What Changes with CIM Implementation? Success Stories and Benefits | LRTK Official

In recent years, digital transformation (DX) has become urgent in the construction industry, and CIM (Construction Information Modeling/Management) has attracted attention as one of the core technologies. The civil engineering sector in particular is considered to have significant room for DX, and expectations are rising for business reform using CIM. In fact, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism launched the "i-Construction" policy in 2016 and began full-scale efforts to improve productivity at construction sites through the use of ICT and CIM. From fiscal 2023, the use of BIM/CIM in public works has been made essentially mandatory, and the scope is expected to expand to local governments and private projects in the future. Given this background, many people may wonder, "What changes when CIM is implemented?" This article explains the changes in operations and the benefits gained by implementing CIM, and introduces actual success stories.

What is CIM?

CIM stands for Construction Information Modeling/Management and is a method for utilizing 3D models in civil engineering works. Infrastructure structures such as dams, bridges, and roads are modeled in 3D, and various attribute information—survey data, design information, materials and costs, schedules, and more—are linked to the model for centralized management and utilization. While BIM (Building Information Modeling), which is common in the architectural field, targets buildings, CIM targets civil engineering and is characterized by handling broader information such as terrain and geology. In Japan, since around 2018 it has also become common to refer to both architecture and civil engineering together as "BIM/CIM."

What changes with CIM implementation?

There are significant changes in how work is conducted and in deliverables between conventional civil engineering projects and projects after CIM implementation. Here are the main points of what specifically changes when CIM is introduced.

• Pre-verification during design and planning: With CIM, the final form can be visualized in precise 3D models from the planning stage. Therefore, design errors and clashes that would previously have gone unnoticed until the construction stage can be detected in advance and countermeasures can be taken early. For example, you can simulate clashes with surrounding terrain in bridge design or check impacts on the surrounding environment in road planning—various verifications can be performed in the digital space before completion. This reduces rework such as "it doesn't fit after building," leading to shorter schedules and suppression of cost increases.

• Centralized information management and automation: By consolidating related information into a 3D model, data can be used consistently from design through construction and maintenance. For example, when a design change occurs, the quantities and cost information in the model are also automatically updated. Conventionally, drawings had to be revised each time a change occurred and quantity surveyors had to recalculate quantities, but in a CIM environment that effort is greatly reduced. Also, if there are inconsistent changes in the model, the system can immediately detect errors, helping to prevent human oversight. In this way, the digital consolidation and automation of information dramatically improve overall operational efficiency.

• Improved site management and communication efficiency: CIM implementation enables construction stakeholders to always share the latest information. Through the cloud, members across site and office, client and contractor, designer and builder can refer to the same model and exchange opinions and coordinate in real time. Interactions that were previously carried out sequentially by email or paper drawings can be done quickly on digital models, reducing communication loss. If as-built results and progress on site are reflected in and shared via the model, construction management can be performed remotely, speeding up decision-making.

• Easier explanations to local residents and non-experts: Explaining projects to local residents and related organizations is an important process in civil engineering projects. Using CIM 3D models makes it easier to convey plans visually to people without specialized knowledge. For example, in a certain river improvement project, using a CIM model for resident briefings led to a success case where what used to take several days to gain understanding reached consensus in about one day. By showing a three-dimensional completed image, it becomes possible to intuitively communicate the necessity of the work and safety measures that were difficult to convey with text and drawings alone, smoothing consensus building with surrounding stakeholders.

• Advanced maintenance and asset management: CIM is also powerful in the maintenance phase after construction. If inspection results and repair histories are continuously recorded in the completed structure’s 3D model, it can be used as a digital ledger for a long period. Previously, people had to flip through paper ledgers and drawings to find past records, but if necessary information is linked in the model, searching becomes easy. For example, you can reflect tunnel inspection results in the model and color-code deteriorated areas. This streamlines infrastructure asset maintenance operations, optimizes life-cycle costs, and enables more advanced inspection and repair planning.

As described above, by implementing CIM, digital workflows that did not exist before become possible at every stage from planning to construction and maintenance, resulting in significant improvements in both quality and productivity.

Benefits of CIM implementation

Let’s summarize the concrete benefits obtained by utilizing CIM.

• Operational efficiency and productivity improvement: Pre-examination with 3D models and automated information reduce wasted rework and manual processing. Rapid response to design changes, automated quantity calculations, elimination of duplicated tasks, and other improvements raise productivity across the project. In fact, there are cases where implementing CIM reduced the working time for specific tasks by 80%, enabling efficient operations even with a small workforce.

• Cost reduction: Improved operational efficiency directly leads to cost savings. Reduction of rework through early problem detection, prevention of overdesign and overconstruction, and reduction of idle time through optimal scheduling help suppress total project costs. Reducing the personnel required for management also leads to expected labor cost savings.

• Quality improvement and risk reduction: Detailed simulations and checks in the digital space reduce variability in construction quality and greatly lower the risk of design errors and construction defects. Integrating quality control data into the model increases inspection accuracy and contributes to overall quality improvement. As a result, safety increases and confidence in the finished product rises.

• Improved information sharing and communication: Since all stakeholders can share the same information in real time via the model, transmission errors and information gaps are reduced. Coordination between the site and headquarters, and between design and construction departments, becomes smoother and decision-making speeds up. Transparent information sharing with clients and partner companies enhances project credibility and contributes to improved customer satisfaction.

• More efficient maintenance: By utilizing the CIM model as a digital asset after handover, long-term maintenance becomes more efficient. If inspection and repair histories are accumulated in the model, even when personnel change, past conditions can be immediately understood, enabling planned maintenance. This reduces time and costs for maintenance and contributes to longer infrastructure asset life.

• Improved competitiveness and bid capability: As the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism promotes BIM/CIM use, CIM readiness has become a major point in public project bids. Companies that have implemented CIM are more trusted and favorably evaluated by clients, expanding bidding opportunities. Showing proactive DX efforts also helps in recruiting personnel and collaborating with other industries.

Success stories of CIM implementation

Let’s look at what outcomes can be achieved by actually implementing CIM, using examples from major domestic general contractors. Projects that have advanced CIM use offer many lessons and insights.

Takenaka Corporation case: Efficiency in pile foundation design

Takenaka Corporation, a major construction company, adopted CIM for pile foundation work and developed its own design and construction management system called ANAGO (Anago). Traditionally, pile foundation design relied on limited boring survey data to create depth distribution maps of bearing layers, and designers determined the length of each of many piles individually. However, there was often insufficient ground investigation data for the number of piles, making it difficult to accurately estimate the three-dimensional shape of the ground. As a result, whenever ground conditions different from those assumed in design were found at the construction stage, pile designs had to be reviewed and remanufactured, causing extra work.

ANAGO reflects boring results and data obtained during actual pile construction in a 3D model (CIM model) as appropriate and visualizes them. This centralizes design and construction information and achieved optimization of pile lengths and a significant reduction in design work time. According to the company, using this system reduced the time required for pile design by about 80%, contributing to labor savings for designers. This is a good example of how CIM can bridge the gap between design and the field, enabling efficient and flexible construction responses.

Obayashi Corporation case: Integration of quality management data

Obayashi Corporation, another major general contractor, uses CIM to provide consistent information to clients from construction through maintenance. Specifically, quality management data and inspection data from each process generated during construction were integrated into the CIM model. Centralizing quality data that used to be managed separately by process achieved both efficiency in construction management and quality assurance. For example, by linking inspection results for rebar work and concrete placement to the model and accumulating them, quality histories can be easily traced and checked later.

Furthermore, the information accumulated in the model is also used in post-completion maintenance. After handover, owners and maintenance managers can extract detailed information from the CIM data at any time, facilitating smooth planning of inspections and decisions on repair work. In Obayashi’s case, CIM helped realize more efficient maintenance and provided long-term benefits to clients, such as quicker responses and reduced life-cycle costs. This is a good example of CIM creating value not only during construction but also in after-sales service.

Kajima Corporation case: Unified management of dam construction

Kajima Corporation, one of the super general contractors, developed and implemented an integrated management system centered on CIM for a dam construction project. Constructing a massive civil structure like a dam involves handling vast amounts of information such as design documents, construction plans, and site survey data. Kajima’s system integrates these on a CIM model, making construction information continuously visible. As a result, construction planning was optimized and quality improved, significantly enhancing overall project management accuracy.

For example, excavation and placement plans could be adjusted instantly on the model according to changes in geological conditions and shared among stakeholders, enabling efficient scheduling. This integrated management system is also designed to be handed over to the maintenance phase after completion so that inspection and repair information can be handled on the same model. This achieved labor savings in maintenance work after dam handover, reducing the burden on owners such as local governments. Kajima’s example demonstrates the effectiveness of CIM in large-scale infrastructure projects and shows that benefits extend to project owners as well as contractors.

Conclusion

CIM implementation fundamentally changes how civil engineering projects are conducted—from design and construction to post-handover—and brings substantial benefits to the industry. Beyond efficiency and quality improvements, advanced management using digital data makes previously unseen problems visible and enables timely, appropriate decision-making. Moreover, as symbolized by the mandatory principles around BIM/CIM, CIM is shifting from being a differentiator to becoming the norm: it is increasingly "standard to have" rather than "a competitive edge if you have it." As CIM readiness will sooner or later be necessary, preparing as early as possible is key to maintaining and improving your company’s competitiveness.

We have seen what changes with CIM implementation, and its transformative benefits are immeasurable. CIM can truly rewrite the norms of construction projects. If you are considering applying CIM to your projects, start digitizing familiar areas. Beginning with recording and utilizing site information digitally is recommended. For example, using the simple surveying solution provided by LRTK makes surveying tasks that previously required specialized knowledge and expensive equipment easy for anyone with a smartphone and a compact device. By attaching an LRTK terminal (high-precision GNSS receiver) to a smartphone and using a dedicated app, a single person can acquire site point surveys and as-built records with cm level accuracy (half-inch accuracy). By importing this high-precision site data into a CIM model, you can build a digital model that accurately reflects the current state of the site. Even small initiatives allow you to experience the advantages of digitalization and gain momentum for CIM utilization.

If you are interested in CIM implementation and would like to learn more about LRTK’s simple surveying service, please contact us via [here](https://www.lrtk.lefixea.com). As a reliable partner for site DX, we support your CIM implementation. Let’s build the construction sites of the future together. Let’s accelerate site DX together!