Digital transformation, unlike others presume, is not exclusively destined for any specific industry. The construction industry is undergoing a rapid transformation and top brands have already transformed their conventional process, technology, and systems with brand-new smart solutions. 

Why the construction industry needs a digital revolution? If this is the question you’re seeking answers for, well, here’s the answer. 

The construction industry involving a lot of complex processes, resources, and tools for any given project is never short of challenges. Some of the common challenges every construction firm faces are productivity, communication, product traceability, employee safety, on-time completion, leading to the lowest profit margin and unhappy customers. 

However, the introduction of techno-enabled digital solutions like IoT-enabled application, RFID tracker, QR-code scanner, asset tracking app, web apps (thanks to digital transformation services) has started to impact the industry and the construction experts have started to shift their eyeballs towards the future technologies to improve profit and customer satisfaction. 

Before diving deep into the discussion of how modern technologies and digital solutions will transform the construction industry, let’s develop some insights on the challenges and how they impact the RoI of the companies. 

1. Loss of productivity
2. Lack of product traceability/material movement
3. Poor resource utilization, management
4. Insecure and unsafe project environment

Challenge #1: Loss of productivity

As stated earlier, construction involves too many resources, tools for a project, and lack of real-time data hurts the overall productivity rate significantly. Manually updating each and every process data consumes a lot of time and there is always a possibility of data mismatch or inaccuracy too. 

With such a poor system in place, monitoring, measuring the performance of humans and equipment is a headache for any project head. On the other hand, the executives don’t have clear data on the expenses, resources used, and project completion status due to lack of data. 

Solution

Mobile app

Digitalizing the complex processes with enterprise mobile applications enables the workforce to perform tasks like equipment checklist, raw materials involved, tools used, and project status data to the immediate reporting head on the go without any discomfort. This saves their time and motivates them to perform and deliver better. 

Web app

The enterprise web application helps the project heads and workforce with the mobile app and enables the CEOs or managers to view the complete project data in a centralized dashboard. The real-time data enables the leaders to make faster and better decisions with regards to the existing and new project planning and budgeting. 

Challenge #2: Lack of product traceability

This is another huge challenge that potentially delays the project completion. Tracking material movement for any project from the procurement stage to the disposal stage is often tiresome and backbreaking. Performing this task manually really eats the time of the workforce, resulting in delayed overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and performance tracking. 

Solution

RFID or QR-Code 

RFID or QR-code scanner for material movement tracking. Tracking assets with such systems lessens the hardship in identifying the materials in inventory, project zone and helps employees monitor, track and utilize the assets wisely for any project. This is turn saves time and money for the company.   

Challenge #3: Poor resource utilization, management

Construction projects involve a lot of workforce and materials for every project and the biggest challenge is utilizing every resource/equipment sensibly. With a lot of money invested in the resources, managing them poorly turns out to be exorbitant. The challenge is due to the lack of data and visibility across the project zone. With the only means of communication between the workforce and leaders is through manual channels more pronounced, resource management suffers further. 

Solution

Enterprise applications

Empowering the workforce and leaders with enterprise apps act as the communication bridge for the industry. The managers will have the complete list of resources allotted for any project and they can manage the resources on-the-go. They can also identify the unused resources, be it humans or machines and use them wisely in another project without investing in new ones. 

Challenge #4: Insecure and unsafe project environment

No workforce would love to work in an environment that is hazardous. Construction involves heavy machinery, tools, and materials that could harm workers’ safety. Most workers on the site work under such circumstances, leading to below normal productivity. 

Solution

EHS management system

Facilitating your workforce with c will help identify machinery defects, incidences and raising observations and potential threats in the project zone on-the-go. As capturing and addressing the environment safety challenges becomes seamless, the motivation of employees will improve further, resulting in improved productivity. 

Top construction companies have started to digitally transform their existing processes with modernized technologies to take their customer satisfaction to a new level. 

Your competitors are already there, are you? 

Get started now. Planning to digitally transforming your construction company? Let’s talk.