3Ultra Technologies Standardises Workflows with BIM 360, Increasing Efficiency by 32%

Founded in 2018, 3Ultra Technologies (3Ultra) is a specialty design firm that operates in the food and beverage industry. A lack of standardisation was leading to inefficiencies and miscommunication on projects. 3Ultra wanted to adopt construction management tools to standardise data to inform better design and end products. With the adoption of BIM 360 within Autodesk Construction Cloud™, 3Ultra standardised its data, eliminating 32% of inefficiencies and improving project deliveries’ quality and timeliness.

32%

saving on project review time

59%

saving on drawings

70%

admin cost reduction

Poor Communication and Lack of Standardisation Created Inefficiencies

Before adopting cloud-based collaboration software, 3Ultra’s project review processes faced the same problems their competitors faced: They were cumbersome, as mark-ups were done manually, which was time-consuming and expensive. In addition, drawings were getting lost or dirty onsite, leading to loss of information and rework. There needed to be a better, more efficient way.

3Ultra was in the market for a solution to connect the office to the field to ensure data was available downstream, enabling collaboration. By searching the web for a cloud-based collaboration platform for construction data management, they found BIM 360 within Autodesk Construction Cloud™.

Data Standardisation Leads to Optimised Workflows

To deliver a comprehensive solution to their clients, 3Ultra adopted BIM 360 to ensure the integrity of their workflow and meet deadlines.

In collaboration with partner Prokon Software Consultants and the Autodesk extended Account and Construction Customer Success team, 3Ultra quickly transitioned to BIM 360. Working together, the team helped 3Ultra take advantage of BIM 360’s cloud-based collaboration capabilities, and its implementation enabled them to become one of the leading design firms in South Africa.

“Life before BIM 360 was quite challenging in terms of rework and the amount of paperwork required. When we introduce our clients and new project partners to the software, it doesn’t take any convincing to onboard them. The software sells itself.”

–Paul Calitz, Director

How Cloud-based Collaboration Saves Time and Money

3Ultra’s review process has fundamentally changed since they moved to BIM 360. The implementation has had a positive impact across the organisation, even extending to their clients. The company can now identify issues much sooner as drawings are available in real-time. This insight eliminates the potential for delays and finger-pointing on the project as there is increased collaboration.

The company has seen an impressive saving of around 8% over the total cost of a project by eliminating the need to purchase paper and ink or maintain printers. In terms of direct cost savings, Calitz says that they save over 70% of the administration costs of a project by not having to print anymore. A further saving of 59% was seen on laying out drawings, while the company now saves 32% of their time, per project, on reviews.

Further to the time and cost savings, 3Ultra has also found that using BIM 360 has meant they can win new clients.

“It’s not just about the improved efficiency in our workflow but the fact that we’re selling projects based on our capabilities with this software. We found that driving our projects was the only way for us to manage our deadlines. Everything is in BIM 360, and this allows us to stay on top of every aspect of the project.”