BIM—A new paradigm for building and maintaining a manufacturer‐architect relationship

The adoption of BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology significantly impacts the ways, in which the building industry operates. This technology not only provides all industry participants with numerous advantages, but also brings new types of relationships and ways in which it can be utilized. Taking into account the fact that many companies have incorporated relationship marketing into their strategies, manufacturers of building materials should look to ways of digitalization to shape collaboration with architects most of all. It seems inevitable when considering that relationship marketing paves the way to competitive value creation. In addition, relationships equip marketers with data and knowledge, which could play a significant role in developing markets and new products, as well as supporting sales departments by providing solid leads. The aim of this paper was to indicate what kind of role BIM methodology could have in establishing long‐term relationships in the manufacturer‐architect line. In research, we focus on the manufacturer's perspective and show possibilities for long‐term cooperation with architects. In this research, a mixed methodology approach has been used, in which a systematic review of the literature, an own survey on a group of architects, and a case study based on a solution used by one of the clients of the BIM ALLY. The possibilities of using BIM as a marketing communication channel, sales channel, and channel for obtaining key data and information about the users of digital models were proven and indicated.