Trends

Keeping the foodservice equipment marketplace up to date with the latest menu and concept trends.

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BIM Builds Momentum in Foodservice

The content you create has to be simple. Don’t try to make it do more than it needs to do. Some will try to make it everything for everybody. The net result are files that are too big and too hard to use.

Address foodservice and foodservice only in your content. Let the foodservice designer create the MEP plans.

A Dealer’s Perspective on BIM

While foodservice consultants continue to come to terms with BIM and its impact on their businesses, the dealer community seems to be adopting this technology at a somewhat uneven pace. For some dealers with a design practice, BIM is a big part of their offerings while others are weighing the costs and benefits before slowly making the transition. To help get a dealer’s perspective on BIM,  talked with Wes Boyd, director of design services in Strategic Equipment and Supply Corporation’s Knoxville, Tenn., office.

FE&S: What’s the outlook for BIM’s migration into the foodservice industry?

WB: This will continue to grow. The construction industry is moving in this direction and I think it’s a positive step. Certainly, it’s not without an investment of time and money. But it offers a lot of benefits and it certainly eliminates a lot of routine errors.

FE&S: How long will it take for BIM to become the standard design platform for the industry?

WB: In terms of a time frame, I am afraid to guess. But it’s a few years down the road before it becomes the standard. I am positive we as an industry will get there and we as a company are taking the steps to get up to speed.

FE&S: Is BIM popping up more on projects than before? If so, on what kind of projects?

WB: More people are asking us about it and it’s happening across all segments. Some chains ask about it but others don’t. The government projects require it.

FE&S: How is the industry doing in terms of getting up to speed?

WB: It’s not completely alien to what they are doing but you are no longer drawing lines on a screen. You are placing elements into a kitchen and that’s the attitude you have to adopt. We’ve been pleased that our staff has embraced this and are up to the challenge.

FE&S: Since you started working with BIM, what has surprised you the most?

WB: The people that brought BIM in on our staff were very realistic about their expectations and the steps you need to go through to get there. But the cost savings are hard to argue with. And any tool that allows us to show the customer what we are going to put in that space helps. We are leaning and it will help us give them a
better product in the end.

Getting Up to Speed on BIM

Our BIM experts offer a few quick tips for foodservice professionals aspiring to learn more about BIM.

  • Participate in a demonstration from your reseller.
  • Consult with architects who use BIM to learn what they want and some best practices.
  • Leverage the information available online. Using such search terms as “How do I use BIM/Revit?” and “BIM/Revit for beginners” can yield lots of useful, experience-based knowledge. Some also suggest visiting lynda.com, a website that offers software training.
  • Watch a few YouTube videos that provide an overview of BIM and how to use it.