Sotech was established in 1982 and is a leading designer and manufacturer of the Optima range, engineered metal rainscreen facade cladding solutions and architectural fabrications. Mohamad Jenaban is their Principal Technical Engineer, joining the company in 2015 as Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate.
The Challenge
Historically, Sotech used to create designs in 2D, however Mohamad and the team realised that moving to 3D would create a lot of advantages and increase the amount of work they could get via architects. Sotech initially required help with their BIM Level 2 journey where they had chosen Bimstore to provide expert advice during their learning process.
The Solution
Mohamad discovered Bimstore during work he was doing on a BIM Level 2 project. He investigated alternative solutions on the market and came to the conclusion that Bimstore was the ideal partner to support the company on their journey with BIM. The team at Sotech were confident that the decision to get Bimstore to host their first set of BIM objects would ensure that the objects were hosted to a high level of quality in different file formats and meet all industry standards.
Hosting their BIM objects on Bimstore would also open them up to a wider audience than just providing them via their own website, given that Bimstore has over half a million users globally.
"Bimstore was great at the beginning, holding our hands, providing training, and showing us where things are. We were new to BIM and we got a lot of help from Bimstore to be able to do what we do now. Fast forward to today, and Bimstore is still great at providing the support for us, and also great for hosting our objects." - Mohamad Jenaban, Principal Technical Engineer, Sotech.
The Progress
Sotech can now offer a range of options to customers and prospects using their 3D models, including the costing of projects, creating designs, and presenting the final production.
The specification team who are out visiting existing and prospective customers reference BIM in their conversations. The sales and marketing team there use the Bimstore platform to discover who has been downloading their BIM files, which provides qualified leads for their sales team to follow up. Their technical team also works with Bimstore to check how up-to-date their objects are and what data they can add to them to optimise the files.
The Results
Since working with Bimstore, Sotech has gained a competitive edge over similar manufacturers and seen a lot of value from utilising BIM.
"We view our BIM content as a survival tool. We recognise that we would have lost a lot of jobs if we didn’t have it available, for instance a few of our projects have been BIM Level 2 fully compliant. I personally find a lot of benefits throughout the project. You see less mistakes happening and that instils confidence for all involved."
The Future
In recent years, Sotech has made significant strides in sustainability, with several of its products now receiving Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), demonstrating the company's dedication to transparency and reducing environmental impact. Digital initiatives, such as their VR demonstration room, is a further example of the company’s innovative approach.
The team at Sotech are continually looking at how BIM works best for their organisation and their customers, as well as where improvements can be made. They will continue to create BIM models for every new product released, packaging them with useful supporting information, such as installation guides, test certificates and technical data sheets, to give existing and prospective customers everything they need in a single download.
To find out about how Bimstore works with manufacturers to maximise the benefits they get from their BIM content, take a look at this page. More information on Sotech can be found on their manufacturer profile on Bimstore.
