When does your integration with bocad or Tekla work really well? And why KISS and DSTV make the difference.

More and more steel construction companies are working completely digitally. Models are built in bocad, Tekla, HiCAD or Advance Steel and form the basis for work preparation and production. Regardless of the package, the same principle applies: the model contains all the information needed to realize a project.

But the model is only the beginning. The real power is in how that information moves through the organization and how seamlessly it moves from engineering to the shop floor.

From model to process

A 3D model contains all the relevant data: geometry, joints, positions and operations. But if that information stays in the drawing package, it still has no effect on the rest of the process. The step to work preparation, planning and production requires structure. Not manually, but through standardized exchange that is understood by all systems. That is the beginning of the digital chain.

Two standards, one whole

In that chain, KISS and DSTV play a central role. They are often used together, but each has its own function. Together, KISS and DSTV form the logical extension of the model.

KISS provides the structure of the project. It establishes what parts there are, how they relate to each other and what basic information belongs to them. This data is used in the further course of the project, with steps such as work preparation, procurement, planning and manufacturing. As such, it forms the connecting layer between engineering and operations.

DSTV connects directly to this and translates this information to the workshop. This format contains the operations required to actually produce parts. Machines read this information directly and execute what is defined in engineering.

By the way, we see a growing importance of a good IFC model built with sufficient information. We see a possibility that this will eventually lead production and replace the KISS and DSTV formats.

Integration as a continuous flow

When the integration is set up properly, information flows automatically from bocad, Tekla or other drawing packages to the rest of the organization. This means that project structures are immediately available for work preparation, production information seamlessly connects to the shop floor, and all departments involved work with the same, up-to-date data.

Additional lists, such as brand or pos lists, remain available where needed, but support the process rather than being leading. This creates not a collection of separate exports, but one coherent flow of information.

What this yields in practice

If this chain is correct, the way of working changes noticeably. Work preparation connects directly to engineering, production works with information that is current and complete, and planning is based not on what is expected, but on what is actually available. The model is still the basis, but the value is in its translation.

Conclusion: integration makes the model valuable

Bocad, Tekla, HiCAD and Advance Steel provide powerful models. But the real added value only arises when those models are integrally connected to the rest of the process. KISS and DSTV ensure that information does not remain on file, but flows through as part of a digital chain. Companies that have set this up properly experience peace, overview and predictability in their process.