Success Story: James Hardie
James Hardie Australia, a subsidiary of the global leader James Hardie Industries, is renowned for its innovative fibre cement products used in a range of residential, commercial, and industrial applications. To better support architects, designers, and builders, James Hardie partnered with IGS Group to develop a high-quality, commercially successful BIM strategy.
In this Success Story, we’ll explore:
- The motivation for James Hardie undertaking a BIM strategy
- The solutions provided by IGS Group
- The outcomes and benefits of the collaboration
Background & Challenges
James Hardie has built a reputation for producing high-quality cladding, internal lining, and flooring solutions that combine design flexibility, weather resistance, and durability. Although James Hardie Australia was an early mover in developing a BIM library in ‘the early days’ of BIM adoption in Australia, over time, their BIM content library and broader strategy gradually fell behind evolving industry expectations and technological capabilities.
Areas deemed to be in need of review were:
- Legacy BIM Content
James Hardie’s original BIM library became outdated, with quality issues limiting its usefulness to specifiers. Feedback from designers highlighted technical limitations and inconsistencies that made the content difficult to work with in their BIM project workflows. - Difficulty in Hosting and Updating BIM Content Library
As a company committed to innovation and ongoing development, updating and maintaining an evolving BIM library was challenging. As James Hardie Australia expanded its product offering or sought to improve its BIM library at regular intervals, ensuring that specifiers always had access the most current library of assets became difficult. Specifically, James Hardie faced challenges in curating the BIM library hosted on their website and communicating updates with specifiers. This meant designers had difficulties accessing the most up to date BIM content, or they were potentially utilising obsolete BIM content. - Need for Designer Support
Whilst Hardie™ products have been ubiquitously used by the trade and specifiers for many years, they acknowledged the use of BIM content further supports designers with delivering their designs quicker, and helps to both secure and hold specifications.
In addition, without the necessary marketing assets or technical support, designers struggled to utilise the BIM library effectively, and James Hardie’s sales team faced challenges in promoting its value to specifiers.
- Increasing Market Demand for High-Quality BIM Content
The growing utilisation of BIM across the architecture and construction industries meant there was increasing pressure to deliver reliable, intuitive, and designer-friendly BIM content that worked well in a project environment. In addition, designers were becoming increasingly wary of manufacturer-based BIM content, as a lot of the libraries being provided by manufacturers were found to be problematic and the root-cause of various issues with project design models.
Marketing Manager, James Hardie: “Our goal was to develop a BIM strategy that reflected our position as a market leader. We not only wanted to meet the needs of specifiers, but to also set a new benchmark for quality, usability and the range of project solutions we are able to offer. Aligning our BIM strategy with our broader commercial objectives ensured our investment in BIM would drive tangible outcomes for both our clients and our business. We were also able to draw on lessons learned through our previous efforts to develop a BIM strategy, and what needed to be put in place to ensure success this time around.”
Solution
To address these challenges, IGS Group developed a tailored BIM strategy for James Hardie, delivering a comprehensive, designer-friendly content library and robust support resources.
Sophisticated BIM Library Creation
IGS created a BIM library for James Hardie natively in both Revit and Archicad formats. Some of the key features of the BIM content library creation strategy were:
- Extensive Product Range: The library encompasses the Hardie™ Architectural Collection, being Hardie™ Oblique™, Axon Cladding™, and Linea™ Weatherboard ranges, each available in common Dulux finish colours for realistic visualisation.
- Revit and Archicad Formats: Native creation in both platforms ensures seamless design flexibility, compatibility with evolving technology workflows, and most importantly, that a ‘best of breed’ solution is available for users of both these popular programs.
- User-Friendly Download Options: Revit content is available as Virtual Showrooms, Collections, or Individual Families, providing designers with efficient and customisable download options.
- Advanced Functionality: Revit families include Basic Wall Systems for quick documentation, Curtain Wall Systems for panel-specific customization, and loadable Materials for fast application.
- Native 2D Drafting Views and Sheets: Although 3D models are often the first type of asset that comes to mind when ‘BIM Content’ is referenced, a comprehensive library of 2D Construction Details drawn natively in Revit ensures accuracy for corners and junctions, helping designers create consistent, James Hardie-approved solutions. This highly detailed form of project documentation provides a range of benefits and assurances to various project stakeholders, including designers, building contractors and installers.
- ‘Joints and Junctions’ Details: This range of 2D details represents common junctions between the most popular Hardie™ Sheet, Board and Weatherboard Cladding products. They have been created to help designers understand how best to connect a variety of product combinations, before copying into their active Revit project file. This unique innovation was proposed as a valuable addition to the library by the IGS project delivery team as a result of their extensive experience designing and documenting Architecture projects.
Marketing Manager, James Hardie: “Working with IGS has allowed us to deliver best-in-class BIM solutions for our customers in multiple formats who operate in various market segments. The library reflects the quality and flexibility of our products while making it simple for designers to integrate them into their projects with confidence.”
2D Technical Drafting Support as Part of a BIM Library Creation workflow
Initially, IGS depended on James Hardie to provide 2D CAD files for all construction details which then needed to be recreated natively in Revit. In circumstances where the required CAD inputs were unavailable, James Hardie needed to create the drawings before IGS could redevelop them in Revit, which caused BIM content project delivery delays and tied up James Hardie’s internal resources.
As part of the evolving partnership, and enabled by IGS team members having a project design and drafting background, certain 2D technical drawings are now developed by IGS directly within Revit, based on guidance and input from the James Hardie technical team. These drawings are then exported to AutoCAD and PDF format for James Hardie’s use in technical documentation and other product literature.
This new approach has eliminated the need for separate 2D CAD drawing production, accelerating the creation of new BIM content, and ensuring all product literature and BIM-related outputs are consistent and aligned.
Benefits for James Hardie:
- Time Savings: By outsourcing this drafting work to IGS and consolidating the drawing process to Revit, James Hardie significantly reduces the time required to produce and convert technical drawings.
- Cost Efficiency: The streamlined workflow minimizes duplication of effort, leading to lower production costs.
- Improved Consistency: Creating all technical drawings within Revit ensures greater consistency between the BIM library and James Hardie’s technical literature, enhancing the quality and reliability of their resources.
Marketing Manager, James Hardie: “Having IGS support us with the creation of 2D drawings has been a great by-product of implementing our BIM strategy. It not only saves us time and frees up our team to work on other projects, it also ensures our technical resources are consistent and aligned with the BIM content we provide to specifiers. ”
Leveraging BIMcontent.com
James Hardie partnered with BIMcontent.com to host, manage and promote their BIM library, ensuring maximum accessibility and efficient content management workflows.
- Content Syndication: Updates are automatically applied across BIMcontent.com, the James Hardie website, and the BIMcontent.com Revit Plug-in, ensuring specifiers can always access the latest content available.
- Library Management: Updates library and content hosting portal are fully managed by IGS, ensuring any changes are reflected immediately across all platforms, including the James Hardie website. This eliminates the need for James Hardie to dedicate internal resources to the process, allowing their team to focus on other core business activities. Additionally, library updates are communicated via email to users who have previously downloaded James Hardie’s BIM content, as well as to the broader BIMcontent.com userbase, ensuring specifiers are kept informed of changes and have easy access to the latest resources.
- Enhanced Visibility: James Hardie’s presence on BIMcontent.com enables ongoing exposure to the fast-growing community of building design professionals who use the platform as a trusted and preferred resource of digital assets for their projects being designed in Revit, Archicad or AutoCAD.
- Live Analytics: Access to real-time BIM content library engagement analytics helps quantify the impact of the BIM strategy, and provides actionable insights for sales and marketing teams.
- Marketing Support: As a BIMcontent.com partner, James Hardie benefits from a suite of marketing services designed to boost specifier engagement. This includes the creation of high-quality marketing assets, such as library overview videos and promotional materials, as well as the ability to communicate with BIMcontent.com’s fast-growing audience of over 70,000 specifiers. The partnership also provides ongoing opportunities to engage specifiers through targeted marketing campaigns, ensuring that James Hardie’s products remain highly visible and relevant in the competitive design market.
Marketing Manager, James Hardie: “BIMcontent.com partnership has been essential to the success of our BIM strategy. The platform’s syndication, analytics, and marketing tools ensure our content is always up-to-date, widely accessible, and visible to specifiers across the region. Additionally, having IGS manage library updates and provide update notifications to users has streamlined the entire process, allowing us to focus on our business while knowing our specifiers have access to the highest quality content whenever they need it.
The volume of downloads our BIM content informs us its valued and well used, and our sales team frequently highlight the importance of the content to our clients.”
Designer Support Resources
To ensure the success of the BIM library, IGS developed a range of designer-focused support materials that enhanced usability and streamlined communication between James Hardie and their clients.
Revit Library User Guide
The detailed Revit Library user guide provides a summary of all assets in the library and instructions on how use the content to its full potential, from content download to implementing the assets within Revit. The guide also highlights the unique features of James Hardie’s content, making it easier for designers to take full advantage of the library’s extensive functionality.
BIM Library Overview Video
The library overview video serves as a quick and engaging introduction to James Hardie’s BIM offering. The video demonstrates the extent of both the Revit and Archicad libraries, key features, and showcases the represented product ranges. This visual guide helps specifiers immediately understand the value and usability of the library with a clear ‘Call to Action’ to download the content, and reducing the learning curve once obtained.
Benefits of These Resources
- Enhanced Usability: Both the user guide and overview video simplify the adoption of James Hardie’s BIM library, ensuring designers can integrate it into their workflows with minimal effort.
- Increased Accessibility: The materials provide clarity and guidance for designers unfamiliar with the specifics of James Hardie’s cladding solutions, making the library approachable for a wider audience.
- Support for Sales and Marketing Teams: These resources equip James Hardie’s sales and marketing teams with tools to increase awareness and effectively communicate the BIM library’s value to specifiers, bridging the gap between technical BIM content and customer-facing roles.
Marketing Manager, James Hardie: “The user guide and overview video are vital to help both specifiers and our internal teams fully understand the breadth and capabilities of the BIM library. These tools ensure our content isn’t just available, but downloaded frequently and actively used in projects, driving real value for our clients.”
Outcomes
- Improved Designer Collaboration
Designers now have access to high-quality, intuitive BIM content in multiple BIM and CAD authoring formats, making it easier to incorporate James Hardie’s products into their designs while ensuring accuracy and consistency. - Increased Engagement
As one of the most downloaded libraries on BIMcontent.com, James Hardie has benefitted from an increase in brand visibility and engagement with specifiers working on BIM-enabled projects across Australia. - Streamlined Project Workflows
The extensive library of 2D construction details and seamless Revit and Archicad integration have enhanced project workflows, reduced the likelihood of documentation errors, enabled better specifier engagement processes, and saved time for designers when incorporating James Hardie products into their projects. - Actionable Insights
Live analytics provided by BIMcontent.com have empowered James Hardie’s sales and marketing teams with valuable data on client engagement, helping to tailor outreach efforts and refine future strategies.
Marketing Manager, James Hardie: “The volume of downloads and the feedback we receive from specifiers confirms our BIM library is highly valued and well-used. This has helped strengthen our relationships with clients and reinforced our reputation as a customer-focussed and innovative market leader.”
What Did The Client Think?
Marketing Manager, James Hardie:
“IGS’ expertise and support have been instrumental in delivering a BIM strategy that aligns with our commitment to innovation and our clients’ needs. The success of our BIM strategy reflects our commitment to making design and documentation as seamless and intuitive as possible for specifiers, and we look forward to continuing this journey with IGS.”
... Return to the Knowledge Hub ...
Table of Contents
Sign up today for news, industry insights & content releases!
You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our privacy policy.
FAQs
Related Posts
The building industry is rapidly evolving. Don’t get left behind!
Join the growing list of leading brands who leverage our BIM Content Creation Services
and associated Building Product Marketing Strategies to grow your business.
Contact Us
We look forward to speaking with you!
For inquiries about BIM content creation, web or product marketing solutions as well as general inquiries and support, please fill out the contact form provided, or contact us via the details below.
1300 980 763
