Product information and BIM at Schöck Bauteile

Schöck has many thousands of product variants for the different applications. This makes it difficult to maintain tender texts manually. With automated text generation in the PIM system, each individual product is given a customized tender text. This is a great added value for the specifying planner.

Bernhard Maier
Technical editor, Schöck Bauteile GmbH

Thanks to the partnership between AUSSCHREIBEN.DE, KiM and crossbase, existing AUSSCHREIBEN.DE catalogs can be automatically updated by KiM and crossbase. Product manufacturers, such as Schöck Bauteile, benefit from this partnership: they offer architects and planners a valuable, convenient service with little effort.

Initial situation

The collaboration between Schöck, KiM and AUSSCHREIBEN.DE enables the efficient provision and use of digital product and planning data. The aim is to offer planners, architects and engineers a simple, free and always up-to-date platform for tender texts, product information and CAD/BIM data.

Procedure

The interaction between all the partners involved is easy to explain: Schöck provides the products to be published via crossbase, including product breakdowns, technical data, product images, documents and tender texts. KiM supplies the CAD/BIM data, which can be integrated into all common CAD/BIM systems. AUSSCHREIBEN.DE presents this product information and CAD/BIM data on its platform for planners and architects - all integrated on one interface.

Users therefore have free and direct access to Schöck's content relevant to tenders and planning. "Data is automatically transferred from Schöck to AUSSCHREIBEN.DE every week," explains a project manager. "This means that the data is always up to date, even in the event of product changes and further developments." With the help of CADClick by KiM, planners have quick access to the CAD/BIM data of individual products. "The BIM objects each contain a link to the relevant page on AUSSCHREIBEN.DE, so that planners have quick access to the required tender texts when dimensioning the components with the BIM objects from Schöck," explains software developer Christian Altmeier from KiM.

AUSSCHREIBEN.DE: Leading platform for construction product data

With over one million free tender texts and product information, AUSSCHREIBEN.DE is the leading online platform for construction product data in German-speaking countries. Over 700 manufacturers from various trades present their digital product catalogs here, which include basic information as well as images, videos, installation instructions, certificates and CAD/BIM data. Every day, around 10,000 visitors use the high-quality data to research products and create specifications.

"Anyone planning a construction project is under a lot of time and cost pressure," emphasizes Manfred Scholz, Managing Director of ORCA Software GmbH, which operates the platform. "Whether product research or the selection of suitable solutions: an effective workflow becomes a decisive factor here. All players in the construction industry benefit from the high-quality, relevant data on one platform."

Thanks to the technology partnerships, the product data or BIM objects from AUSSCHREIBEN.DE can be downloaded in numerous formats. These range from native file formats such as ARCHICAD, ALLPLAN, AutoCAD, REVIT, MicroStation, SKETCHUP and SolidWorks to exchange formats such as DWG, DXF, IFC, PDF, STEP and VRML. "Suitable products can be defined at an early stage of the project," continues Scholz. "This makes the entire planning process more convenient, more digital and more efficient."

KiM: CAD/BIM component catalogs for designers and planners

KiM GmbH specializes in configurators and the 3D visualization of multi-variant individual parts and assemblies. The company uses its in-house CADClick technology to create digital product catalogs and CAD/BIM data. It also offers innovative solutions such as interactive videos, 3D animations and virtual and augmented reality applications.

Christian Altmeier from KiM explains: "In particular, the customer is relieved of the time-consuming multiple maintenance of the data. The data generation from CADClick is provided to AUSSCHREIBEN.DE in the form of a viewer component. The return links from the product catalog to the appropriate product pages make it easier for planners to find the necessary data." This bidirectional link increases the visibility of Schöck and AUSSCHREIBEN.DE in equal measure.

"It was a pleasure to be able to establish contact between CADClick and AUSSCHREIBEN.DE," adds Diyan Rashevski, Project Manager at Schöck. "Both companies have realized a project with a high level of professionalism so that Schöck's CAD/BIM libraries are seamlessly integrated."

crossbase: PIM and MAM - efficient data management

Schöck has been using crossbase's Product Information Management (PIM) since 2011 to manage product and media data centrally. This data flows into various media such as technical documentation, price lists and the website. ERP data is automatically transferred to crossbase via an SAP interface and maintained there.

A special product structure was created for AUSSCHREIBEN.DE, which includes more than 13,000 relevant products such as Isokorb, Sconnex and Tronsole. "In addition to product images and documents, the products also contain technical data such as dimensions, building physics parameters and building authority certificates," explains a project manager. This information is processed in tender texts with text variables, which means that a single template is sufficient for numerous product variants. This ensures that the data is highly standardized and up-to-date.

The data for AUSSCHREIBEN.DE is provided in the standard GAEB XML format. Automation eliminates the need for manual maintenance in the portal. In addition, the product data can be integrated directly into BIM/CAD files via the interface to CADClick.

The result

The benefits are obvious: the complete digitalization of the maintenance, provision and presentation of product information ensures that planners and architects can meet their needs for up-to-date product information and CAD/BIM data. And with minimal additional effort on the part of the manufacturer.

Advantages

• Automation: Weekly updates ensure that product data is always up-to-date
• Efficiency: Standardized data provision reduces manual effort
• Accessibility: Free and direct access to relevant content for planners and architects
• Integration: Seamless linking of BIM objects with tender texts
• Versatility: Support for numerous CAD/BIM formats
• Visibility: Bidirectional links increase reach and discoverability
• Convenience: Early definition of suitable products for planning
• Partnerships: Collaboration increases the quality and usability of the data

Solution details

CAD/BIM at Schöck | Schöck on AUSSCHREIBEN.DE

About Schöck

Schöck Bauteile GmbH, a Schöck Group company, is a leading supplier of building products for thermal and acoustic insulation. Whether for new or existing buildings, Schöck offers pioneering product solutions and systems for a wide range of building physics, structural and design applications. Its core competencies lie in high-quality, ready-to-install components for the application areas of thermal insulation, sound insulation and reinforcement technology. With its products and services, the company sets international
standards with around 1,000 employees in the various companies in Europe and North America.

Find out more about how Schöck uses the opportunities offered by crossbase:

To the Schöck Success Story