Design teams now begin most projects in coordinated digital environments. On many schemes, the model is the primary working document long before drawings are issued. For manufacturers, that changes how products are discovered and selected.
When products are available as Revit-ready BIM content, they sit directly inside the tools architects and engineers use every day. That proximity influences consideration at a practical level.
Direct Access to Active Design Teams
Through Bimstore, manufacturers place their products in front of more than half a million active users working on live projects worldwide. This is not abstract brand visibility. It is exposure during design development, when technical decisions are being refined.
Albion introduced BIM files for its core range, resulting in a 74.6% increase in product views and a 27.1% rise in downloads. In the same year, Mount Lighting recorded an 85% increase in views and a 20% increase in downloads. We could give many more examples, but ultimately, the consistent result is that BIM-ready digital content directly drives product engagement and selection.
Beyond Local Markets
Albion’s ART 640HW Gate Valve has been viewed more than 13,500 times and downloaded in 123 countries.
Design work is increasingly distributed. Large contractors frequently use global design hubs to develop coordinated BIM models. UK-based projects are often supported by architectural and engineering teams working across Europe, India and the Middle East.
Specification is no longer confined to one geographic office. A product selected for a UK scheme may first be assessed by a design team working overseas. Being available on a global BIM platform ensures products are visible wherever that modelling work takes place.
Beyond immediate project work, consistent digital availability also strengthens general brand exposure. When designers repeatedly encounter reliable, well-built models, familiarity grows, and that recognition can influence future project decisions.
Staying Eligible for Major Projects
On many large schemes, coordinated digital delivery is mandatory. Since the UK government introduced BIM requirements for centrally procured public projects in 2016, digital compliance has become standard practice across much of the industry.
Similar mandates have emerged internationally. In Ireland, public sector projects have progressively adopted BIM requirements through the National BIM Council roadmap. In Australia, several state governments, including New South Wales and Victoria, have introduced BIM guidelines for public infrastructure and major developments. Across parts of Europe and Asia, digital modelling is now embedded within public procurement frameworks.
For Sotech, BIM content ensured they remained eligible for projects where modelling was a requirement rather than an option.
Earlier Engagement, Fewer Surprises
Mount Lighting found that providing BIM models brought their products into projects earlier. Earlier engagement allows design teams to test clearances, coordination and compliance before procurement deadlines tighten.
When accurate data is embedded in the model, project teams can review spatial requirements, performance information and environmental data at the same time as aesthetic and cost considerations. That reduces late substitutions and supports clearer communication between architects, engineers and contractors.
Sotech also reported fewer site issues when products were specified through accurate BIM content, explaining that when dimensions, tolerances and installation requirements are defined early, there is less room for misinterpretation later.
As Liam Clerkin, Senior Architect, explains:
“When a manufacturer provides a well-built digital model with reliable technical information, it makes our job easier. We can test it within the scheme, coordinate it properly and understand any constraints early on. If it isn’t available digitally, it’s far less likely to be considered.”
Compliance and Confidence
Accurate digital content also supports regulatory compliance. When performance data, environmental product declarations, fire ratings and installation guidance are embedded or linked directly within a BIM file, specifiers are not relying on separate documents stored elsewhere. Information is easier to verify, review and share across disciplines. For design teams working to tight programmes, having that information consolidated in one place reduces friction.
In an environment shaped by the Building Safety Act, tighter documentation requirements and a growing emphasis on embodied carbon reporting, having reliable product data accessible at the design stage helps project teams demonstrate due diligence. For manufacturers, it means technical information is presented consistently and transparently, reducing ambiguity and supporting compliance across the value chain.
Insight That Informs Decisions
Bimstore’s analytics allow manufacturers to see which products are being viewed and downloaded, and from where. That visibility supports informed follow-up by sales teams and highlights patterns of demand across sectors and regions.
For Albion, this data has helped identify which parts of their range attract consistent attention, supporting more focused conversations with specifiers.
Design and procurement have shifted. Specification now happens inside coordinated digital environments, often long before construction begins.
For manufacturers, being part of that workflow is no longer optional. Revit-ready BIM content ensures products are visible at the right time, considered by the right people and supported by the information project teams rely on.
