Now, a digital app is bringing blueprints to tablets and phones of construction job sites and construction workers. Furthermore, on-site training makes the transition much easier. Colleges for information technology are constantly on the lookout for tech innovation to make people’s lives easier.
The construction industry form the start has been mobile. However, mobile tech has only recently started catching up to the industry. As mobile tech becomes a necessity for construction companies, an obvious division is developing between companies willing to be innovative and those that have yet to make the shift to mobility.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE CONSTRUCTION SPACE
At first glance, a disorganized, muddy and congested construction site may not appear as the best place for expensive, flash tech such as drones, AR glasses and machinery that are remote-controlled. However, these tools are a match made in heaven in today’s time. EquipmentShare, a construction company is transforming an estimated $713 billion construction industry with IoT solutions. With solution known as telematics tech, the company aggregates huge amounts of equipment data for modernizing old and less efficient processes in the industry. Telematics is the branch of information technology systems, which deals in long-distance transmission of computerized data and information. It’s only one of the numerous technologies that are changing the construction space these days.
SOME TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE MOVING THE INDUSTRY FORWARD
Check out some of the technologies that are moving the construction industry forward by helping simplify projects, improve operational efficiency and cut costs.
1. Drones. These systems provide a real-time look a construction projects and job sites. Furthermore, the capture insights to material volume, on-site progress and equipment location. They’re more than just a fad. It’s projected that the industry would buy more than 6.3 million drones by the year 2025. The biggest impact that drones have on the industry is the collected data on the back-end.
2. Data aggregation. Data is the key towards effective project and equipment management in the modern construction field. Powered by telematics, owners, contractors and fleet managers could pull valuable data such as oil levels, run times, location and tire pressure, for every equipment. Aggregated on long periods of time and at big volume, the data provides owners and operators bigger visibility to the value and functionality of their equipment, enabling them make smarter decisions in terms of equipment deployment and fleet management.
3. Automation. It may look futuristic, but automated equipment and robots powered by AI or artificial intelligence also find their place on construction sites. Automation’s helping boost safety through speeding up project timelines, avoiding crashes and boosting efficiency. For instance, check out the Hadrian robotic bricklayer that lays bricks twenty times faster compared to human hands.
4. Augmented Reality. AR gear helps workers visualize equipment as well as jobsite data in real time. More and more equipment managers and contractors lean on augmented reality technology to catch breakdowns proactively, double-check building plans and track on-site progress too. AR glasses that are forecasted to reach 5.4 million units by 2020, enables workers to see what is going on inside a machine via their screens.
5. GPS Tracking. It solves the employee mobility issue through using mobility to its advantage. Mobile tech has the capability to track employees and record their whereabouts while also building a perimeter around every job site that would automatically record the time allotted on that job site.
6. Digital documentation and mobile reporting. Mobile reporting could simplify processes and update information right away. If a worker could update a report in real-time without leaving the site, the document could be reviewed, altered and ultimately approve before a worker leaves the site. This immediacy of data and information eliminates the downtime wasted waiting for information, greatly improving efficiency and productivity.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ARE DRIVING GREATER EFFICIENCY
It could not be denied that emerging construction technologies drive bigger efficiency, boosting productivity and the bottom line for contractors. As more adopters rely on telematics data and bring modern tech to the job sites, the industry in the future would look very different than at present. The mobile capabilities are much more beneficial when they could be shared with all the stakeholders. Furthermore, it’s also beneficial to have all functions exist on one platform so documents, written communications and reporting form are available in one location. The integration ability eliminates harmful data silos, which existed previously between apps.
When it comes to a workforce that is constantly moving, mobile construction technology is necessary to keep projects running smoothly. There are plenty of ways that technology is expanding. It is the job of the contractors to be aware of the changes and check out mobile innovation versions that are best for the company.
