Twenty years ago, at the outset of the use of web-based technologies in business, a common notion among contractors was they would never put their project information on the internet. Within a few years, a wave of change in office processes swept through the industry. Somehow, however, when it comes to the application of new technologies in the field, the resistance has persisted in many corners of the industry and in many forms.
The site-based orientation of projects, labor regulations that protect certain trades and local business relationships have resulted in a lack of urgency in a digital transformation in the field. In fact, the mere physical nature of the work leads many to doubt how digitalization might ever transform field construction itself.
Transformative field technologies, though, show up in various ways:
- mobile platforms where paper plans are replaced by up-to-date digital plans on tablets and large-format touch screens;
- laser scanning for building design where 3D point clouds are automatically integrated into a modelling program;
- robotic total stations for stakeouts that are done in half the time with half the resources than traditional means; and
- 3D digital twins for building handover, replacing traditional marked-up paper drawings for final as-built deliverables.
This is all changing, and quickly. The construction industry is now inside a technology tornado. The net result is a set of new technologies changing how construction professionals work, how these professionals are developed and how they interact with stakeholders. Today, contractors, field supervisors, architects and more have real-time intelligence about quality and quantity of progress derived from information captured by digital solutions. Students of the trade are first experiencing projects on simulators where the learning curve is accelerated. Facility owners, developers and other customers are receiving step-by-step progress reports on time and within budget.
Why the change?
From using a plumb bob and string line for construction layout to clients now requesting point clouds for as-built comparisons, there has been momentous change in the application of field technology in only a few short years, with at least the following three drivers:
- Talent shortage. In any conversation about industry challenges, the chronic shortage of both craft and professional talent takes center stage. According to ITR Economics, the industry must become 3-4% more productive year over year—for the foreseeable future—to just to stay above water. Achieving this level of improvement must include the implementation of new technologies.
- BIM adoption. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been the catalyst to move the industry toward this new era of transformation, accelerated by cloud and mobile access to information, and processing capabilities moved to the point of work. Building construction professionals are now more than just the builders – they have become renaissance professionals combining knowledge of construction means and methods with technical capabilities to survey, detail and validate.
- Partnerships that break down walls. Today, the biggest advances in breaking down vendor silos are happening where leading technology providers put customers’ need for a connected workflow first and actively partner to remove barriers to implementation of each solution. A good example is a connected workflow spanning a BIM design solution, a survey solution for digital layout and a project management solution to track issues—from three different technology companies, each with a best-of-breed solution. Through alliances and partnerships, technology companies are de-risking investment by connecting with existing systems, making it easier for customers to deploy and to achieve a positive return.
What does digital transformation in the field mean for construction today?
What’s most important to the end customer is high quality work, safely done, at a fair price. What’s important to construction service providers is highly aligned, but fair price must include fair profit. Digitalization of operations—unlocked through interoperable, innovative technologies—provides the space to achieve both sets of objectives through five benefits:
- Less waste. Time spent looking for information is waste. Excess materials brought to the site “just in case” are waste. Equipment rented before or beyond the need are waste. The adoption of Advanced Work Packaging processes within the industrial construction industry has shown the effectiveness of taking incremental steps in the field to reduce these types of waste by both an improved planning process and the adoption of supportive technologies in the field. Increased tool time through this reduced waste translates directly as increased craft productivity.
- Improved safety. In many discussions regarding the use of technology on the jobsite, safety is cited as a major concern due to the potential for distracted working. These concerns are merited, but at the same time, there are many other digital innovations that yield safety benefits, from wearable sensors to detect falls, to driver-fatigue sensors for on-and-off-road vehicles, to sensors such as laser scanners or mobile reality capture solutions whereby crews can easily capture information while their feet stay on the ground.
- Achieving precision. Classical means of measurement, such as tape measures, are often trusted by crews who have used them for decades, but precise they are not. Errors compound based on relative measures, devices change dimension over time and temperature, and angular errors are difficult to avoid. With increased prefabrication of elements, the importance of precision both on- and offsite increases with the challenge of 3D fitment. For example, robotic total stations fed with BIM data can let one person set out construction work with far more precision than available with a tape measure and a multi-person crew. Likewise, 3D as-built information captured with a laser scanner is more precise and complete than 2D drawing markups.
- Enhanced communication. Rework is the ultimate form of waste, where a task must be done two times or more, when budgets are set for one. In a recent study of more than 600 construction respondents, 52% of rework was caused by poor data and miscommunication, and this comes 20 years after the advent of web-based collaboration systems in construction. With the average project spending nearly 5% of overall budget on rework, the opportunity in eliminating communication-caused rework could mean savings in excess of 2%.
- Accelerated innovation. In spite of the changes that have taken hold in construction, innovation is not widely considered a core competency of a construction firm. Spending on unproven innovations is often seen as wasteful and targeted for reduction. With the rapid adoption of digital technologies on the construction site, a virtuous cycle has begun, whereby innovation is becoming a core differentiator, fueling additional adoption and investment. The expansion of C-Suite roles to include “Chief Innovation Officer” and “Chief Technology Officer” in addition to the classical ERP and desktop-focused “Chief Information Officer” in construction firms evidences this trend.
For leaders wondering if it’s time to move forward—to actively bring technology leadership into the boardroom—it is. When considering strategies for dealing with the uncertainties of 2020 and beyond, executives should seek to include innovative application of technologies as a core differentiator and engage with technology partners to drive connections that unlock the potential for safer, higher quality and more profitable projects.
