This is the third in a series of sit-down interviews with Matt Abeles, ABC’s Vice President of Construction Technology and Innovation. Discover where the industry stands on a variety of technologically focused topics at the height of current events.
Construction Executive: What are the connotations of digital transformation for the construction space? Matt Abeles: The important things to understand are who you are as a company and what problems you’re trying to solve. Technology is a very helpful tool if you’re deliberate about it. For example, if you are a small subcontractor and you’re trying to digitize your timing and timing out process, which will simplify things for the back office, that will go a long way. One of the reasons that my job title is not “construction technology” and that it is “construction technology and innovation” is innovation is that part of innovation is that process of doing things better, not necessarily just creating a technology.
CE: Has digital transformation been embraced by the industry? Or are there roadblocks? MA: I have talked to a lot of smaller contractors that earn $8 to $12 million in business per year. And some of them still have a hesitation around embracing technology and innovating the construction industry. The common attitude is “This is our business,” and “This is the way we do things.” The stigma still exists for technology. But what is not being discussed is how much free technology is available to help with digital transformation. The tools exist to do a lot more with less. This is not just something for big contractors. Everyone should be looking at having some magnitude of digital transformation. The industry as a whole needs to be made aware that it’s important—and very attainable—to take the time to make the jobsite safer. CE: Is part of the concern with adoption for small to mid-sized contractors a financial burden? MA: The belief is that there is a huge financial and labor burden needed for these technologies when that’s not the case with all of them. There are a lot of solutions that are cheap, if not free, and intuitive for smaller businesses. They just need to do some homework to own and understand that. You can’t cut corners and type into Google—the internet is not going to spit out which project management tool is best for your company. You have to find out what’s best for you. CE: To sum up, do you think that digital transformation is available to all contractors? MA: Absolutely. The tides are changing and the stakes to be a successful contractor are higher. If you have a culture predicated on innovation, you’re going to have a much easier time bringing on younger, new talent.
Written by {{author.AuthorName}} - {{author.AuthorPosition}}, {{author.Company}} {{author.Company}} Contact Info: {{author.OfficePhone}} , {{author.EmailAddress}}
{{comment.Text}}