Closing the technology gap in construction

A common perception I've heard is that the construction industry has not embraced technology as it should. Other industries have left construction at the starting gate and moved forward. In most measurements of productivity, construction is far down the lists.

Other industries have proactively worked to find solutions to increase productivity and reduce labor. Some have utilized technology to eliminate processes, procedures and paperwork. While a few contractors are on the leading edge of technology, most of the industry is lagging in the technology curve.

Several years ago, FMI Corp. tried to reduce this technology gap in the construction industry. The organization established a technology group to explore solutions their clients had in getting work completed on schedule and within budget. FMI concluded that the needed technology was already available, but contractors either needed to find out about the technology or have the courage to implement it. How could they introduce technology to their clients?

For those of us born before the advent of mobile phones, how many of us were reluctant to buy our very first mobile phone? First, we had to find out about it and then get multiple references from our peers before we would even walk into a cellphone store. After some hard sales, we decided to try one for a short while. While we were impressed from the start, we are still learning new features on our phones today. Technology is still getting better and more useful as we continue to find out how our phones can work for us.

The same situation applies to construction technology. The technology that exists today will make our businesses and lives better tomorrow. We just need an introduction in order to find out what technology exists and how to implement it. Introducing new technology into a business setting is not easy, but an understanding of the rewards should draw you to a correct decision.

Business decisions are a little more difficult than buying a cellphone. The investment is usually bigger, and you need to convince your co-workers it will work, train them in the new technology and hope it starts to show some productivity improvements before disgruntlement sets in. However, as the workforce turns over to a younger generation that thrives on technology and doesn't remember life before cellphones, the job of introducing new technology is getting easier.

Recently, FMI partnered with ABC to host the first technology conference in Houston to introduce technology to the construction industry. We were very successful at bringing in vendors and live tech demos to show off the latest systems and products. There were 19 separate seminars discussing various technologies and issues facing contractors, as well as three dozen display booths demonstrating a variety of products. Most attendees either saw things for the first time and were busy figuring how to use the technologies on their projects or were taking notes on what to look for in the future. Most people were very thankful to the conference for exposing them to things they didn't know existed or had only read about. You can visit the event webpage to get an idea of the topics covered, as well as some of the featured vendors, at www.constructiontechcon.com. Updates on future conference dates will also be posted on this website.

ABC continues to explore ways to close the technology gap in the construction industry. The modern workforce will be more open to utilizing technology tools in lieu of doing things the way their fathers did. In addition to saving time and money, it is important to show the future worker what the industry will look like once he or she is ready to join. I encourage all companies to attend various technology conferences and introduce themselves to things that will improve their productivity.

For more information, contact Russell Hamley at (713) 523-6ABC [6222] or r.hamley@abchouston.org.