Objective of the Research Project

With the FaBIM research project, we at thinkBIC are pursuing the goal of establishing a fully digital and collaborative approach to factory planning. While BIM has long been established in building construction, this integrated methodology is almost entirely lacking in factory planning. With FaBIM, we aim to close this gap and develop an open-BIM-based system that, for the first time, consistently integrates building and production planning. Through a shared database, clearly defined information requirements, and the ability to identify interdependencies—for example, between the load-bearing structure, utilities, and legal requirements—at an early stage, a planning foundation is created that reduces errors, creates transparency, and makes the entire life cycle of a factory more efficient.

Project Participants

FaBIM is supported by an interdisciplinary consortium to which we at thinkBIC make a valuable contribution. Participants include Building Information Management GLW GmbH, ifp Consulting, CONTACT Software, Kohlbecker Gesamtplan GmbH, and the Fraunhofer IGCV. Together, we combine expertise in BIM management, general planning, factory planning, PLM/IoT, and research. Furthermore, organizations such as buildingSMART Germany, the VDI (Association of German Engineers), and the Industrial Internet Consortium support the dissemination and further development of the project results. This demonstrates a strong network that ensures broad impact.

Our Role in the Project

As thinkBIC, we focus on taking digital collaboration within the project to a new level. We contribute to defining information requirements and oversee their alignment with the IFC standard. Simultaneously, we contribute our expertise in analyzing interfaces, roles, and processes within factory planning. Through our involvement in the design of shared data spaces and the modeling logic, we actively contribute to ensuring that all project partners collaborate using a unified data model.

Added Value for the Industry / Customers

For industrial companies, FaBIM offers clear added value: fewer planning errors, greater cost certainty, and a data-driven planning process that remains usable throughout the entire lifecycle of a factory. The combination of a digital twin, automated quality checks, and a consistent CDE (Computer-Defined Environment) enables the validation of planning statuses at any time and the early detection of inconsistent information. In the long term, customers benefit from significantly improved data management, increased schedule and planning reliability, and reduced project costs—a crucial advantage in an era of increasing complexity and speed in industrial construction projects.

Conclusion

From thinkBIC’s perspective, FaBIM impressively demonstrates how digital collaboration in the spirit of Open BIM can redefine factory planning. The project combines scientific analysis, practice-oriented methodology development, and technical innovation into a holistic system that sustainably increases the efficiency of technical building and production planning projects. The close coordination of all project partners results in a model that not only addresses current challenges but also supports future developments toward digital twins, closed-loop processes, and lifecycle management. FaBIM thus lays the foundation for modern, networked, and robust factory planning.