Lester Buildings - Documented Discovery

Documented Discovery  Prepared for Prepared by Lester Buildings Autodesk Anson Meador Jay Konigsbauer Engineer Autodesk Territory Manager [email protected] [email protected] Fernando  Lima Technical Specialist  [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS Lester Buildings Business Objective Process Improvement What We H eard Current \"as-is\" Workflow Summary Solution Recommendations What We Recommend  Proposed \"to-be\" Workflow Summary Value Justification Return on Investment (ROI)  Recommended Prioritization Next Steps Lester Buildings Lester Buildings is a leading pole barn manufacturer. Since 1947, Lester prefabricated pole barns have dotted the landscape of rural America. To date, over 150,000 Lester pole barns have been erected nationwide. Quality, functionality and affordability are very important to the company. Looking to stay ahead of competition Lester have invested in infrastructure and automation of design processes and fabrication, now it's time to take the next step into the future of prefabricated pole barns. 

Business Objective The main objective for Lester is modernization of the design tools looking to get prepared for the coming challenges of the future and get ready for growth.  investments in design and production software will enable gains in efficiency for design and production while eliminating rework and improving quality of the final product.  The base for the efficiency gains is Autodesk Revit and it's Building Information Modeling (BIM), an intelligent 3D model-based process that gives architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. One of the main features of BIM is leveraging of a database of components of the building with associated parameter and physical properties, that allows for integration with other systems for seamless transition of data.  The second component for the modernization is addition of the power of cloud services through BIM 360.  BIM 360 is a unified platform connecting your project teams and data in real-time, from design through construction, supporting informed decision-making and leading to more predictable and profitable outcomes. This platform enables document management and seamless collaboration of team in different locations, supports paperless workflows for prefabrication and construction.  The same platform has another important component called Autodesk Forge. This service enables data integration between different systems, Autodesk also offers more than 70 integrations with ERP and other data and process management tools.  Forge is a set of cloud services that connects construction workflows with visualization, engineering, and design. The platform consists of web-service application program interfaces (APIs) that developers leverage for showcasing, data management, model derivatives, and design automation while also focusing on emerging BIM technologies. 

Process Improvement What We Heard Observations Risks/Issues Design process is mostly based on 2D AutoCAD AutoCAD will not provide great data integration Internal tools used for other components with other systems and will not provide gains in Integration with Epicor ERP, Improv database efficiency Dependent of AutoCAD and not completely seamless, not ready for scale  ERP handles part of material list and components which might be hard to update and does not offer customization Current \"as-is\" Workflow Summary In the current workflow most of the design is done in 2D using AutoCAD as the main tool, from AutoCAD some information is extracted to generate columns shop drawings, metal panels layout and roof panel layout.  Trusses are design and fabricated using Mitek equipment and software.  Other parts of the building and orders are handled by custom integrations and the Epicor system.  While fairly integrated the process still has a lot of \"moving parts\" put together and might present a bottleneck for scaling production and growth. 

Solution Recommendations What We Recommend  Revit and Building Information Modeling are proven tools to enable prefabrication, the 3d model based process and data integration allow for increased design efficiency and enable repetitive work to be automated, easy quantification of materials and parts allow for accurate takeoffs and data export.  Revit also has multiple option for design automation and data connection with other tools, one of these options is Dynamo, which is a graphical programming interface that allows access to Revit's API's and possibility to extract information on a deeper level.  The last piece of the recommendation is the addition of the power of cloud services for document management, collaboration and construction tracking and management. Those services are available on BIM 360 and can be added as needed and provide excellent tools for scalability and completely supported by mobile devices, providing access to project data and 3D models anytime, anywhere.  Observations Recommendations Revit and Building Information Modeling BIM 360 Platform Revit is used as a platform for design and data export Autodesk Forge Integration BIM 360 offers document management, design collaboration and construction management on a mobile friendly platform Forge is the key to creation of a fully integrated system that will allow design automation and data management Proposed \"to-be\" Workflow Summary In the proposed workflow Revit is the platform that will provide accurate 3D models, production documentation and data connection that will feed other systems including ERP, accounting, inventory, etc.  AutoCAD can still be a part of production and DWG details can still be used in Revit, making the transition easier.  Data connection can happen in 3 ways and our recommendation is a phased approach where data integration will improve over time, Microsoft Excel or CSV files can be easily exported from Revit with the necessary building elements information, the CSV file can then be imported or parsed for consumption by other system like ERP or inventory for example.  The second method, or second phase would the use of Dynamo to extract data from Revit and create customized Excel sheets, this data link between Revit and Excel can be dynamic and changes made in Excel can affect Revit and vice versa. This is only a small portion of what Dynamo can do. 

Below there's a good example of this use:  The ideal method is building a custom integration of Revit data and BIM 360 to create a system using Forge APi's to derive data from the models and generate all necessary documentation and provide data integration to other systems like ERP in the cloud, no need for manual inputs or exports.  The integration can be built on top of Forge and as a follow up from a previous call there are a few examples of possibilities and options for creating customized apps using different option for programming language.  T utorials for different programing languages Forge code samples To complete the workflow BIM 360 Docs provides document management and version control of files, it is also a platform that allow the use of tablets or monitors on the shop floor where 2D and 3D information can be displayed, this paperless method reduces the time information needs to get to the shop floors, no matter how far, to make sure the fabricators have the latest information and drawings, this also supports real time collaboration for markups and issues. 

BIM 360 Design allows for multiple users to edit Revit files at the same time, even when they are in different offices, this tool gives access to Revit files anytime anywhere and can publish the latest Revit models to BIM 360 Docs.  Lastly, BIM 360 Build can handle RFI's, submittals and checklists for quality, safety and commissioning, all in one place and completely integrated.  

Value Justification There are benefits we can list here that go beyond efficiency and quality gains, which are fairly straightforward to measure. The most important benefit is being ready for future developments and growth of the company. We can align this value as an strategic investment for the future.  On the other hand, efficiency gains when adopting BIM are reported to be up to 40%, in this example we can stay on the lower end of the spectrum and consider a gain of 20%, that would represent savings of $125,000 considering 5 designers at an average of $60/h over a period of one year. This alone could offset the investments,but we also have the improvement of quality on project which would be easily translated into less errors and rework. That happens due to the 3D models being used as the data source and automated generation of drawings. Avoiding errors can easily save another few thousands per year.  Return on Investment (ROI)  We could estimate roughly a return on investment between 2 and 3 years, considering a project of this magnitude takes about an year for implementation and gains start to be observed about 6 months after the process started.  A better ROI study can be created once we have more definition of the costs and the expected outcomes.  Recommended Prioritization Near-Term Needs Medium-Term Improvements Potential Ultimate State Revit adoption Design automation Online configurator BIM 360 expansion Online tracking tool Training and standards Dynamo integration Forge integration  Excel exports

Next Steps Suggested next steps are as follows:  Evaluation of Improv database and Epicor ERP integration into Revit Get detailed workflow and ROI information from Master Graphics  Quote for for training, licensing and custom programing of Forge integration Budgeting and planning for phased implementation approach