BZI Makes VR a Real-World Reality for Customers and Steel Trade Partners

Steel Company One of the First to Adopt and Identify the Best Ways to Apply Virtual Reality in the Steel Industry

BZI® (bzi.com), nationally recognized for its transformative innovations in the construction and steel industries, announced it is now utilizing virtual reality technology to enhance customer experiences and products. The company is one of the first in the steel industry to adopt the technology as part of the systems and services the company offers. BZI is also integrating VR-simulation training into the safety, quality control and skills instruction provided at the company’s nationally recognized and exclusive training center, SteelTech Academy.

BZI has partnered with Resolve BIM to offer an off-the-shelf, accessible approach to VR that allows untethered remote viewing of 2-D projects in a 3-D format. BZI believes the application of this virtual technology will improve efficiency across all aspects of a building project, raise customer satisfaction and increase safety and collaboration for all parties involved.

BZI VR programs enable a 3-D view to be integrated with all other existing 2-D systems that are tied to a project. This integrated view of building elements allows for virtual walkthroughs that can help discover and address issues or opportunities that translate into the real-world.

Customers are finding the application of VR a value-added service to their building processes and relationships with BZI. “BZI’s VR capabilities enable us to not only see, but feel, what to expect when BZI’s exclusive building processes are applied to our projects,” said Joe Jessop, BZI customer and Project Executive at general contractor Visco.

BZI plans to use their application of this technology to level up the collaboration, efficiency and quality control processes of construction. The company is using their own corporate buildings, currently in development, as a testing ground to learn the most optimal ways for BZI and its industry trade partners to leverage VR during every stage of a building’s planning and evolution.

“Our application of this technology will help our trade partners in electrical, plumbing, HVAC and others learn about and experience the benefits of virtual reality,” added Wilford Jessop, Chief Information Technology Officer at BZI.

Accessibility and ease-of-use allow many of the company’s divisions, customers and partners to use the technology and experience the benefits together. “With wireless abilities, I can have team members, trade partners and customers throughout our national work sites and offices walking through a virtual view of a project simultaneously,” said Wilford Jessop.

Wilford Jessop adds that VR is a relatively new frontier for steel, and BZI is excited to forge the trail and take an all-inclusive approach to the technology. “We look forward to sharing our findings about additional ways VR can be used in the steel and construction industries through our company’s innovative application and unique test case.”

Steel erection remains one of the top 10 most hazardous occupations. “VR is one way we are making construction safer for our team members and our trade partners,” added Wilford Jessop.