Trimble Nova, it's magical: any changes you make to the file are automatically applied. It has given us a rigor in the files that didn't exist before."
Rigor, precision, but also enhanced communication. Mr. Bellanger uses the example of a project carried out for Plurial, a player in the multi-family housing sector. "The client didn't have any CAD software. We used Trimble Nova and Trimble Connect to put her in the loop to make work singularities." On a regular basis, Gayet SA teams send customers an overview of progress with annotations. "The customer was very happy, because she didn't have any software. It gave her a better understanding. Without software, she would just draw little freehand sketches to suggest modifications. It was less practical!"
Using Trimble Nova, the design office was able to model the entire Montana project, a senior residence comprising 130 apartments. " The Trimble Nova architecture module helped us enormously," explains Hugues Bellanger.
"We used it to successfully see problems that hadn't come up during the design phase, and solved them without difficulty."
For Gayet's technician, Trimble's tools provide the clarity and flexibility that are essential today. But that's not all: "Customers see us as a much more serious company, because we know how to provide elements and solutions to problems. Trimble Connect also enables us to work more collaboratively, compared with 2D plans that are drawn by hand."
Unlike traditional paper plans, Trimble Connect enables the company to communicate in real time about changes made, which are easily transmitted remotely. "We bring added value to the customer thanks to Trimble Connect. The software gives access to a free viewer in the cloud, which we use in our operating files," explains the design office technician.
The art of making Trimble tools your own
As Mr Bellanger assures us, Gayet SA could never go back in time without Trimble Connect and Trimble Nova. Today, eight people use these tools within the company, and they are constantly looking to push the software's boundaries. "We're currently working on a hotel in a former wine cooperative with cellars. To be able to represent the vaulted cellars, we have hijacked the object of a roof within Trimble Nova," he explains.
In addition, Gayet SA's teams don't hesitate to multiply the use of Trimble software: "We have a scaffolding department on our premises. To create their structures, my colleagues use Sketchup with the scaffolding manufacturer's plugin. The result is then integrated into the project within Trimble Nova. We were able to create a gateway to integrate our elements." Further proof that it's possible to push back the limits of BIM, as long as you're curious and take ownership of the tools. " We love it," sums up Hugues Bellanger. "We try to make our lives as easy as possible. When we have a problem or a question, we call Trimble's technical support team to find the solution," he sums up.
Gayet SA, a century-old company looking to the future
The will to innovate appears to be the driving force behind Gayet SA, as the business manager sums up. "The company has been around since 1911, so I think our system is tried and tested. But it knows how to evolve with the times, and I think that's perfect. Ultimately, it's a virtuous circle, and that's clearly what we're trying to value." Heading for the next 100 years?
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