“I think I'd be angry at this point. It’s kind of [like] we can't live without it now”, said Eric Baker, when asked how he would react if unable to use Design Master software.
Eric is the Virtual Design and Construction Manager at Martell Electric, a South Bend, Indiana-based design-build and electrical contractor founded in 2001 that provides services for all industries, including healthcare, commercial, industrial, and institutional.
Eric has been a designer for 13 years and with Martell for over eight years. He oversees the design division at Martell, consisting of five designers, and uses Design Master Electrical for AutoCAD and ElectroBIM in Revit for their design work.
Approaching the first anniversary of using Design Master, Eric is a strong supporter of keeping it a part of the Martell design process. “We predominantly use CAD for our design-build but have done a few builds in Revit. We primarily use Revit for 3D coordination and BIM coordination.”
Like most designers, Eric’s workflow previously consisted of Excel spreadsheets for load calculation and panel schedules, with single-lines done using templates acquired over the years and through working with different engineers.
With schedules tightening and less time on the front end for pre-construction, he was convinced there was a better, more technological way to approach the work and decided to see what was available in the marketplace to be more efficient. A quick internet search led to Design Master Software.
There was a small learning curve, but nothing more than he expected. Eric called out the professional and timely customer support for aiding him in getting up to speed and working through any issues without too much delay on design time.
He was also quick to point out that he feels the industry is shifting toward using Revit as more than a design tool, which plays well into how he feels overall about ElectroBIM in Revit.
“We do so much BIM coordination and, separately, design-build, but I'm starting to see these design-assist projects merge with 3d coordination. And when you're able to do everything within the Revit program and use the Design Master software to circuit and then develop one-line diagrams, that is the future of what we're doing.”
Overall, Eric is earnest about his feelings that Design Master helps Martell Electric enhance their reputation with both contractors and customers.
“I do know that one of the biggest things we run into is schedule. The fact that we're able to provide our deliverables in a timely manner to the contractors that we're working for is volumes for us. It’s, you know, we want to be the go-to contractor because we get things done right, and we get it done on time.”
