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Success Story: Moddex

Moddex is a leading designer and manufacturer of modular handrail and balustrade systems, suited to large-scale infrastructure and commercial construction projects in Australia and New Zealand. Moddex engaged IGS Group to design and deliver a comprehensive BIM strategy to help achieve a range of business goals, centred around a primary objective to grow project specifications and improve overall engagement with specifiers. In this Success Story we'll look at:
  • Challenges faced by Moddex in adopting BIM
  • Solutions provided by IGS Group
  • Outcomes and benefits of the partnership

Success story featuring Moddex, a designer and manufacturer of modular handrail and balustrade systems, highlighting their collaboration with IGS Group to adopt a comprehensive BIM strategy for improved project specifications and enhanced specifier engagement.

Background & Challenges

Moddex is an Australian company specialising in the design, manufacture, and supply of modular handrail and balustrade systems. Their modular, no-weld designs offer flexibility and compliance with safety standards, making their solutions suitable for a diverse range of project applications and environments.

Their product range includes disability handrails, bikeway barriers, bridge barriers, commercial balustrades, industrial handrails, and solutions for ramps, walkways, and stairs. Moddex’s commitment to innovation and quality has established them as the leading supplier of compliant, modular, no-weld balustrade and handrail systems in Australia and New Zealand.

In the construction and infrastructure sector, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has become the default workflow for project delivery.  In seeking to further evolve the nature of their relationships with specifiers, and to achieve commercial objectives through increased specification, Moddex naturally investigated the topic of BIM and BIM content.

Head of Marketing at Moddex: “As a company that collaborates closely with Architecture and Engineering firms, Moddex became aware of BIM relatively early, and the frequency of requests for Revit content from specifiers has grown substantially over time.” 

Having done considerable research, Moddex saw BIM as an opportunity to further solidify their position as the market leader and generate assets that would not only increase their volume of sales-generating specifications, but to improve the way their product designs could be engaged with by specifiers to streamline project specification workflows and produce better project outcomes.

Head of Marketing at Moddex: “A main objective in providing BIM content to specifiers was to enable better project collaboration. We wanted to assist designers with creating their project documentation more efficiently, and help them apply our products to their project designs in an intuitive and innovative way”.

However, whilst there were growing requests from specifiers for BIM content, especially in the Revit format, Moddex discovered the process of being able to deliver a ‘fit for purpose’ Revit library might be more challenging than first thought.

Head of Marketing at Moddex: “A consistent theme in the requests was that the quality of our Revit models was critical for them to be used in projects, and that historically, a lot of Revit content offered by manufacturers didn’t meet these requirements.”

Building Product Manufacturers (BPMs) commonly underestimate the relative complexity of creating a BIM content library in comparison to generating 3D CAD models for design, prototyping and fabrication. By contrast, BIM content – such as Revit families – need to be developed in a way that sees them operate reliably and efficiently within a project model and capable of delivering all the required functionalities and outputs. For Moddex, this was especially relevant given their product category.

Head of Marketing at Moddex: Through research, we discovered creating a Revit library wasn’t going to be as easy as converting our 3D CAD models into Revit format, or using familiar 3D modelling processes in Revit. We learnt our main product, Railings, is an especially complex Revit category. Developing the library would be a significant undertaking, but if were able to do it, we’d be providing significant value to designers by saving them time in otherwise needing to create the models themselves.”

Solution

IGS provided a BIM strategy to Moddex that encompassed several key components delivered in a cohesive way.

1. Extensive BIM Content Library Creation

Delivered over a period of time and in multiple stages, IGS Group developed an extensive BIM library in multiple formats, including Revit, Archicad, and AutoCAD. This ensured ‘best of breed’ content libraries were available to specifiers in a variety of software formats. The Revit library was an initial focus given the volume of specifiers in Australia and New Zealand who use this as their primary project design software.

One of the standout features of the Moddex BIM library is their ‘Revit Virtual Showroom file’ that provides specifiers with an efficient way to download, browse, QA and utilise the Moddex Revit library. The creation of the Revit Virtual Showroom file also helped Moddex achieve another one of their major specifier engagement goals.

Head of Marketing at Moddex: Moddex Railing systems are highly customisable, and conforming with design standards is a major factor in how our products are incorporated into projects. Building this into our Revit library was a key consideration for us”

When developing the Virtual Showroom file, IGS Group incorporated a set of guidance notes that provides users with step-by-step instructions on selecting and placing their Revit families in a way that aligns with relevant design standards. 

Moddex Revit Virtual Showroom created by IGS Group

 

2. Sophisticated Revit Family Development

IGS created an extensive library of advanced Revit families in a series of project delivery phases. The Revit families incorporated various forms of parametric functionality to help designers efficiently customise Moddex products and systems to suit specific project designs, whilst being constrained by built-in rules and controls to ensure the designs conformed to manufacturing and installation limitations.

3. Documentation and User Support

Revit libraries for products like modular railing systems are inherently complex due to the vast number of customisation options and various ways of applying them to Revit project models. A key objective was to make the utilisation and correct implementation of the Revit content as easy and intuitive as possible. Also taken into account was the fact some users may not be acutely familiar with the Moddex product offering or have a great deal of experience using the railings tool in Revit.

To assist designers with efficiently and correctly utilising the content, IGS developed a suite of support resources, being:

  • A detailed Revit Library Overview and User Guide (PDF)
  • A ‘Contextual User Guide’ integrated into the Revit Virtual Showroom file (.RVT)
  • A Library Overview Video

4. BIMcontent.com Partnership

In earlier iterations of their BIM strategy, prior to engaging IGS, Moddex had explored various ways of creating, managing and promoting their BIM library. This included using other BIM content hosting websites to grow awareness among specifiers, and using their own backend CMS to host their BIM/CAD data on their own website.

Some of the benefits experienced by Moddex’s through being a BIMcontent.com partner and utilising the BIMcontent.com platform included:

  • The ability to host various Revit asset types and other BIM/CAD libraries in a way that made it easy for specifiers to search, navigate and download what they wanted.
  • More efficiency when updating their BIM/CAD library to accommodate new or updated Revit families, product removals, annual Revit version updates etc.
  • Having an efficient and effective way to notify clients of changes to their BIM/CAD library.
  • Being able to analyse engagement and utilisation of their BIM/CAD library by specifiers.
  • Achieving far greater ‘reach’ throughout the A&D / specifier community.
  • Access to a library of technically adept marketing and support collateral (copy, imagery, etc.).
  • Access to technical support where clients or Moddex team members needed it in a timely manner.
  • Access to sales / marketing team education sessions and recorded materials.

Head of Marketing at Moddex: “Being a BIMcontent.com partner has been a key element to the success of our BIM strategy. Using the website integration feature eliminates a substantial amount of library management work on our part, and leveraging the growing userbase means our products are being seen, downloaded and used by more specifiers, which we can validate through the live analytics dashboard our sales and marketing team have access to.”

Outcomes

The Moddex BIM strategy has delivered a range of commercial and operational benefits, such as:

Improved Specifier Engagement
The extensive BIM library in both Revit and Archicad formats, supporting customer-facing literature, and the enhanced accessibility provided by BIMcontent.com has seen Moddex experience a noticeable improvement in engagement with specifiers. Designers now have seamless access to well-structured, reliable BIM assets, making it easier for them to integrate Moddex’s products into their projects in an intuitive way with confidence.

Increased Specifications
Since delivering their BIM strategy and utilising the BIMcontent.com platform, Moddex has seen an uptick in product specifications. With intuitive search functionality, various asset download options, an effective BIM marketing programme, and support from an enthusiastic sales and marketing team, their products are more frequently selected by designers. This has translated to greater exposure to live projects, helping Moddex strengthen its position as the market leader.

Enhanced Service to Specifiers
The high-quality BIM content library and utilisation of the BIMcontent.com platform has elevated its support for specifiers. The library’s accuracy, intuitive functionality, and detailed technical data enables designers to more efficiently and accurately document their projects. This workflow also minimises errors and enhances project outcomes. Additionally, the library empowers Moddex project consultants by providing them a reliable, valuable resource to communicate product options effectively and align specifications with project needs, reinforcing Moddex’s reputation as a dependable, valuable partner.

Valuable Insights for Sales Teams
BIMcontent.com’s engagement analytics have empowered Moddex sales and marketing teams with actionable insights. By understanding which design practices are engaging with their BIM library and identifying various market engagement trends (geographic, market sectors, design disciplines etc), their sales team is better equipped to target prospects, and tailor their outreach to achieve business growth objectives.

Efficient Library Hosting and Management
Hosting their BIM content on BIMcontent.com has relieved Moddex of the logistical challenges associated with managing and maintaining their BIM library. Updates are streamlined, customer experience when accessing the library is optimised, and designers always have access to the most up-to-date content, ensuring long-term efficiency and scalability.

What Did The Client Think?

Head of Marketing, Moddex

Having experienced various degrees of success working with other BIM content providers previously, Moddex engaged IGS as a way of improving our library and overall strategy, and this has proven to be a great partnership.

A significant advantage in working with a local company like IGS is their understanding of building product marketing strategy, their reputation within the local design industry, and close ties with so many of our specifier partners across Australia and New Zealand. Whenever our clients need support, or if we’re seeking input from industry into new library developments, the IGS team are responsive, and they often have extensive contact networks within these firms to ensure we get valuable input and great outcomes.

The response from specifiers about our BIM library has been extremely positive, and whenever feedback is received about possible upgrades, or a designer needs support using our models in a project, the IGS team are on hand to assist.”

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FAQs

What challenges did Moddex face in adopting BIM?

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Moddex faced increasing demand for high-quality Revit content, difficulty creating BIM models for customizable railing systems, and the need to incorporate design standard conformity.
How did IGS Group address Moddex's BIM challenges?

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IGS Group created an extensive BIM content library, developed sophisticated Revit families, provided thorough documentation and user support, and utilized BIMcontent.com for hosting and marketing.
What were the outcomes of the Moddex-IGS partnership?

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The partnership resulted in a cutting-edge BIM library with improved customization options, superior documentation, better data management, wide compatibility, and greater market visibility.

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