A recent report from the American Institute of Architects’ Consensus Construction Forecast projects that nonresidential construction spending will increase by 20% this year, meaning that construction companies will be handling more projects than they are accustomed to. With this, the value of integrating emerging technologies into construction planning processes continues to be a hot topic within the industry.

In addition to maximizing efficiency, productivity and profitability, these innovative solutions also allow contractors to prioritize and uphold ESG and sustainability efforts that can easily be overlooked during times when the industry is booming with an influx of new projects. As new standards and compliance regulations around ESG evolve for construction workers, automated scheduling and planning technologies show tremendous potential to help construction professionals achieve these goals.

NEW TECHNOLOGY: DEMANDS AND BENEFITS

As construction companies work to keep pace with the influx of projects to optimize profitability, there is an even greater need to adopt more efficient contech solutions that streamline processes and promote efficiency.

Ranging from construction management to collaboration to 3D modeling, these technologies have the tools necessary to ensure that important elements are prioritized and upheld to the highest degree, including:

Productivity: Teams can increase production and complete projects faster without idling by eliminating manual, tedious and repetitive tasks through the use of contech solutions.

Accuracy: Construction technology helps teams produce and abide by more accurate plans, bids and schedules, as the precision of these solutions eliminates the potential for human error or unnecessary estimation.

Collaboration: Manual or simplistic planning tools make it difficult for teams to collaborate when everyone isn’t in one central location, but well-developed technology allows contractors to work together and communicate in new, seamless ways.

IMPORTANCE OF PRIORITIZING ESG AND SUSTAINABILITY

In addition to their ability to save time, money and resources for construction companies, new contech solutions also have the ability to drive ESG initiatives by mitigating unnecessary waste and negative environmental impacts. This is particularly relevant as sustainability continues to be a hot topic among the industry.

Contech offers several major benefits for companies focused on maintaining ESG and sustainability efforts, as it fosters more conscious and carefully calculated efforts throughout all parts of the project. From the beginning stages of planning, technology with more accurate scheduling capabilities can reduce the hours equipment is idling at the jobsite. This improves equipment usage factors and dramatically reduces the associated carbon footprint.

With more visibility into and control of jobsite operations, enhanced progress monitoring can reduce the waste of both materials and manpower, which translates into cost and carbon savings, since both employees and equipment can be allocated more carefully. Many construction technologies can also dramatically decrease the amount of workdays spent preparing for and managing the project, resulting in less space needed to be heated, cooled and powered for managers who work from the office.

By facilitating more accurate planning, teams also have more control over resources used in the transportation of people, machinery and materials. This allows for less fuel to be utilized moving and operating equipment, fewer commute days for workers and staff and less gas utilized throughout the project overall. These types of platforms allow managers to minimize the amount of emissions they release into the atmosphere.

IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW CONTECH SOLUTIONS

By utilizing innovative tech solutions that provide greater visibility and clarity about construction processes, teams are better equipped to manage and complete projects from start to finish. There are several added benefits to these tools, including a more skilled and aligned workforce, the elimination of waste and an efficient use of manpower.

Many contech solutions present technical information in a way that the whole team can understand—not just managers and schedulers with these skills. These modern solutions lower the barrier to entry and understanding of critical processes so that less experienced employees can apply their skills to a broader scope of work. This allows for more learning, alignment and a more diverse workforce with higher productivity and team alignment.

In addition to eliminating waste, the clarity around resource use allows for labor and equipment to be available when needed by eliminating delays that occur when waiting for transport and delivery. This not only reduces the cost of reserving equipment for more time than necessary, but also keeps the jobsites open and free of excess clutter, which can in turn uphold safety initiatives.

Enhancing scheduling capabilities to better plan for the utilization and allocation of manpower also helps avoid layoffs and unnecessary hiring, which creates a more stable work environment for employees. The ability to accurately project how many workers are needed and when they should report to work ensures that projects are staffed accordingly from the beginning, as opposed to adjusting throughout and engaging in unnecessary hiring, firing and/or schedule changes.

As construction spending continues to experience rapid growth, contractors and builders must utilize resources and tools that allow them to keep pace with the rising number of jobs available to them. Integrating innovative and emerging technologies into the construction planning process simplifies operations by streamlining processes, maintaining efficiency and profitability, upholding ESG initiatives and driving continued innovation—increasing profit while doing good.