Planning and Management Software for Concrete Contractors

These days, when a construction company, especially small construction company, provides a bid for concrete walls or foundation walls they typically receive PDF's (portable document format) instead of plans to bid from. However, some contractors are hesitant to use PDF’s because information is often incomplete. But most end up using them to calculate the amount of concrete, steel reinforcement, and other related materials, add an amount for labor, forms, and profit and submit their price. If they are awarded the project, office staff constructs shop drawings, start planning for the construction, do layout work, and set up cost-accounting procedures. In this process, a lot of time and effort goes into estimating, planning, doing layout work, and managing concrete placements—some of it being redundant. So with this in mind the Trimble Corporation based in Santa Clara, California, decided to build onto their Tekla software (software that uniquely serves the concrete industry) to provide concrete contractors with easy-to-use software that plans for and manages all aspects of the forming and concrete placement process. Their one-of-a-kind product is useful for both small and large companies—from residential foundations to large commercial projects.

Using Constructible BIM

The concept of Building Information Modeling (BIM) goes back to the 1970s but the technology didn’t become useful for managing building projects until the early 2000s when the technology was developed better and contractors began to use it.

BIM makes it possible for contractors to create three dimensional digital images of their work, accurately plan for the materials they need, and collaborate with other team members throughout the life of the project. For many this happens when estimates for new work are being created. It speeds up the estimating process and facilitates the next steps in the beginning construction process; material orders, planning, doing layout work, scheduling with other trades, cost accounting, and many other features. Companies that use BIM are able to eliminate many repetitive tasks and be more productive. Also, it’s very easy to create points and send them as digital files to robotic total stations for laying out points and elevations for the structure being built. Digital files sent to robotic total stations can also be used to direct site excavation and grade preparation machines. BIM is now a part of the construction mainstream.

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