There’s no question that emerging, advanced technologies can help transform the industry for today’s electrical contractors. In his NECA seminar, Lawrence Smith, vice president and general manager of Trimble’s MEP division, discussed how insight into the three Cs – constructible models, connecting information, and content-enabled – can help users leverage technology to address a variety of challenges, including tight budgets and deadlines, 24/7 remote accessibility, keeping key stakeholders informed, and more.
While technology can certainly have the power to address any and all of these challenges, Smith admitted that the number of technologies can be confusing and overwhelming for many. He referenced common ones, such as BIM, 3D modeling, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), digitalization, and cloud services. With these in mind, the three Cs can help users start to parse through the hoards of technology to get to the heart of what they really need to be successful.
The first item Smith says to consider is constructible models, which can be leveraged with technology to provide a rich, highly detailed modeling environment that organizations can build from. For example, some technologies provide such accurate, minute details that users can lay out points or sleeves for electrical conduit that can be referenced during the construction process and built off.
“There’s a lot of good reasons to go to this level of information, this level of detail,” he says. “Not only is it very easy to understand how something is going to be constructed, but also what are all the components that are involved in that construction.”
Next, he discussed how to make constructible model content-enabled, which is the second C. He believes it’s vital for content to be used throughout the various stages of an organization’s workflow, including installation, coordinating with other trades, procurement, or discovering cost information.
Having the right information along with that highly detailed constructible model is key, but each department within a contractor organization may be using its own information, which could be historical or outdated. It’s important to be able to access normalized, standardized, and enhanced content, he adds, particularly with things like pricing information or a manufacturer’s product information.
“Throughout your process, understanding where the content came from starts to become critical. Being able to trust it becomes critical,” he says.
Lastly, the final C discussed is the importance of having connected information for everyone involved in the construction and pre-construction process, so long as the data is up to date. Connected, accurate information can help organizations utilize that data much more broadly, Smith says. For example, it may include stakeholders, the estimating or detailing teams, project manager, and those working in the field via devices connected to the cloud.
“Everybody in the process becomes very important and can even be used to exchange information with people outside of your company,” he concludes.
