Interview with Mario Ortega, Managing Director of BIMobject Iberia & LATAM
Mario Ortega graduated as an architect from the Higher Technical School of Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) in 1997 and is Managing Director of BIMobject Iberia & LATAM.
BIMobject is a global marketplace for the construction industry, with more than 10 years of experience accompanying manufacturers in their digital transformation.
1.- Hi Mario. You trained as an architect. What attracted you to the world of architecture? What does architecture mean to you?
Curiously, my introduction to the world of architecture was purely by chance. However, once I began my training, architecture began to transform my way of understanding reality. Studying, and especially visiting emblematic works, awakened a passion inside me for architecture that transcends its professional practice. Architecture for me is a feast for the intellect and emotions.
2.-Please tell us a little about your current profession within the Swedish multinational company BIMobject.
Currently, in addition to my duties as Managing Director of BIMobject Spain S.L., I am responsible for the sales area of Southern Europe and Latin America.
In other words, I am still connected to the world of manufacturers and the challenge of finding the best strategy for them to digitise their products and get the highest return by distributing their BIM objects in the largest community of BIM prescribers on the internet. On an almost daily basis, I discuss the opportunities that my sales team are working on with them and try to offer my experience.
I am also part of the BIMobject “extended management team” and in that forum, I help to enhance the internal discussions about the group’s strategic plan, the development and review of our products and events to participate in, etc.
3.- You have been linked to BIMobject practically since it started a decade ago. How would you assess your career?
Indeed, my first contact with BIMobject took place in December 2011. As for the assessment of my career, I would distinguish two sections: a pre-pandemic and a post-pandemic section. At the beginning, like any start-up, we had few resources and a lot of work ahead of us. It was a period full of excitement and an exhausting workload. In those years, talking about BIM to manufacturers required a commendable degree of conviction. I did my bit to spread the word about this technological paradigm shift and won the first major contracts for BIMobject from Spain. Three years later, in 2015, BIMobject Spain was opened as a subsidiary of its Swedish parent company and I took on the position of Managing Director.
We subsequently expanded our territory to Portugal and Latin America with an exponential growth in the number of manufacturers year after year. In 2018, I was awarded a Global position and appointed SVP & Head of AECO of BIMobject AB. So, I shifted my focus on the world of platform users instead of focusing solely on the manufacturer side of the business. At that time I spent most of my time in Sweden and was a member of the management team. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented me from travelling and we agreed that it would be best to return to my previous position where I continue supporting the commercial and strategic development of our platform.
4.- After more than two years of pandemic and the increase in teleworking, digital tools have become a new paradigm for professionals in the construction sector. What changes, opportunities and challenges do you think the digitalisation of business processes in general and your BIMobject platform in particular will bring, which is the largest BIM objects platform for construction in the world? What are the advantages of this ‘new digital scenario’? What is BIMobject's role in this revolution?
The digitalisation of business processes, including the use of digital tools in construction, has changed the way professionals work and communicate. The BIMobject platform allows architects, engineers and contractors to access a wide range of BIM objects used in construction projects, as well as project information, data and associated EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations).
There are many advantages of this new digital scenario, including improved collaboration, reduced costs, accelerated construction timelines, improved quality and fewer errors. BIMobject plays a key role in this revolution by offering a complete solution of BIM objects that can be used throughout the construction process.
For manufacturers, the opportunity is clear: access for participating in projects that are developed in BIM, gaining a competitive advantage over other competitors that do not offer digital content and gaining influence in the construction process by becoming involved from the design phase.
The challenge will be to ensure that this digital momentum generated by the pandemic does not deflate and that the entire sector implements the new digital tools that will allow us to work in a more sustainable, productive and efficient way.
"The digitalisation of business processes, including the use of digital tools in construction, has changed the way professionals work and communicate. The BIMobject platform allows architects, engineers and contractors to access a wide range of BIM objects"
5.-The pandemic meant that manufacturers accelerated our digital transition. At Mediclinics we are making the most of the situation by using technology to bring our products closer to the public, with tools such as the BIM object catalogue or virtual reality. How have you experienced this digital revolution within BIMobject?
The pandemic led to adjustments in all companies. We had to prepare for an scenario of uncertainty in record time. At the same time, we realised that the shutdown of activities in the physical world was conducive to the long-awaited acceleration of the digital transformation in the construction industry.
We took advantage of both circumstances to restructure our operating model. We opened a Customer Success Management department to give the best support to our existing customers and we also started a transition in sales roles to become a SaaS company (Software as a Service) company with the ability to scale our business so that it can absorb a higher demand than expected. So we had our own revolution and now the whole company, in all territories, operates in the same way, which gives us a great advantage in terms of optimisation and use of resources for whatever the market demands.
"There are many advantages of this new digital scenario,including improved collaboration, reduced costs, accelerated construction timelines, improved quality and fewer errors"
6.- Do you think that the construction sector in general and material manufacturers in particular, such as Mediclinics, have integrated effectively within this new digital ecosystem?
The construction industry is very broad and diverse. That is, if we talk about the industry, specifically the manufacturers of construction products and materials, I only have words of admiration. Before I started working with BIMobject, I had my own project office and as a prescriber, I was familiar with the products of many of the manufacturers that are now BIMobject customers. However, when I started visiting them and learning about their factories and working methods, I was simply fascinated.
The world of construction companies is completely unique. Of course, there are excellent construction and development companies, but the procedures and technology they use are still at a less technologically advanced stage than those of the industrialists. As for architects, engineers and designers, the picture is even more diverse. There are engineering and architectural firms that are world leaders in the use of BIM and there are others that continue to believe that it is a passing fad that offers no advantage over CAD. There is still much to be done. Fortunately, the increasing demands from public bodies and institutions at state and European level to improve the efficiency of processes and the sustainability of projects are helping to promote these new technologies. For its adoption, the digitalisation of products and materials is necessary to create digital models that simulate the behaviour of projects and their environmental impact before they are built.
"The increasing demands from public bodies and institutions at state and European level to improve the efficiency of processes and the sustainability of projects are helping to promote these new technologies"
7.- Are BIM objects a trend that is here to stay or will they be a temporary fad? What advantages would you highlight, both for users and for companies like Mediclinics that have their Marketplace in BIMobject?
In my opinion, I would say absolutely yes, BIM is here to stay. It is very likely that BIM will end up being simply the seed of a future technology that is more inclusive of all digital formats. I mean that parallel to the development of BIM we have seen the evolution of other technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality, 3D Scanning, IoT (Internet of Things), 3D Printing and so on up to the very current concept of the Metaverse, which proposes an immersive experience in a digital world where many of these technologies work in an integrated way.
BIMobject's mission is literally "Building a Better World". We want to ensure that the parties involved in any phase of the life cycle of buildings or infrastructures have the best digital content for making their processes more efficient, whether they are involved in the design, construction or even maintenance of buildings. BIMobject is the platform with the largest number of BIM objects on the Internet. And not only that, all product pages have the information structured in the same way, it is simple to use and allows the user to access all the information they need about the product, files, videos, data sheets ... you can even contact the manufacturer to ask for technical support or commercial information. We are constantly evolving the platform's features based on the feedback we get from users. We currently have more than 3 million users and more than 2,200 brands from international manufacturers. We record more than 1.6 million visits and almost 6 million file downloads per month.
Brands benefit from this flow of traffic, making their brand better known and their products available to prescribers who insert them as BIM objects in digital models. Manufacturers have tools for analysing the impact of their products in the digital world with constantly updated information. In addition, they can create their own audiences by filtering their own traffic by country, occupation or product category, among others, and create their own marketing campaigns or promote the products they want.
"BIMobject's mission is literally "Building a Better World". We want to ensure that the parties have the best digital content for making their processes more efficient, whether they are involved in the design, construction or even maintenance of buildings"
8.- Finally, what advice would you give to brands, such as Mediclinics, that have their catalogue of BIM objects on your platform and want to stand out?
They should talk to their Customer Success Manager. This department performs monthly, quarterly or annual analyses, depending on the contracted subscription plan, which measure the impact of Mediclinics' products in this case, and propose ways to improve. Sometimes, something as simple as including the translation of the business description in more languages can lead to a considerable improvement in traffic. On other occasions, the inclusion of more file formats for downloading is key, depending on the relevant markets. We also have multiple marketing tools for helping manufacturers highlight their products on the platform and connecting with their target audience.