Client: MCL Construction
Location: U.S.A
VinZero Partner: U.S. CAD
Industry: Cloud & Construction
Autodesk Solutions: Autodesk BIM 360
OVERVIEW:
Omaha, Nebraska-based full-service firm MCL Construction manages 180 full-time employees and an average of 80 projects at any given time. The company specialises in health care, religious and academic buildings, including new construction and remodels,
but prides itself on taking projects of all sizes. Since its inception in 1987, MCL has shown continuous growth and innovation to remain at the top of the industry. The company was an early adopter of the Autodesk BIM 360 Field platform, part of Autodesk Construction Cloud, and initially implemented the original version of Vela Systems.. MCL wanted to leverage all of the program’s features while getting more of its employees and subcontractors to use it. That’s when they turned to U.S. CAD to help with training and expanding their use of Autodesk products.
SUPPORTING TRAINING:
U.S. CAD led three days of training, going module-by-module with MCL’s project engineers
and project managers to show them how to create projects in BIM 360 and set up checklists to standardise and streamline processes.
They also implemented the management software, which required additional executive training to increase usage. The U.S. CAD-led training highlighted data analytics and the overview module to focus on company-level reporting, so executives could see high-risk trends, activities and what
was going on with projects, giving them a clearer understanding of the business as a whole.
MCL used the overview module to track the completion of safety and equipment-inspection checklists daily. Executives learned to gauge how projects were being managed through the module, which helped them find ways to improve efficiency and understand which contractors had a better record of delivering quality projects safely and on time. U.S. CAD also brought in an Autodesk representative to sit in on the trainings to offer additional support and tips for using the software.
STANDARDISATION:
Over the past three years, MCL has experienced significant growth, adding many projects and personnel. For a company whose volume is spread over more projects, standardisation of processes and data creates significant gains in efficiency.
Before 2018, the company only used BIM 360 Field on a handful of projects. When BIM 360
expanded from field to include project management functionality, MCL used the opportunity to standardise their software and centralise data and processes.
Prior to implementing BIM 360 across departments, MCL had a lot of variance in access to project documentation. BIM 360 helped MCL improve access to drawings through the cloud and gave everyone 24/7 access to projects from any location. The platform offered project managers better standardisation of tools such as safety checklists, equipment-maintenance reports and other information about each job.
IMPROVED ACCESS TO DATA:
BIM 360 also improved MCL’s access to data and ability to review projects. The history functions for documents, requests for information and issues improved records, enabling the company to analyse data across projects to identify best practices to improve efficiency.
Tapping into U.S. CAD’s expertise, MCL has been able to harness the power of data insights and translate this information to projects across contractors and subcontractors. Having the data isn’t enough; executives need specific training to help them understand how to manage the business with improved insights. Partnering with U.S. CAD enabled MCL’s leadership team to quickly gain value from the software investment.
COLLABORATION:
Using the BIM 360 platform also has helped improve collaboration, particularly with subcontractors and design partners.
MCL uses the software to collect data or assign tasks such as:
Tracking manpower through daily logs
Submitting punch lists to create a single source of data
Creating equipment checklists and records
Assigning issues to subcontractors and tracking the progress
OUTCOMES & BENEFITS:
MCL continues to leverage its relationship with U.S. CAD to increase adoption of BIM 360
products across internal departments and with partners such as architects, suppliers and project consultants. As longtime BIM 360 users, they work with the company to provide feedback and continual improvements to the offerings and functionality. Because BIM 360 is interconnected with many other management tools, it’s been easier to integrate with others’ systems. Having all the information in one place creates a comprehensive record of the project across the project life cycle that can be shared with clients after completion.
Benefits of using Autodesk and working with U.S. CAD include:
Data centralisation
Risk mitigation
Improved issues tracking
Clear communication and collaboration
Projects delivered on time and on budget
Comprehensive project information to pass off to clients
Improved business insights and data analytics
Comprehensive support and training from U.S. CAD
