Every fabrication shop still has a considerable percentage of its production coming in blueprints, typically as PDFs or in other digital formats. From these digital documents, orders need to be created considering everything from specifications to shop standards and myriad other manufacturing subtleties. This can slow production and communication between the shop and field.

While BCX has provided a powerful online takeoff service with the ability to upload scaled blueprints with fab-ready content, it lacked the ability to connect those projects directly with field personnel on the jobsite. During the last several months, BCX engineers have been busy creating Blueprint Project Sharing—the ability to share any BCX takeoff with other BCX user(s) (typically, field foreman)—and this capability is now available to all customers. 

Blueprint sharing now allows shop and design personnel to take-off any blueprint from start to finish with build-ready content and then share it with the foreman working on the job. 

Once the project has been shared, the field foreman can:

1. access the blueprint project at any time from the field.
2. review and make necessary changes based on actual jobsite conditions.
3. select the duct or pipe runs required for the next phase of installation.
4. create and send the work order to production, including the necessary shipping information.
5. receive and install the fabricated material on the jobsite.
6. return to the blueprint project and update the run status to installed, providing visibility into what has been completed.

Connecting the Shop to Field 

The real value of Blueprint Project Sharing is not simply the ability to share a PDF. It is the ability to create a shared, living project that connects the blueprint, the fabrication process, the delivery, and the installation.

Instead of the field repeatedly communicating its needs back to the office, the foreman can work directly from the same blueprint project used to create the fabrication content.

This creates a more connected workflow:

Blueprint—>Takeoff—>Fabrication—>Delivery—>Installation

It also gives the shop better visibility into what the field actually needs and gives the field a clearer view of what has been fabricated, ordered, and installed.

Successful small projects are most profitable when the knowledge of fabrication requirements is combined with the realities on the jobsite in a timely and efficient manner. Blueprint Project Sharing allows everyone involved in the process to share information and respond quickly, efficiently, and in real time to the requirements and realities both in the shop and in the field.

No matter how accurate the original drawings are, jobsite conditions can change. Dimensions may need to be adjusted, installation sequences may change, or a foreman may determine that a different section of the project needs to be fabricated first.

If you would like more information or training on how to create blueprint projects and share them with your team members, simply email [email protected]. ♣