We at I Build America – Ohio know the incredible opportunities the construction industry offers. According to a recent article posted on Constructible, 2019 looks to be an exciting time in the construction field. Advanced technologies, innovative ideas, and no shortage of work combine to create a clear forecast: If you’re in the industry, this is your year.
As with every other field, integration of technology is improving the construction field. Advanced technology is now helping contractors do better work while on the job and stay connected when away.
Things are definitely looking up…literally. Jobsite planning is now leveraging the use of drones. These aerial additions collect data from job sites unlike ever before, allowing contractors to take a complete big-picture look at any project before moving forward with decisions. Industry professionals are already noting the positive effect drones have had on their businesses. Growth is sure to continue moving upward.
Beyond on-the-job advancements, there’s a need for on-demand, mobile access. Construction businesses of all sizes are seeing the benefits of digitizing with updated systems, cloud-based construction software, and construction-specific apps. With these mobile-friendly advancements, every interested party has immediate access to any project’s status or data at any time. This helps to stay on track and on budget.
Even before a project even begins, a Business Information Model, or BIM program, creates a digital 3D model to better plan and design infrastructure. No longer bound by the limitations of CAD programs or paper models, AR helps realistically visualize projects. Every aspect of every job can benefit: project managers, architects, engineers, and stakeholders can all check in on a project to ensure it’s accurate and on-schedule, while effectively reducing room for error.
Digitization helps eliminate paper waste and tedious manual processes, even streamlining departmental silos. These improvements go beyond this year alone, as new reporting solutions are helping businesses forecast better. Now, with the help of data analytics, people can collect, parse, and evaluate more construction data than ever before. Together, these advances help to mitigate risk and error, save time and money, and improve productivity, and inevitably profitability for construction workers.
While it’s clear that we have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming year, we can’t wait to see the impact pre-fabrication will have in future years. Pre-fabrication isn’t a new concept, but it is in regard to modular construction and pre-fab facilities that allow workers to build in one central location. This method has a 30% to 50% faster turnaround time than traditional construction offers. In addition to cutting back on hours worked, it reduces waste materials both during the actual construction process and when re-designing, as modular construction is easily disassembled and relocated for new purposes. This growing trend of using a time-tested process in a new, greener way will only propel the industry further.
We hope these innovations and more will draw in more skilled workers to advance the construction field this year and beyond. There really is no better time to join the industry than the present.
For more information, read the full post by Constructible, “2019 Construction Trends – 8 Topics to Watch in the Year Ahead.”
