Five automated processes for more efficiency in precast project delivery

Construction projects are currently facing numerous challenges: increasing time pressure, changes at short notice, cost efficiency, rising complexity, higher demands on architectural design and a larger number of participants characterize precast design today. But what are the specific points that precast teams can address in their daily work to achieve the necessary efficiency gains? Christian Schernthaner, Head of Sales at Allplan Precast, ALLPLAN’s Competence Center for precast, answers this question:

Data import made easy

Multiple redrawing and tracing is error-prone and wastes time and money. Innovative CAD programs now have intelligent assistants that import architectural plans, structural design and technical building technology without any loss of quality. The MEP Assistant in Allplan for example, takes care of matching the imported fixtures with catalogs. It quickly and easily converts non-standard IFC objects into customer-specific fixtures. As a result, users with just one major project can quickly save several working days annually.

Increase productivity in design process

Plans impress with their clarity, models with their vividness. The combination of 2D with 3D represents a quantum leap in efficiency: with the unique ELEMENTPLAN technology, Allplan enables model- and plan-oriented work. This is because the plan is not a mere 2D derivation of the model, but a view of the model. This means that model and plan are always 100% consistent. Allplan automatically creates shop drawings for all precast elements, including reinforcement, fixtures and dimensions - and not according to a standard scheme, but with the help of intelligent templates. Changes in the plan are automatically adopted in the model and vice versa - a major productivity gain.

The creation of structural precast elements is particularly efficient thanks to parameterized, interactive input, such as with the help of customization using Python programing. A few inputs are sufficient to automatically calculate and plan columns or stairs. This optimizes lead times and workload in the design team.

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Facilitate collaboration on large projects

The more complex and larger construction projects are, the more participants work together on the project. Suitable software enables the planning team to work in parallel on large construction projects. Furthermore, such large-scale projects often involve the same precast elements. Allplan's BIM Booster ensures that all identical elements, such as fixtures or reinforcement, are automatically synchronized in the background. Because the software takes over repetitive work, the planning team gains valuable time. The BIM Booster also ensures a reduction in the amount of data without any loss of quality.

Efficient work preparation and quality-assured data

Successful precast design requires reliable work preparation. A customer-specific, rule-based quality assurance system is essential here, which is used in particular to check secondary conditions relevant to production, transport and invoicing. Tim|work for manufacturing relieves the workload of numerous routine tasks and supports the work preparation in planning production, 3D stacking and assembly, in invoicing and quality-assured data creation. As a result, the work preparation tool ensures greater efficiency, freedom from errors and accuracy.

Single source of truth

However, it is not only the quality of the data that is crucial, but also that the right data is in the right place. Tim|flow software takes on the role of a data hub and ensures automated information flows between ERP, CAD and MES. This eliminates numerous manual work steps and increases the quality of the data. Openness to other systems and the processing of different data formats in the sense of openBIM enables a smooth data flow in the project.

Efficiency in the design and planning process of precast elements is thus the sum of all small and large increases, which in their entirety ensure the decisive productivity advantage. Software takes on the role of game changer and supports companies in using automation and digitization to their advantage.