Leadership Edge: TRXL 171

Key Takeaways

• Embrace Technology Integration
  • Bridging the gap between design and fabrication requires eliminating inefficiencies and disconnects through automation.
  • Investing in web-based fabrication platforms can streamline communication between design teams and specialty contractors, reducing errors and enhancing efficiency in project execution.
  • Web-based workflows dramatically reduce context-switching, speeding up processes and enhancing collaboration across the shop floor and design teams.
• Address Skilled Labor Shortages
  • Implementing user-friendly technology can attract new talent to the industry, allowing less experienced workers to operate advanced machinery safely, thereby mitigating the skilled labor gap.
  • Emerging technologies like VR and digital connectivity offer potential solutions for labor shortages while improving safety and training.
• Promote Collaboration Across Disciplines
  • Fostering a collaborative environment between architects, engineers, and fabricators is essential for aligning design intent with on-site execution, ultimately leading to more successful project outcomes.
  • The future of construction is about scalability—creating tools that simplify workflows for shops of all sizes without compromising on precision.

Episode Analysis

In episode 171, I speak with Brian Nickel and Brett Settles of Allied BIM—a company focused on revolutionizing the connection between BIM and fabrication. Their journey reveals practical solutions for long-standing challenges in AEC workflows, addressing inefficiencies in design-to-shop communication, skilled labor shortages, and process complexity.

Revolutionizing Fabrication Workflows

Traditional workflows are plagued by context-switching—jumping between design tools, exporting files, and manually organizing data for fabrication. Allied BIM’s web-based platform removes these roadblocks, enabling a seamless connection from Revit models to machines on the shop floor, which are becoming much more prevalent for shops to compete in the market.

The platform automates tasks like material marking, cutting, and bending, significantly increasing speed while reducing error rates. As Brian Nickel notes, Allied BIM achieved an 8x increase in production speed, transforming processes that took hours into seconds—without sacrificing safety or precision.

Simplifying Complexity

For many in the trades, new tools often create barriers rather than solving problems. Allied BIM addresses this by developing tools for every stage of the journey:

• Manual Shops: Start with simplified workflows, such as automated material marking.
• Semi-Automatic Shops: Adopt cutting and labeling tools.
• Fully Automated Shops: Implement full work cells for end-to-end fabrication, including cutting, bending, and assembly.

This staged approach makes the technology approachable and allows teams to adopt innovation at their own pace.

The Role of VR in Training and Collaboration

One of the most intriguing topics centered around virtual reality (VR) and digital connectivity. Allied BIM’s platform enables remote machine control and real-time oversight. For a labor-strapped industry, this technology allows senior tradespeople to guide and train teams from anywhere, ensuring knowledge transfer while reducing safety risks.

As Brett Settles explains, VR and connected workflows create scalable solutions—opening pathways for new talent to enter the trades through accessible, safety-oriented training environments.

The Future of Connected Fabrication

Brian and Brett emphasize that the current state of the industry—disjointed tools, manual data transfers, and wasted time—needs to evolve. Allied BIM’s approach integrates design intent with fabrication workflows, ensuring that models are truly machine-ready.

The impact is profound:

• Improved Safety: Automation reduces risks associated with manual tools.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Design teams and trades work together in a connected environment.
• Increased Scalability: Prefabrication workflows can adapt to shops of varying sizes and capabilities.

Conclusion

This episode offers a deep dive into the innovations shaping AEC workflows, particularly at the critical intersection of design and fabrication. Allied BIM’s work represents more than a technological upgrade; it’s a cultural shift toward smarter, safer, and more collaborative ways of building.

Whether you’re a leader looking to optimize shop performance or a technology enthusiast exploring the future of construction automation, Brian and Brett’s insights are a compelling listen.

Listen to the full episode to see how Allied BIM is transforming the industry—and the trades.