Construction technologies help us improve construction operations and transform towards industry 4.0, but with the significant advancements in construction technologies, a calculated decision is now in place. Where do we start improving the business of construction?
Making sense of construction technologies
We can organize construction technologies into different dimensions:
- The primary grouping will relate to the stage in the construction process that the technologies will contribute to. Solutions in the construction IT stack provide value in three stages of construction: pre-construction (from design and approvals to bidding), construction (actual building of structures), and post-delivery (maintenance).
- Within each stage, we can see different areas of business engagements: design, finance, operations, risk management, documentation and communications, and inspections.
- And on the last dimension refers to the evolution of core technological capabilities and also makes the distinction between different methods of utilizing technologies possible: digital tools (same as analog tools but with a screen or digital storage), automation (the first step towards intelligent tools), analytics (including smart choices in critical intersections), and finally intelligence (getting unimagined wisdom, packed in an easily digestible form); as a result, an IT stack of a general contractor will probably look more like a beehive than a ladder.
Making progress toward industry 4.0
General contractors that want to introduce industry 4.0 improvements need to do the following:
- Decide in which areas of the project they want to start improving things using technologies.
- Decide what sort of improvements would play a significant role in the company’s strategy.
- Determine how the technology integrates not just with the business but also with the evolving IT stack.
The Trusstor way
From Trusstor’s point of view, site operations are a critical entry point to industry 4.0 benefits.
All corporate engagements, such as planning, budgeting, bidding, resource allocations, and procurements, to scheduling and quality management, are strongly associated with the ability to understand site operations in high resolution. Any improvements beyond digital tools will require enhanced visibility into command and control issues.