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

Founded in 2018, 3Ultra Technologies is a specialist design firm that operates in the food and beverage industry. Started by Directors, Rainier Krause and Paul Calitz, the company spun out of Klaus Engineering Group – a 55-year-old market leader in Industrial Refrigeration and Engineering – after Krause and Calitz saw a need in the South African market. 

The company prides itself on using leading-edge technology to produce accurate and quality data that informs better design and end-products, saving time, money, and resources. With the help of Autodesk, 3Ultra Technologies has become one of the leading design firms in South Africa.

Poor Communication and Lack of Standardization Created Inefficiencies

Lack of standardization in the region was leading to inefficiencies and lack of communication on projects. Project review processes 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 Technologies was in the market for a solution that would connect the office to the field to ensure data was available downstream. By searching the web for a cloud-based platform that enabled better collaboration and document management, they found the Autodesk BIM 360 construction management platform.  

Breaking New Ground with Autodesk – Creating a Standardized Workflow

To deliver a comprehensive solution to their clients, 3Ultra Technologies adopted Autodesk BIM 360 to ensure the integrity of their workflow and meet deadlines. “Life before BIM 360 was quite challenging in terms of rework and the amount of paperwork required,” says Calitz. 

Integrating BIM 360 into their workflow has been a total game changer for the business. “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,” says Calitz. “We found that driving our projects is 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.”

When 3Ultra Technologies onboarded BIM 360 they looked to Prokon Software Consultants, in collaboration with the Autodesk extended Account and Construction Customer Success team, for assistance with support and licensing. 

“Prokon’s support is really impressive and they pay close attention to their clients. It’s something we’ve not seen from any other reseller,” says Calitz. “You can’t put a price tag on that.”

Having assisted them with the transition to BIM 360, Sampie Goosen, Structural Specialist at Prokon and Technical Consultant, Alastair Riddin at Prokon, say the relationship with Autodesk is symbiotic and they offer good value to each other. Goosen adds, “with the support of the Autodesk team, they helped 3Ultra Technologies with their workflow as well as how to extract the greatest value from BIM 360 and its integration capabilities.”

A Paperless Approach Leads to Added Cost and Time Savings

3Ultra Technologies’ review process has changed fundamentally since they switched to BIM 360. The implementation has had a positive impact across the organization, even extending to their clients.

The company can identify issues much sooner as drawings are available in real-time. This eliminates the potential for delays on the project and finger pointing as there is increased collaboration.  

“The biggest benefit we’ve seen with BIM 360 is that a lot less rework is required on site, while the paperless aspect of our new workflow has shown massive savings,” says Calitz.

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 having to maintain printers.

In terms of direct cost saving, Calitz says that they save just over 70% on the administration costs of a project by not having to print anymore.

A further saving of 59% on laying out drawings were realized while the company now save 32% of their time, per project, on reviews, compared to before they implemented Autodesk BIM 360.

By using BIM 360, the team was able to have a higher quality project at the end of the day in less time and with less cost. 

“When we introduce our clients and new project partners to the software, it does not take any convincing to onboard them, says Calitz. “The software sells itself.”