Be Awed-And Ready to Apply-Building Technology

Q: I am amazed at the explosion of technology in construction. I see an increasing amount of GPS-guided equipment, construction management software and increased use of radios, rather than hand signals, for the operation of heavy equipment. I want to stay up on these trends and trends to come. Is there an easy resource to learn about new technology quickly and effectively, the pros and cons and the costs?

A. Amaze: Bewilder, perplex, to fill with wonder. Does this definition hit it?
There are two parts to the technology aspect of the construction industry. A portion of it is related to knowledge and currency, and another portion is related to applicability and implementation.

Concerning knowledge and staying up to date with the most recent advances in technology, resources are almost overwhelming. The Internet, industry news sources, suppliers, service providers, manufacturers and trade shows all are full of the latest "Gee Whiz" technology applications.

Enter "construction technology" into your search engine and see how many hits you get. Narrowing your focus to one or two areas of your business and the technologies that could make the biggest impact is a good strategy.

There's little sense in purchasing the latest and greatest GPS system to run your field equipment if your office estimating systems is totally reliant on paper and pencil and ledger sheets. Determine where you think your biggest cost/benefit from an investment in technology will be, but don't pull the trigger yet.

Applying Technology

Concerning applicability and implementation, it is critically important to take into account the ways that any new technology will become integrated into your way of doing business.

An example of this is the current interest in implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) throughout the industry. While the technology is there, a number of other operational issues must be taken into account to take full advantage of the improvements in production. Issues such as design, risk management, and contract language among other things need to be worked out in the BIM world to make the technology effective.

On a smaller scale, whatever technology you choose to add will have additional implementation costs of staff training and integration into your overall business model.

Networking with early adopters of new technology is another good practice. Ask other contractors who use the software or radios or GPS systems about their experiences. National contractor associations such as the Associated General Contractors of America can be helpful in providing a platform for sharing your concerns with noncompetitors who have already employed the technology and can provide feedback.

The pros of technology are improved production, safety and better final construction product. The cons are unplanned implementation and probably being left behind and on a downhill slope of being replaced in the marketplace.

Be cautiously bewildered, thoughtfully perplexed and ultimately filled with wonder about how you were able to get by without that gizmo that is now making you a better contractor.

Do you have questions on construction human resources or safety?
E-mail them to Leonard Toenjes at ltoenjes@agcstl.org or
craig_barner@mcgraw-hill.com.

(If Len picks your question,
he will answer it in a future issue of Midwest Construction.)