For IBSECAD, the challenge was to find a better way of collaborating with clients to review and agree 3D models of construction projects - and that's where SMART Technologies came in. To support the continued growth of the business and to ensure it remains at the technological forefront of its industry, IBSECAD invested in a SMART Board interactive whiteboard. This gave them a faster, more effective and more collaborative process for working together with clients to refine, amend and agree construction project models.

1. Customer story
Cutting-edge CAD collaboration solutions
for IBSECAD
IBSECAD, London/UK
Improving collaborative working by using a SMART Board® interactive whiteboard
Since 1996, IBSECAD has grown into an industry leader in the CAD (Computer Aided Design) Challenge
co-ordination field. With offices in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and USA, IBSECAD supports To find a better way of collaborating
projects across the globe. Working with main contractors and sub-contractors, IBSECAD helps
with clients to review and agree
to bridge the gap between design and build by utilising the latest technology to visualise
3D models of construction projects.
construction plans and support its clients in delivering projects on time and under budget.
To support the continued growth of the business and to ensure it remains at the technological Solution
forefront of its industry, IBSECAD has invested in a SMART Board interactive whiteboard. A faster, more effective and more
collaborative process for working
Capturing the review process together with clients to refine, amend
IBSECAD’s expansion has been rapid since the company was established in 1996. It has
and agree construction project models.
worked some of the most iconic buildings in the UK, including the Gherkin, Royal London
Hospital and Emirates Stadium, as well as enjoying a burgeoning portfolio of overseas
projects. The main software tool used by IBSECAD for collaborative work is Autodesk Result
Navisworks, a specialist product for the architecture, engineering and construction Construction projects are kept on
industries which requires flythrough and collaborative workshops. schedule and on budget.
However, as explained by Richard Baglow, Regional Director of IBSECAD, the traditional
process for reviewing with projectors and paper copies left something to be desired:
“IBSECAD have a lot of workshops with client teams, design teams and site teams, running
through the CAD models on the screen, for which we use a package called Autodesk
Navisworks. This is a big step forward from looking at paper drawings and makes it easier
for the clients to visualise their projects. However, the challenge lies in how we work with
those models, record the collaborative process and capture the changes we want to make
to the plans. We were limited to using screen grabs of images and marking them up by
hand, using Photoshop packages or using the commentary tool on Autodesk Navisworks,
but it was a relatively slow process.”
It was clear that a solution allowing for a greater degree of interaction, that provided a more
accurate means of capturing the review process and that could be speeded up in order to keep
construction projects on schedule would be highly beneficial.

2. The design industry is about collaborating and sharing ideas
For IBSECAD the solution was a SMART Board Interactive whiteboard. Richard Baglow,
Regional Director at IBSECAD, explains how and why they chose SMART Technologies:
“We knew that we wanted a more efficient and effective way of working, particularly when
engaging with our clients. In January 2012, I visited the US offices of one of our clients,
Skanska, the main contractor on the University Medical Centre project in Louisiana. They were
using a SMART Board and I knew immediately that this was the right solution for IBSECAD.”
In July 2012 IBSECAD installed a SMART Board 885ix interactive whiteboard with Meeting
Pro™ software in their London office. Richard describes how the SMART Board supports
their work: “As a 3D design company, IBSECAD is heavily involved at all stages of the
building process. With a SMART Board installed, we can make any annotations to pictures and
images that we see fit, manipulate the display with touch gestures on the board,
write in digital ink on the display and save, print and distribute the outputs at any time.”
As Richard explains, the SMART Board has been a tremendous help in delivering a more
Using the SMART Board® to enhance client
effective process of collaboration with colleagues and clients alike: “The SMART Board fits
interface meetings
in brilliantly with our working environment. The design industry is about collaborating and
sharing ideas and the SMART Board takes this further than ever. For example, we can pass the
pen around the meeting so that everyone can input directly onto the SMART Board,
with a level of interaction that we hadn’t seen before. Previously, we would have to think
carefully about any annotations we made because they were always on paper. Now, with
“The SMART Board is the best piece of
the SMART Board, it is quick and easy to alter a design without ruining the plan.”
technology we have ever invested in.
We’re leading the way in our industry
“Clients also think it’s amazing. We use it for internal meetings and for training as well, but
with this technology.”
the main benefit of the SMART Board is for client interface meetings. You can take screen
captures while you are using the board, so it allows us to show our models to clients and Richard Baglow,
to make real time alterations in line with our discussions with them. It allows everyone to Regional Director, IBSECAD
understand what we have created, how we have created it and why.”
The SMART Board also supports IBSECAD’s ‘draw it once’ philosophy, which strives to ensure
everything is captured within the model, that the team works in a truly collaborative fashion
to achieve the best results and that the project remains on schedule and under budget.
Delivering contracts on schedule and under budget with SMART
After just a few months of use, the benefits that the SMART Board is delivering for IBSECAD
and its clients are immediately apparent, according to Richard: “The IBSECAD team took
to it very quickly and the feedback from clients has been universally positive. It is much
easier for clients to understand what they are looking at in project review workshops and About SMART
to contribute their ideas, and easier for us to capture the discussion and action the agreed
SMART Technologies is a leading provider
decisions. It is a massive benefit and is making a huge difference to our projects.
of collaboration solutions that transform
the way the world works and learns. We
The SMART Board plays a key role in ensuring that projects stay on schedule. This is very
important in the construction industry, where any delay can prove extremely costly. It believe that collaboration and interaction
also helps to ensure that any disputes over the decisions taken are kept to a minimum, should be easy. As the global leader in
thanks to its ability to accurately document the design process. interactive whiteboards, we bring more than
two decades of collaboration research and
“The SMART Board takes meetings to a whole new level. Having relied on marked-up hard development to a broad range of easy-to-
copies of the plans, we can now keep everything electronically. This makes the whole process use, integrated solutions that free people
a lot quicker. The SMART Board is superb at keeping everyone on track with project schedules. from their desks and computer screens,
By capturing a detailed record of the collaborative process, it also provides greater clarity and so collaborating and learning with digital
transparency, which reduces the risk of any last minute disputes over the decisions taken.”
resources are more natural.
Richard believes that the SMART Board has helped IBSECAD to stay ahead of the competition:
“The SMART Board is the best piece of technology we have ever invested in. We’re leading
the way in our industry with this technology. We make sure that we write it into tenders
and tell prospective clients all about our SMART Board and the benefits for progress review Steljes Limited
meetings and sign-off workshops. On the University Medical Centre project in Louisiana, we Bagshot Manor,
use the SMART Board to work with colleagues on the other side of the Atlantic. It proves that
Green Lane, Bagshot,
with these tools, we can bid for, win and deliver contracts anywhere in the world.”
Surrey,
GU19 5NL
Phone 08450 758 758
info@steljes.co.uk
www.smartwaystowork.co.uk
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