5 Technologies that Could Transform Your Construction Company
When equipped with the right technology, construction groups are a powerhouse of efficiency and safety.
The big driver of this result is technology. Technology’s helping to improve many industries, including construction.
A number of pieces of technology, like specific hardware and software, are changing the construction landscape. And we’re bringing you the top 5 types of technology that have the potential to transform your construction business, no matter the size.
Wearable Technology
Wearable technology is defined as smart sensors that construction crews wear, while on jobsites. They’re small sensors that construction companies are beginning to put smart sensors in their workers’ boots, hard hats, and other safety gear such as rooftop harnesses. The purpose for these wearable pieces of technology is to help foreman better track the condition of workers on the jobsite.
For example, a foreman will receive alerts when the hard hat of a construction worker is impacted by force, so the foreman can follow up to make sure the worker is safe and uninjured. Foreman will also receive alerts from wireless sensors that monitor body temperatures of construction crew, ensuring workers aren’t suffering from heat exhaustion. And boot sensors monitor the length of time that workers have been on their feet, and can even track the time between breaks.
Tool Tracking
Misplaced construction tools cost construction companies millions of dollars in expenses, each year. It can also be dangerous to misplace these expensive tools as they can turn into walking hazards if left in the wrong place.
Construction companies are outfitting their machinery, hand tools, and power tools with barcodes to help solve this problem. By scanning these barcodes with digital barcode readers, construction groups are better able to track their equipment.
Drones
When it comes to surveying construction sites and monitoring active ones, drone technology is a technology that’s changing the way construction company’s survey. Construction companies are now purchasing drone equipment and hiring drone pilots to survey construction sites, which is particularly helpful in heavily congested locations.
With drone technology, construction foreman can actively monitor jobsites, monitor workers, and quickly survey the progress of specific areas.
Tablets
Instead of carrying around cumbersome physical blueprints and other paperwork, contractors and foreman are now relying on mobile devices because of their portability. Tablets can either store aata that’s accessible with the swipe of a finger, or access job information via the cloud, instantly connecting to the various apps while on site.
Construction companies are also equipping their sites with wireless connectivity. Tablets in combination with Wi-Fi allow construction site foreman to collaborate, upload, and share documents, all in real time.
Mobile Apps
Mobile apps allow contractors to get the best ROI from their technology. Construction-based apps like CAD apps, bidding apps, estimating apps, and Sage accounting apps make it possible to make change requests, blueprint changes, and cost/estimating changes right away. No more waiting on paper requests or slow-processes.
Other construction apps include apps that help construction managers better calculate supplies, materials like concrete, roofing, and various hardware.
From drones, to apps, to sensors, it all makes sense to use technology to better improve technology for construction companies.
Having all this technology certainly does make life a bit more stressful for the IT professional inside a construction company, but job security sure is nice, too.
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