Technology is a fact of life in every industry everywhere these days. You quite simply cannot get by, let alone remain competitive, without adopting the latest technologies in at least some aspect. Our entire society is ruled by and dependent upon technology in a way that it wasn’t, just ten years ago.
Technology is also increasing at the speed of light, improving access and efficiency in ways never before dreamed every day. It can reduce the dangers of manual labor, can speed up work, and better monitor what we do and how. Learn about the big changes in store for technology and the construction industry, and how you can remain competitive, and see positive growth next year.
Technology and Construction
Perhaps nowhere is technology more evident than the construction industry. Certainly we still use a great deal of mechanical devices to do our works, but what happens when those trucks and construction vehicles become remote-operated or even autonomous? What about when rock crushers do their job without the dangers of having manual laborers in the mix?
In fact, autonomy is revolutionizing the construction industry. The four most important areas where technology and construction come together in the modern era are autonomous vehicles, drones, building information modeling and laser scanning technology.
Autonomous Vehicles
Self-driving vehicles are quickly becoming a fact of life. Despite the detractors, they’re popping up everywhere and they can be a boon to your job site. Autonomous dump trucks can be fitted with GPS to more easily transport ore and create a much safer work environment. They can be found everywhere from mining to highway construction zones.
Construction Drones
When you’re working on a very large site, it can be really tough to accurately gauge and map the terrain. That’s no longer the case with unmanned aerial vehicles, more colloquially known as drones. These allow the collection of information regarding inaccessible areas, to improve the inspection and assessment of a site, to gather important details that couldn’t be had from a manual inspection. They can monitor logistics, make deliveries, and aid in architectural planning.
BIM, or Building Information Modeling
BIM takes traditional blueprints to an entirely new level, allowing for a much more detailed and in-depth means of offering information about proposed building products. It allows interactive 3D modeling of architecture to help construction workers more fully understand the work that will need be done. This increases the efficiency of managing the tasks, and allows all members of the precut to efficiently collaborate on the project.
In the future, 5D modeling will be possible, allowing for not just interactive physical models, but management of time, costs, quantities, rates and more into the project.
Laser Scanning Technology
Laser scanning allows for an exponential increase in the speed of gathering geometric data about a project. It’s highly efficient in taking field measurements and far more accurate than older manual methods. Storing this information as point cloud data allows for unprecedented levels of accuracy and collaboration across the board.
Online Bonding Services
Online services for surety bonds aren’t new, but as technology increases, they become ever more efficient and speedy. For over 25 years, National Surety Services has been here to serve the needs of construction businesses of all sizes, getting you bonded and ready to take on the big boys. Read a bit about our company, and then get in touch to get bonded today!