Gain a Competitive Edge with Winning Scaffold Designs

In 2020, supply chain disruptions led to engineering and construction (E&C) project delays and even cancellations. There are reasons to be more optimistic in 2021, however, as the industry starts to recover and adapt to the new normal.

Research by Deloitte has shown that new business models and an increase in mergers and acquisitions activity are accelerating digital transformation and operational efficiency in the E&C industry in 2021.

To bounce back in 2021, scaffolding companies need to overcome remote working challenges, gain a competitive edge, and deliver winning bids and proposals. Transitioning from manual and siloed processes to more collaborative online tools and software can help you get back in the game faster.

This is why 3D design software is imperative for scaffolding businesses. Adopting scaffolding design software that checks all the right boxes will not only help you win more bids but also deliver value to your customers from the get-go and boost your credibility.

Keep reading for insight on the key features to look for in scaffolding design software to gain a competitive edge.

Boost Your Credibility with 3D Designs

Choosing the right design software can be challenging with all the different options out there.

For your investment in scaffolding design software to truly pay off, you need features that allow you to easily create scaffold designs in 3D.

These must-have features are what will set your designs apart from the competition and streamline your processes.

Here are five things you should look for in an ideal scaffolding design software to boost your credibility and create winning proposals.

1. Automated drawings and material calculations

Players in the engineering and construction industry are increasingly adopting technology to save time and increase operational efficiency.

While AutoCAD has made scaffolding drawing and designing much easier, using generic AutoCAD software is still a tedious process as designers have to manually create basic components and calculate materials.

Designing complex scaffolding proposals can be made even easier with industry-specific scaffolding design software.

You can cut drawing and calculation time by up to 90% with automated, fully customizable scaffold designs. This reduces design effort and makes the cost estimation process much more efficient.

Once the design is done, software like this automatically generates a bill of materials so you can quickly identify the materials needed, make necessary modifications, and predict the availability of equipment. This enables you to make faster, more accurate estimates, boosting your credibility factor.  

2. 3D and AR/VR Visualization

In the era of remote working, providing clients and crews with detailed scaffold drawings and 3D visualizations is essential. Being able to experience these 3D drawings in AR/VR takes it a step further, offering your clients and crews the most transparency possible.

The benefits of 3D drawings and AR/VR visualization include:

• Improving safety and reducing costly rework. You can catch safety hazards and problems before the erection of the scaffold.
• More efficient handovers. Everyone, from clients to crews, is on the same page after guided tours of your scaffold plan.
• Improving collaboration. You can provide clients with virtual walkthroughs in AR/VR, boosting your credibility in the current remote working environment.

Chris Javni, Director of Greater City Scaffolding (GCS) in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, delivers a formal scaffold package to clients that includes a quote, 2D/3D scaffolding design, as well as a link to a YouTube video that provides a walkaround of the finished scaffold.

He says, “With the capacity to easily develop 2D/3D scaffolding designs, our team of certified scaffolders can assure clients that our work is top-quality and will be done according to their specific requirements.”

3. Sharing Capabilities

Your scaffold design software should also allow you to save your scaffold designs and record virtual walkthroughs for marketing or sales purposes.

You can optimize these for client or marketing presentations. With the capability to record virtual walkthroughs of your scaffold designs and an export feature that enables you to upload designs easily to YouTube, Avontus Designer® makes sharing your work much smoother and easier.  

You can also share them on your social media channels, add them as visuals to your blog posts or website, or send them via email. By having an impressive portfolio of your designs that you can show potential customers, you gain credibility and a competitive advantage as they can easily gauge your quality of work.

Chris, Director of GCS, says he finds the YouTube feature beneficial in more ways than one. “The export feature makes it easy for us to provide faster quotes with full transparency as we can quickly generate a walkthrough for our clients. We can also showcase these walkthroughs and designs on our social media channels.”

4. Mobile Technology

Once you’ve generated your designs and bill of materials, having the ability to easily pull them up when you’re on the go is essential.

Scaffolding design software that pairs with an app will ensure that you’re always able to review your scaffold models, from a phone or tablet, when meeting clients and crews.

5. Seamless Integration

You’ll also want design software that integrates well with your inventory management software and other tools that you use so that you can easily manage your project from start to finish.

Make sure that you’re investing in scaffold design software that also accommodates other software that you frequently use, such as BIM, PDF, AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, Navisworks, and more. This will ensure that project management runs smoothly and there are no glitches along the way.

Choosing 3D Scaffold Design Software

Design software built for the scaffolding industry is your best bet to boost your credibility and stand out from the pack. This type of software should be made by developers who are well-aware of the industry’s ins-and-outs and who back it up with comprehensive training and techniques. Software made for the scaffolding industry is typically developed with all the essential features highlighted above.

As software made for the industry has been designed with scaffolding users in mind, the design and handover process becomes much smoother.

Scaffolding design software like Avontus Designer makes the design process much simpler for leading scaffolding companies. It also pairs easily with apps like Avontus Viewer® that have a YouTube export feature so users can design, share, and collaborate with clients and crew efficiently.

Find out more about how you can create winning proposals and bring your designs to life with Avontus.