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When multinational building information modelling (BIM) software company Autodesk wanted to provide best practice advice and guidance on the implementation of its software to major corporations in Japan, it turned to A.G. Coombs Leader Digital Engineering, Gavin Cheetham.
Steve Butler, Autodesk’s Strategy Manager, Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) Design & Fabrication requested Gavin’s support to share insights about A.G. Coombs’ approach to BIM with a group of leading Japanese MEP subcontracting firms.
Although the Japanese construction industry is transitioning away from its exclusive and ageing use of CAD software, its uptake of BIM workflow systems is up to a decade behind Australia and other countries that have embraced Autodesk tools and expanded capabilities. This makes Japan Autodesk’s largest growing international market.
Partnering with global market leaders
A.G. Coombs has had a strong working relationship with Autodesk for many years. Five years ago, Autodesk Global arranged for a Japanese contingent to attend the BIM-MEPAUS Construction Innovation Forum held in Melbourne. A.G. Coombs hosted the group and is a key contributor to the BIM-MEPAUS industry initiative.
Autodesk invited Gavin to a mechanical subcontractors conference in Tokyo in June 2024, where he presented updates to executives from the country’s top 10 mechanical subcontracting companies in meetings, roundtable discussions, briefings and whiteboard sessions over a period of three days.
“The fact that Autodesk reached out to A.G. Coombs for its support in such a strategically important international market is a testament to the way our company is perceived by its partner suppliers and the strength of the relationships we have built with the best global providers in their respective fields,” said Gavin.
“Our attendance at this event continues to reinforce A.G. Coombs as an international BIM leader and supports the ongoing relevance and importance of the BIM-MEPAUS initiative, as Japanese mechanical contractors look to follow a similar approach,” he added
Best practice technology and innovation at work
Gavin’s Tokyo presentations were tailored for different audiences – from a comprehensive BIM workflow approach from a mechanical subcontractor perspective to a more streamlined presentation focusing on emerging trends and changes that have developed over the past five years. All presentations involved a real-time English-Japanese interpreter.
“A.G. Coombs’ participation in this conference to share our approach to deploying this technology to optimise building services demonstrates our commitment to worldwide industry participation, and leadership through innovation and operational excellence,” remarked Bryon Price, Strategic Development Director, A.G. Coombs Group.
“It is also a reflection on the calibre of our people, in this case Gavin, who leads an exemplary team of BIM specialists to provide our customers with benefits at all project stages – from design, large-scale prefabrication and virtual build simulation, construction and installation to reducing waste, supporting improved site safety, enhancing maintenance and improved systems performance,” he added.
The strength of A.G. Coombs’ industry relationships
“I wanted to thank A.G. Coombs for supporting Gavin to come to Japan. As expected, he did an amazing job, communicating the exceptional work that A.G. Coombs is doing with technology and in sharing your BIM journey. Our Japanese customers were most certainly overwhelmed and left more than a little impressed,” commented Autodesk’s Steve Butler.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this has opened a door for further dialogue, and hopefully further engagement with the BIM-MEPAUS initiative,” he added.
For more information about A.G. Coombs’ innovative use of BIM and how it can benefit your building project and the BIM-MEPAUS industry initiative please contact Gavin Cheetham, A.G. Coombs Leader Digital Engineering via the Contact Us form.
