Uncategorized

Technology has always played somewhat of a role in construction. In recent decades, though, it’s become even more important to use. It makes your construction business run more effectively, keeps sites safe, and provides more than a few other benefits.

With more and more companies planning on investing in construction technologies, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same. That doesn’t mean you should invest into anything you come across, though.

Instead, you’ll need to be a little picky with which kind of construction technology you use. Some of them are more helpful for your company than others would be. They’ll not only provide more benefits, but they’ll be cost-effective to have.

It’s worth diving into what each of these are.

Why Use Technology In Construction?

Before taking a look at them, it’s worth asking why you should use certain construction technologies. While the benefits can vary from option to option, they’ll add up to provide more than a few advantages for your company. They should have quite an impact on your business, with some of the more notable benefits including:

• Safer Worksite – Safety is vital when you’re on a construction site. There are countless ways to do this, with safety equipment being obvious. Some technologies help with this much more than you’d think, letting you and your employees work on a much safer worksite than you otherwise would have. With how important this is, there’s no reason not to get these.
• Offer More Services – Depending on the technology you invest in, you might be able to improve the services you offer and even offer new ones to clients. They’ll make you a more appealing option for clients before you know it. That could mean having more revenue sources or being able to charge your current clients more.
• Be More Productive – Certain construction technologies let you be more productive when you’re working. You can get things done faster without compromising on the quality of your work. Tasks will take much less time, saving you a lot of time and effort on it. You, your employees, and your clients will be much better off because of it.
• Take On More Work – Because you and your business can be more productive, you could safely complete your work faster than you otherwise would have. In time, that could mean you can take on more jobs and work. You might end up making more money because of the technology you’ve invested in, making more of a profit because of it.

Each of these can be more than enough of a reason to consider getting a few specific construction technologies. Add in the fact specific technologies offer specific benefits, and you’ve no reason not to consider a few of them.

Don’t just get the first ones you come across, though. If you really want to improve your construction business, it’s worth being selective about what you get. That doesn’t just mean focusing on certain brands over others. It means focusing on the right types of construction technology.

Six of these could be better worth your time and money than you’d expect.

Construction Technology: 6 Top Picks

1. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be put to various uses in countless industries, and it’s especially useful in the construction world. You’ll see this in multiple ways, such as better on-site safety, improved workflows, and more accurate reporting and material ordering. You’ll get all of this done quickly and easily.

In fact, once you’ve set everything up, you shouldn’t even need to worry about quite a few things. The AI you have gets it sorted without you even needing to supervise it. All you’ll have to do is check it every once in a while to make sure it’s running properly.

2. Drones

There’ll be plenty of times where you’ll need a bird’s eye view of a worksite or piece of land before starting anything. That’s where drones can come in useful. It puts eyes in the sky for you, letting you carefully scan the site and surrounding area, and you can use this for various things.

Use it to determine what needs to be done on-site and what kind of terrain you’re working on. You can learn more about which drones will help you, and exactly how they’ll help, by spending some time researching them.

3. Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is becoming increasingly prominent in various industries, but it can be especially useful in the construction world. With it, you can literally visualize the building that’s being designed well before it’s actually been built. It even helps clients see what they’re having done well before it’s done.

You can use this when speaking with clients and show them how the end result will look while getting their approval on it. It gives everyone a better grasp of what the end result will be, letting them come to better decisions quickly and easily.

4. Data Collection Apps

Apps are becoming one of the more notable ways technology is affecting the construction industry. While there are quite a few types of these you can choose from, data collection apps are some of the more notable. They could make it much easier to do your job, especially when connected with other construction technologies.

They’ll let you take in and analyze all the information you need so you can make better, more accurate decisions. When connected to the drones mentioned above, for example, you can take all of this information in quickly and without needing to put a lot of effort into it. The apps even back up the data, so you don’t need to worry about losing it.

5. Building Information Modelling

Before building anything, you’ll naturally need to have it modelled. Usually, this takes a team of experts quite a while to do, but that’s only the case if they’re not using the right construction technology. Building information modelling (BIM) software can make it much easier to get this part of the process done.

Not only can experts access it from anywhere, but they can work on it much easier. The process could be much more streamlined, and you’ll get the modelling done much faster. You can even make edits as you go without needing to worry about putting a lot of time and effort into it.

6. 3D Printing

Materials are naturally an important part of construction, and you’ll need to source these properly. That’s a lot easier said than done, but there could be ways to make it easier. 3D printing could make a significant impact on this, as it makes material sourcing much more efficient and more manageable.

That’s especially true when it comes to prefabrication. You could 3D print specific items with the right materials to the right specifications with this. It’ll save you a lot of time in sourcing the materials, getting them delivered, and even cutting them to the right size.

Construction Technologies: Wrapping Up

There are quite a few construction technologies you might want to use in your business. They’ll offer more than a few benefits and help your company run more effectively. With how much of an impact they’ll have on your business, there’s no reason not to consider them.

They could cost a bit of money, but they’ll help you generate a decent return for what you paid. Add in the extra safety and better job you can do because of them, and there isn’t a reason not to get them.

With their affordability, they’ll be a cost-effective way to improve your construction company and do better work for your clients.

Contest recognizes outstanding customer service; Winner receives $500 cash! 

Malco Products, one of the nation’s leading solution developers and manufacturers of a variety of high-quality tools for the building trades, today announced the launch of its brand-new Counterperson of the Year Contest. 

Malco is looking to recognize and celebrate outstanding counter staff at its U.S. wholesale distribution locations who demonstrate the same values that make Malco great: dedication to superior customer service and going above & beyond to ensure contractors have the Malco tools they need to get the job done.

There are great prizes lined up not just for the winner, but for the contractors and distributors who nominate as well:

• The winner will receive $500 cash.
• If the winner is nominated by a contractor, the contractor receives $100 in Malco tools of their choosing, plus the distributor/contractor team will receive lunch!
• All qualifying nominees and nominators will receive a Malco golf shirt, hat and product catalog.

Malco is also making it easy for contractors to nominate counter staff, with 3 options to enter:

• Grab a printed form at your local distributor location and mail it in (PO Box 400, Annandale, MN, 55302)
• Enter online at www.malcoproducts.com/counterperson-of-the-year
• Submit a brief video, which can be emailed or texted to Malco’s marketing department at 612-325-1502 or marketing@malcotools.com.

All entries must be received by Thursday, August 31, and the winner will be announced in October. Please note, this contest is only open to nominees in the United States.

For more information about Malco Products and to enter the contest, visit www.malcoproducts.com/counterperson-of-the-year

Nashville field tech enablement software provider equips HVAC leader’s nationwide dealer network with comprehensive technical services solution

XOi, a leading provider of technician-focused technology solutions, announces an enhanced collaboration with Carrier, an industry leader in heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions.

Dealers will benefit from a more streamlined experience between Carrier technical support services and distributor and dealer networks by utilizing XOi’s advanced technology for improving real-time installation or maintenance troubleshooting.

The Carrier Digital Advantage is a fully connected, incentivized ecosystem of digital tools and technologies provided to Carrier dealers and technicians. This program empowers dealers to provide best-in-class customer service by being more productive and efficient.

“The collaboration with XOi supports the Carrier Digital Advantage by empowering service teams with data insights and virtual support tools for each step in resolving service requests,” said Bob Lang, Director of Quality Assurance, Carrier. “Field technicians can quickly access resources from the Carrier support team to provide exemplary HVAC service.”

With XOi, Carrier technicians can access educational resources and equipment information to enhance efficiency and accuracy and provide exceptional customer service.

“We’re enhancing how information is shared among Carrier distributors and our dealers,” said David Kesterton, President of Mingledorff’s, a large HVAC distributor in the Southeast. “The collaboration between XOi, Carrier and our distribution team drives an even more efficient process for reporting and resolving issues in the field and keeping projects on track. Technicians have immediate access to the information they need with a tablet or smartphone. That kind of accessible, easy to navigate knowledge base helps deliver a premium customer experience.”

“Having both the distributor and Carrier technical support teams utilizing XOi brings closer alignment on field needs in real-time,” said John Holloman, Distributor Service Manager for Robert Madden Industries of Lubbock, Texas. “This enhancement to the partnership helps provide superior customer service to our dealers and each customer.”

Equipped with the data and analytics capabilities of XOi’s curb-to-curb solutions, Carrier service technicians can collect, index and analyze jobsite information and build an accessible institutional knowledge base that supports real-time decision-making.

“Expanding this collaboration to all service technicians helps Carrier contractors meet and exceed the demands of their customers,” said Aaron Salow, CEO and Founder of XOi. “The unique functionality and comprehensive communication and support XOi delivers supports Carrier’s commitment to providing an extraordinary service experience.”

XOi helps field service contractors and their teams drive productivity, elevate customer experience and help identify skilled technicians. For more information about XOi, visit https://xoi.io.

One of the biggest challenges faced by business owners is facing failure. When you’re on the right path to business ownership the last thing that you want to do is lose that. You have to choose to fail to learn in some cases, but you can easily get yourself caught in the belief that a new business requires a LOT of funding, a youthful expression and a carefree attitude. 

It’s a myth, and yet it’s something that most people consider to be a must when owning and running a business. The number of startups that fail in their first year is high, so that doesn’t really help! You need to know the statistics to be sure that your startup isn’t going to instantly flop out. So, we’ve got a Lendio list for you in an infographic below:

Infographic Design By Lendio