Nemetschek brings 60 years of experience to India, introducing six brands that provide integrated BIM solutions for architectural, engineering, and construction to enable effective project management.

Can you provide an overview of Nemetschek Group’s entry into the Indian market and the key factors driving this decision?
Nemetschek, a publicly listed German corporation with a 60-year history, serves millions of customers worldwide, including over 100 in India. We are introducing six of Nemetschek’s 14 brands to the Indian market, including GRAPHISOFT, BLUEBEAM, VECTORWORKS, and Allplan, with plans to expand further. We identified consolidation opportunities based on the expansion of these brands and rising client usage levels. As a result, our corporate headquarters recognised the enormous expansion of the Indian market, of which we are all very proud. Nemetschek wants to be a part of this growth, so we opened our Mumbai office. This office represents two significant milestones: it is our first office in India and the first time Nemetschek has operated under its brand and engaged directly with consumers.

How does Nemetschek Group ensure its BIM software meets the unique requirements of the Indian market, especially considering local regulations and construction practices?  
Although there is awareness of BIM in India, the primary challenge lies in adopting the technology. Many companies mistakenly believe that CAD solutions or 3D modelling are the perfect BIM solutions, a misconception we aim to dispel. 

We will break down our solutions into various packaging systems tailored to small and large customers to offer a better alternative. Our BIM solutions will be more productive, cost-effective, and customisable based on customer preferences. We meet our customers’ demands by providing perpetual licenses, subscriptions, solution combinations, and product bundles. Unlike our competitors, we offer this level of flexibility, effectively addressing a significant pain point for our customers.  

How do Nemetschek’s BIM solutions provide a cost-effective alternative for Indian construction and infrastructure projects and architects?
When integrating new technology, the primary consideration for EPC firms is often the investment cost. This perception must be corrected because the cost should be determined based on specific requirements. For instance, architects require architectural solutions, while engineers need engineering-focused tools. Unfortunately, several of our rivals worldwide, particularly in India, combine architectural and engineering solutions, resulting in excessive costs that are frequently prohibitive to customers. 

We want to fix this. For example, if an architect needs an architectural solution and drawing review tools, we will supply our architectural solutions, such as Archicad or Vectorworks, in conjunction with Bluebeam. Suppose a customer exclusively works on steel projects rather than concrete. In that case, whereas our competitors offer packages combining the two, we will provide a solution focused solely on steel or concrete detailing if necessary. This strategy reduces costs, making it more inexpensive and efficient for clients. 

Furthermore, we are localising our items for the Indian marketplace. For example, we have integrated Indian design codes and sections, ensuring that sections from local manufacturers such as Tata and Jindal are available in our solutions.  

How do your BIM solutions contribute to green building practices and compliance with the Indian Green Building Council standards?
We are market leaders in the United States and Europe, and our software solutions are standardised worldwide, including in India. As a member of Building Smart International, the regulatory body for file and data integration, and the Building Smart India initiative, we actively promote and support open BIM. 

The open BIM concept enables continuous data integration. If a customer utilises a competitor’s technology, their data can still be integrated with Nemetschek’s solutions, and vice versa. We aim to ensure our platforms are open, allowing data interchange, and complying with all rules.

How does Nemetschek Group support its Indian clients in these areas to ensure the successful adoption of BIM solutions?
We are adopting a hybrid business model with direct engagement with enterprise customers and a strong channel network in India. These channels will handle sales and have the technical resources to implement our technology; that is number one. Secondly, within a year, we will establish 20 centres of excellence across India. These centres will be hubs for technology implementation. Third, we will partner with reputed universities and colleges, such as JJ College and IIT, to set up Centres of Excellence. This will integrate Nemetschek solutions into their course curricula, ensuring engineering graduates are familiar with our technology. This familiarity will make adopting our solutions easier for private and government organisations.  

Can you elaborate on your plans to collaborate with key Indian stakeholders, such as Tata Group, Godrej & Boyce, and Mahindra LifeSpaces, to promote BIM adoption?
We recognise the importance of larger Indian corporations such as Tata, Birla, Reliance, and Jindal. Our strategy for these organisations will not be confined to single applications but will include whole building lifecycle solutions. We will work with them through tailored enterprise-level agreements that provide flexibility in licencing and duration based on their project requirements. This approach ensures that we address the different needs of India’s leading companies.

What do you think about the growth potential of this new technology? How do you envision its impact and expansion in the future?
This technology has been around for more than 60 years. However, awareness of it in India could be higher. Our primary goal is to raise awareness among engineers, contractors, and architects about Nemetschek’s comprehensive solution for the architectural, engineering, and construction industries. Unlike our competitors, who supply solutions scattered across multiple industries, Nemetschek offers a full suite of integrated technologies under a single roof. This implies that Indian customers may begin with architectural solutions and then integrate engineering and construction capabilities into the same platform as needed.

For more information, visit: https://www.nemetschek.com/en