Standardised MTS Nomenclature for Automated BIM-to-BOM and ERP Integration

Abstract

Digital design and Building Information Modelling (BIM) have created opportunities to improve automation, information usability, and production control in construction projects. Recent development efforts have introduced supplier-independent and machine-readable nomenclatures for building services to structure BIM data as bill of materials (BOMs) for computational enrichment and reuse across downstream project processes. However, the practical applicability of such nomenclatures during project execution has not yet been empirically examined. This study is positioned within a broader shift from document-based purchasing toward data-driven procurement, logistics and production control for Make-to-Stock (MTS) products. It analyses 1) how a standardised heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) design nomenclature can be implemented in repetitive construction to enable seamless information flow from BIM to ERP systems, 2) the key challenges of its adoption in the current business environment and their mitigation at project and organisational levels, and 3) how this paradigm shift in design and procurement can be scaled nationally to support the digitalisation of the construction industry and the establishment of a unified data foundation. The findings indicate that while standardised nomenclature enables semantic enrichment of BIM-based quantities and partial automation, the realisation of these benefits is sensitive to data content correctness, industry foundation classes (IFC) export configuration, and geometric reliability. The results indicate that limitations commonly attributed to later construction phases already constrain automation at the design-procurement interface, underscoring the need for coordinated semantic frameworks and machine-verifiable data quality beyond project-level implementations.