Most contractors agree that project success is largely determined by four factors:
time, cost, quality and safety. But there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach. The same is true of technology, in that each company’s journey is unique. In this article, Caterpillar will help you take a quick look at key areas where technology can make a difference.

Get Rid of the Paper Trail, Design a Digital One

Running from the jobsite to your office or trailer to update, print and distribute information eats up time, one of your most critical resources as a project manager. Here at Caterpillar, we say stop chasing the paper trail and instead adopt cloud computing. The cloud platform simply means that users with an internet connection and approved access can get “live” information from anywhere. Do you check your email on your smartphone? You’re already using the cloud. Listed below are eight quick ways the cloud can save you time, money and headaches:

• Rapid decision making as personnel can connect with each other from almost any location.
• Faster response time to RFIs (Requests for Information), change orders and purchase orders.
• Snap and send photos of jobsite activity.
• Check manufacturers’ instructions.
• Confirm calculations.
• Instantly look up specifications and special provisions.
• Quickly check contracts.
• Track weather.

Get Your Crew on the Same Page, Even with Different Devices

Smart devices like phones and tablets let employees access and share information with the tap of a finger. 72 percent of construction contractors use smart phones, while 50 percent use tablets. One contractor found that superintendents using a voice-to-text application could save at least 30 minutes a day in preparing reports. There are a wide number of apps that can be useful for your team in the field; here are some of the most widely used:

• Permit apps (for sending and receiving permits).
• Resource tracking apps (tag assets and monitor their location).
• Inventory apps (monitoring items that are depleted & restocked).
• Fleet tracking apps (monitor vehicle routes & fuel).
• Inspection apps (help speed up walk arounds).
• Safety apps (notification system to alert foremen of problems).
• Resource tracking apps (for documenting and submitting employee hours, progress quantities and other day-to-day activities and metrics).

Reduce Risky Business on the Worksite

New technologies (like Cat® DETECT, a Cat Connect Technology) have become available to safeguard worksites and better manage risk. One in ten construction workers is injured on worksites every year. One of the most common accidents on a construction worksite is being struck or trapped by equipment or vehicles. Blind spots and backing up accidents account for 25–50 percent of the total. Here are some of the technologies we recommend that can help prevent such accidents from occurring:

Object Detection technologies
Complete object detection systems include back-up cameras and pulsed-radar object detection. Cameras give operators a view of what is typically their biggest blind spot, and radar identifies objects and people hidden from the operator’s view and sounds an alarm.

Fatigue Detection technologies
Fatigue detection is one of the most recent advancements. A camera installed in the cab monitors pupil size, blinking, and how long eyes stay shut. If the system senses the operator is falling asleep, an alarm sounds and the seat vibrates

“Smart” wearables
Safety gear with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors and bio-monitors have all hit the market within the last several years. The most common are RFID systems that alert workers and equipment operators when they are both moving through a work zone. Wearable devices are now reading heart rates and body temperature to fend off potential medical incidents.

Stay on Track with Telematics

Most people can use basic telematics information — machine operating hours, location, fuel consumption — to produce measurable improvements in operating costs. 80 percent of new equipment has telematics built-in, so all that’s required is activation. However, only 17 percent of contractors are using telematics within their projects. Telematics provide multiple cost saving benefits:

• Location features help keep equipment and people safe by alerting operators and sounding proximity warnings.
• Telematics can help optimize utilization—because equipment doesn’t get rented when it’s not needed or isn’t parked and forgotten.
• Most OEMs provide apps that allow you to access information via smartphone or tablet, so you can check on equipment condition, fuel burn, idle time or service hours.
• Condition monitoring alerts help control maintenance and repair costs by reducing downtime.

Machine Control & Automation Adds to Your Bottom Line

The introduction of control technologies for grading, compacting and measuring payload has given construction companies more ways to increase production and enhance operator performance. Productivity and cost saving advantages come primarily from:

• Improved accuracy of machine-guided buckets and blades.
• Increased accuracy of automated “assist” features that make the operator faster and more consistent.
• Reduced man hours because fewer workers are needed to check progress/complete jobs.
• Elimination of rework, tasks are completed right the first time.
• Fewest passes achieve proposed grade efficiently.
• Optimal number of passes reach compaction target(s) without over or under compacting.
• Reduced cycle times and machine wear due to payload technologies eliminating over and under loading of hauling units.
• Increased safe operation because operators are more aware of activities and individuals around them.
• Data-driven estimating and planning that accelerates payback periods
on technology investments.

Caterpillar is constantly developing and refining advanced technologies to help you make your equipment more productive and efficient. The faster you recognize technology as an essential part of your operation, the faster you will begin to see a difference on your worksites and your bottom-line.

The post Running a Tech-Focused Jobsite appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

The construction industry has transformed drastically over the past 20 years. Smartphone apps have enabled real-time information exchange; armloads of files and blueprints are being replaced by a few taps on a tablet. Technology is changing almost every aspect of the industry, and companies that refuse to adapt and implement it risk being outdone by tech-savvy competitors.
One of the biggest fears construction company owners face when considering implementing new technologies is understanding what they do and how to use them effectively. Below are snapshots of some of the newest and most innovative construction technologies available to the industry:

1. UAV Technology

Unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs are a hot technology in several industries today because of all the different business use cases they can provide. In the construction industry, companies are sending camera-equipped UAVs into the air to take dozens — if not hundreds or thousands — of images. The pictures, which are linked to GPS data, can be stitched together with special software, transforming them into a 2-D or 3-D site model. The model can be used to:

• Assess progress on a project — daily, weekly or at some other regular interval
• Locate specific areas where work is falling behind schedule
• Measure stockpile volume
• Determine the amount of overburden that needs to be removed from an area
• Monitor width and slope of haul roads
• Analyze quarry faces and berms
• Inspect hazardous areas
• Confirm that employees are wearing protective gear and working safely
• Get a high-level view of operator technique, load-zone placement, tire rotation and other factors that affect efficiency
• Show clients work in progress
• Create images for marketing presentations and materials

These tasks and many others can be done quickly, accurately and economically with UAV systems — assuming you have access to the right technology, analytics and expertise. Caterpillar has a small team of UAV experts whose sole focus is determining how the technology can be used to improve site safety, efficiency and profitability.

Companies that are considering taking advantage of UAV technology need to be aware of the laws governing the commercial use of UAVs because they are different depending on where you do business. The United States has the tightest federal regulations in regard to UAVs, with new laws slated for 2016. We think UAVs are going to take off in the construction and aggregates sectors over the next few months and years. As this technology evolves, you’ll be able to combine machine data from your telematics systems with geo-spatial data from UAVs, giving you the power to take site efficiency to all-new levels.

2. GRADE with Assist
Grading technology helps make excavators, dozers and motor graders more efficient because it allows operators to get to grade faster with less effort. Caterpillar’s precision grading system, Cat® GRADE, part of Cat Connect technology, can help both new and experienced machine operators deliver dramatic improvements in grading efficiency over a wide range of applications. GRADE with Assist, which adds automated grading sequences, is featured on Cat Excavators, is the most advanced worksite technology available. Among the benefits grading technology can provide:

• Keeping people off the ground and out of trenches
• Reducing the cost of staking and grade checking
• Cutting grading time by up to 45%
• Conserving fuel and materials when you finish in fewer passes
• Saving time and costs related to rework
• Helping less experienced operators work like pros

Grading technology, like Cat GRADE, enhances jobsite safety, improves reliability and adds to the machine’s value, both on the job and at resale. Just to show some real-life examples, below are 10 things you can do faster and more efficiently with grading technology:

1. Dig a basement
2. Build a detention pond
3. Put in a sewer line
4. Dig foundation footings
5. Cut a drainage ditch
6. Prep a commercial site pad
7. Build an access road
8. Install underground utilities
9. Slope an embankment
10. Construct a retaining wall

3. Workplace Safety Technology

Several new technologies have become available to safeguard worksites and better manage risk. One of the most common accidents in the construction industry is being struck by or trapped by equipment or vehicles. Blind spots and backing up accidents account for between 25 and 50 percent of the total. One in 10 construction workers are injured every year, so worksite safety is paramount. Here are some of the newest worksite safety technologies that can help prevent injuries:

• Object Detection technologies
o Complete object detection systems include back-up cameras and pulsed-radar object detection. Cameras give operators a view of what is typically their biggest blind spot, and radar identifies objects and people hidden from the operator’s view and sounds an alarm.

• Fatigue Detection technologies
o A camera installed in the cab that monitors pupil size, blinking and how long eyes stay shut determines fatigue detection. If the system senses the operator is falling asleep, an alarm sounds and the seat vibrates.

• “Smart” wearables
o Safety gear with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors and bio-monitors has all hit the market within the last several years. The
most common are RFID systems that alert workers and equipment
operators when they are both moving through a work zone.

As it becomes more evident that technological innovations will shape the future of the construction industry, it’s up to you to determine if your company is going to embrace these new construction technologies or be left behind. We here at Caterpillar encourage you to re-think the process of using, managing and owning heavy equipment by incorporating these new technologies to help make your equipment more productive and efficient, and your business more profitable.

Thanks again Caterpillar for this article. What new construction technologies are you planning to implement at your firm? How will it integrate with your existing systems and automate or enhance your workflows? Which of these safety technologies hold the most promise? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The post The Most Revolutionary New Construction Technologies appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Optional Cat Grade Control 3D—a Cat Connect GRADE technology—boosts grading efficiency, accuracy and productivity as much as 50% over traditional production dozing and fine grading methods, with no masts or cables on the blade.

The fully connected digital worksite is more than likely the biggest opportunity construction project managers and fleet owners are missing out on when looking at enhancing their operations.

Intelligent construction is the way of the future. It’s not how hard you work in today’s construction industry, but rather how smart you work that is going to improve your bottom line. Having a fully connected digital worksite removes the guesswork and empowers contractors to expedite their projects with confidence.

Using equipment with CAT technologies can help your business increase productivity and better control costs by achieving specific results including:

1. Managing your equipment costs
With the introduction of the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) Telematics Standard in the winter of 2014, mixed fleet managers, either on-site or off-site, now have access to critical data concerning their equipment, such as machine location, fuel consumption and operator behavior in the palm of their hand.

Telematics data gives you more control over maintenance and repair needs of your fleet. The longer you can effectively stretch maintenance intervals, the more time and money you can save. Such data also brings maintenance and repair information to a manager’s attention before maintenance issues become critical problems. This substantially reduces unplanned downtime and repair costs.

2. Making the most out of your fleet
Connected construction worksites allow project managers to get the most out of their fleets. The more connected your machines are and the more effectively your crew uses the data they produce, the faster you will start to see tangible results. Variables such as equipment utilization, in terms of right-sizing the number of machines on-site, and equipment productivity can be determined. Both can help in setting cost predictions for future project bidding.

3. Taking your operators to the next level
Machine control technologies that offer automatic or automated functions help improve operator productivity, which improves the bottom lines of projects in several ways.

Cat Slope Indicate, Cat Stable Blade and Cat GRADE with Slope Assist are built-in, user-friendly features that help operators at any skill level complete high-quality grading faster and with less effort.

A prime example of this is Cat GRADE, a part of Cat Connect Technology. Operating a dozer is one thing, but it takes far more expertise to shape terrain. With Cat GRADE in place, you can expect to reduce rough-grading and finish-grading costs, reduce material costs, and decrease rework overall by as much as 50 percent. Machine control technologies allow operators to manage the project and the materials, not just the machine.
As soon as you activate telematics data-feed capabilities and log into a reporting interface like VisionLink®, you’re able to take advantage of outstanding productivity benefits, as well. For most construction company owners who employ smaller fleets, this technology can deliver immediate productivity results. Larger fleets or fleets working several projects at the same time should concentrate on creating a technology plan centering around the most cost effective equipment and technology pairings.

When you decide to take your worksite digital, the decisions that need to made for that project can be made by the right people at the appropriate time in order to get the job done as efficiently as possible. However, the benefits are not limited to those areas mentioned above.
A positive byproduct of a connected worksite is an increase in safety. Our Cat® Connect Technology can send alerts and fault codes out to operators or foremen when there is a situation that requires their immediate attention. As more machines are connected on the worksite, your fleet will become progressively more efficient, safe and productive.

Falling behind the competition and facing greater profitability challenges are real risks in the construction world today. Technologies that enable optimally connected digital worksites reduce those risks. Ultimately, digital worksites are meant to make your work more efficient, improve your profit margins and enhance workplace safety. Why wait?

If you liked this article you may also be interested in:

The Construction Office Imperative: Digitize, Go Paperless and Mobile

Construction Plan and 3D Model Markups will Never Be the Same

Information Chaos in the Construction Industry

The post Technology and Connectivity Fueling Digital Construction Jobsites appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Conversations are Team Meetings

What the construction industry is counting on is technology to make our communications clearer.  Industry leaders use video conferencing to have conversations – important to capture body language cues and readily available, apps abound on many smartphones and social networks today.  Seems like the project managers I know send an email following a conversation to recap and document what they just said.

Project Documents are Changing

Our documents are  easily accessible from Sharepoint, Construction Imaging, project management team portals, or Box.net as all generations are wanting access from anywhere, anytime.  (If you haven’t made the transition to electronic documents you better be thinking about it before you get busy again.) Mark-ups and edits occur on documents frequently and the construction plans seem to pose the biggest challenges.  Versioning control is a decision everyday.  Your records management integrity depends on it.

Collaborative Construction Communications Technology

What do construction team meetings look like today? They’re collaborative, mobile and transparent.  At least the successful ones are.  If you expect to collaborate solely with email you will need more hours in your day.  It’s time to transform your methods and it needs to work for internal and external teams.  One such solution is gaining respect in the industry.  It’s called Bluebeam Studio and I’m luckily part of their partner program.  Watch this short video and see what you think.  Your socks are about to be blown off!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTo2q8NllLc

The value is in working simultaneously or on your own time.  If you can’t make it to the Studio session it can be left open for you to chime in later.  If you’re running a pre-construction meeting you can meet virtually and work together. The flexibility is all there.  Have you used Studio?  Would you like to experience it for yourself?  Leave a comment and I’ll invite you and your team to a Studio project and collaborate together today.

This crosses all workforce generations and makes a visual record that’s easy to learn, review, share and save to your project document repository.

The post Construction Team Meetings: Where Baby Boomers and Gen Y Collide appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Insightful for Construction Office and Field Technology

Yesterday I received a gift via email that I thought I should share, this ebook. It’s a quick read from the president of AIIM International, who understands why doing business like you used to will be to the detriment of your business.  This title reminded me of “the Cloud and Mobile Computing Technology” panel discussion at the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) Annual Conference last month.  With every manifesto comes demands.  In this case there are five:

1. Commit to the Cloud
2. Mobilize everything
3. Make the business social
4. Digitize anything that moves
5. Prepare for extreme information management

This ebook validated my company services and and our solutions alignment with the needs of the construction industry. Are you working in a paperless plan room?  Can you collaborate and communicate electronically with your documents from your smartphone or tablet?   Has the volume of data you collect grown exponentially and are you putting this data to good use with business intelligence?  Whether you are the CEO, CFO, CIO or VP of Operations at a contracting firm I suggest you take a moment to grab a copy for yourself at http://www.aiim.org/About/News/OccupyIT-eBook

Do you agree with these demands?  Why or why not?  Leave us your feedback in the comments.

Let us help you avoid the “Why the hell have I been spending so much on technology, and yet have so much frustration to show for it?” syndrome.

If you liked this post you may find these other articles of interest:

The Construction Office Imperative: Digitize, Go Paperless and Mobile

Construction Accounting Software Selection is Strategic

Construction PDFs: How General Contractors Streamline Processes

The post The Future of Construction and Technology: A Manifesto appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.