Monthly Archives: November 2016

Running a Tech-Focused Jobsite

By Lonnie Fritz Heavy Construction Industry Consultant Caterpillar Inc.  (Guest Post)

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.

By Lonnie Fritz 

(Guest Post)

Heavy Construction Industry Consultant

Caterpillar Inc. 

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Role of heavy equipment on the construction sector

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One who is a part of the construction domain clearly understands the importance of heavy equipment in this domain as well as to his business. This is perhaps the reason why many big construction companies are procuring state of the art machines for their big projects. Since they understand that the only way to get the work done faster is through the introduction of highly advanced heavy equipment that they want to have the best in their arsenal. Heavy equipment to a construction industry is what a heart or a brain is to a human being. He just can’t survive without these important organs. In the same way, it is almost unimaginable for the construction industry to move an inch of progress without the involvement and participation of heavy equipment.

We would be speaking in brief about the utilization of some heavy equipment which is most commonly seen in any jobsite.

Excavators:-

No big construction project can be completed without the participation of excavators. In order to begin the construction, one has to excavate the earth to build solid foundations. This is only possible with the help of this machine. It usually digs the earth with the help of the boom that is attached to its axle in the front. It has a cabin to the rear where the operator sits and manages his affair. This may seem to be a very common machine but has a lot of importance in the overall industry which is why heavy equipment companies are always in the process of designing hi-tech excavators that will sell as hot cakes.

Wheel Loader:-

A wheel loader is the machine that is extensively used to ferry debris from one place to another. When it comes to ferrying debris, other heavy equipment can also be utilized. However, they all have their limitations expect a wheel loader. They can carry huge pile of dirt, rocks and other debris which in many ways is not possible for other machines to perform. They are also extensively used for mining and road construction works.

Bulldozers:-

You have a permanent structure that you want to bring down you will not find anything better than a dozer. It has the capability to bring down a very solid structure into rubbles. They can also work as an alternative for excavators as the attachment can be changed and so does the work of the dozer.

Rollers:-

Rollers also form an important part of the construction industry. It is crucial to have good roads for better connectivity and also for the prosperity of the country’s economy. It is good roads that become part of better transportation of essential commodities. The pain of a bad road can’t be understood better than the driver of a truck whose spine aches while he drives every mile on it. The rollers play a significant role to smooth the road and make driving better.

There are many more machines that plays an instrumental role when it comes to making the future of the construction sector.

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Knowledge transfer is a must in the construction domain

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Keeping your experience with you and not sharing it with anybody does not make sense in any form of industry. When you learn something new, you should let others know about it and this is how others will get to know about your experience and derive a conclusion from it. Your experience must be a good one or a bad one but it always has a message for the people who hear it. This is one of the way by which you transfer your knowledge to the people around you and help them learn through your experience. You be a part of whatever industry, you learn most of the things from the experiences of others. Our lives are too short to experience everything and therefore we hear out stories of others and take lessons from it. This phenomenon is known as transfer of knowledge.

Knowledge transfer is a must in every industry and especially when it comes to the construction sector, it becomes all the more important. The reason why we consider knowledge transfer to be so important in the construction domain is because this industry is quite vast and it is virtually not possible for anybody to work in all the spheres and learn everything from it. You need men who specialize in one particular stream to inform you about how things function in his line of business.

For instance, a welder can at times know more about a machine than an operator who has been constantly working on it. It is because the welder or the mechanic for that matter fixes the machine whenever it breaks down and thus can inform the operator of some specific issues with the machine and ask him to be cautious while operating it. This is also one form of knowledge transfer where the mechanic is transferring the knowledge about the machine to the next person so that the equipment will be dealt in the right manner.

In a nutshell, the entire construction site primarily works on knowledge transfer. Here the site engineer needs to pass on the information to the next guy who will arrange for the things the engineer has asked for and once it is there in place, it will move to the next person with the specific instruction on what he needs to do. When we have new recruits joining the company, the importance of knowledge transfer is felt the most. The new guys do not know anything about how things work in the company and they need to be informed about every minute activity. So the message passes from the veterans to the newbie.

Another form of knowledge transfer is through articles and blogs. In this scenario, the writer who is pretty experienced and an expert on the subject writes about heavy equipment and gives an insight to the people at large. It indeed helps people to take informed decisions about their heavy equipment. Internet is a powerful tool and its use to transfer knowledge across various domains in widely appreciated by everybody.

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Get the best land clearing equipment to get optimum results

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Clearing huge stocks of debris can be a big pain for a construction company who has taken the project to build something in a place. First you got to invest good deal of time to break down the existing stuff that is standing and then once it is fallen, you got to invest another good number of days to clear the land and just in case if you do not have a state of the art heavy equipment, you find yourself into deeper problem. In this age where we seek all our work to be done in the click of a button, we can’t expect to give days to clear a stock of pile. We definitely need something that is quick and can get the work done in a day or two and should not take long. Therefore, one should always depend on the heavy equipment that can get optimum results when it comes to clearing debris from the land.

There are many heavy equipment manufacturing companies that are coming up with machines that can play wonders when put to use. But such machines are quite expensive and can cause a big hole in your pocket. Right from Caterpillar to Tigercat, they all are into producing equipment that can clear land in a day or two which would otherwise have taken a week if not less than that. Tigercat is a company that specializes in producing equipment used to clear lands in the forest areas. Land in the forest areas is very rigid and it is very arduous to clear them off. Tigercat has earned the goodwill to complete this kind of work in comparatively lesser days than any other equipment had taken. The sad part of the story is that you won’t find Tigercat throughout US. They have kept themselves small but have plans to expand and are probably on their way to enlarge their business. But for the time being if anyone wants to buy their machines, they can’t get it from a showroom in their city and have to book the stuff on the net.

Tigercat may not have all the parts of the machine indigenously built in their workshops but they rather assemble the parts from other companies and make the best equipment. The M760 mulcher is a 425 hp machine and has a CAT C-12 engine in it. While they have used CAT’s engine, they also installed their own cooling system. Thus they gave the land clearing equipment the most desirable thing that it always wants: tons of horsepower and in order to cool off the engine, a dependable cooling system. Other than that, it has all the features that are required in any land clearing equipment thus making the work of the operator simpler. The operator will not feel that the machine is new functions and finds hard to understand them. On the contrary, he will feel like he is working on a machine that’s quite familiar to him and that will make him work in comfort.

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Set up business models that can be achieved

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Construction business may seem to be a rewarding one but in order to set your foot strong in this business; one has to go through enormous planning and determination to execute them with precision. Firstly it is very important for them to establish a sound business plan and once that is in place follow the plan stringently so that you can achieve things in a phased manner. Now having a construction company, you have entered a dynamic industry which has no set rules of its own. Things that are found to be merrier now may turn into something drastic and therefore just having one set of plan with no flexibility can only harm your growth prospect. Therefore it is crucial that you analyze things, try to foresee them and be ready to revamp your strategy when the need arises or else you may find yourself in an unwanted and complicated zone.

Take baby steps in the beginning:-

If you have just started your construction company, avoid taking big leaps as there are chances that you may hurt yourself in this process. Dreaming big is not a problem but giving not much time to fulfill those dreams could be harmful and dangerous for the prospect of your company. So during the initial phase, you take small steps towards achieving your goals and once you start seeing things working out for you, you may then speed it up a bit. However, do not be in a hurry. Have patience and give some time for your business to grow. It takes a lot of time to form a concrete construction company. During this while you should enjoy your work and learn from it.

Your strategies should be realistic:-

When you are setting up strategies for your company, make sure that they are realistic and achievable. Strategies should always be formed keeping into consideration your business goals and the time by which you want them to be fulfilled. Keeping unrealistic goals can have drastic impact on the financial health of the company as well as on the morale of the employees. It is prudent that you consider all the facts well before you frame business plans.

Review your plans at regular intervals:-

Plans once framed should be reviewed at regular intervals. You should give a gap of 3 or 6 months and then review the ground figure. Take into account all the people from the senior management and review your plans with them. Give clear instructions on how you want the review to be. Reviews that are simple can be better understood by everyone. If you find one particular department not being able to perform up to its merit, you go to handle the situation delicately rather than exerting pressure on the team. First and foremost, try to evaluate the reason of underperformance and once you have earthed that check if they need any help from you to get it fixed. You should be ready to provide any assistance to improve your team’s performance. Once these things are taken care of, rest all will fall in place.

Keep yourself open to suggestions, it will help you grow

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While starting any new project, the company or any organization generally holds discussion to obtain views of its professionals and managers before it is executed. The senior management give suggestions to modify or improve the project in order to make it successful. Suggestions are always important so that the projects/tasks get executed in a planned manner and yield benefits. It is type of ‘caution’ taken before taking a major decision..

 

While embarking on any major task/project a person has to think analytically and plan well to execute it properly. A person can do it all on his own and many times suffer from failures. This is due to the ego and rigidity of one’s ideas leads to short-sightedness which fail to see the shortcomings in a project leading to failures. In case of failures of large projects, it causes permanent destruction of that organization.

 

In order to avoid this difficult situation, it is good if a person (or a company) takes suggestions for a project or task from trusted colleagues, mentors, seniors or hire a consultant. They may guide in proceeding of the project by giving their suggestions:

  1. Check if the aim and objectives of a project are clear. If they are not clear then will suggest how modify the aims so that the objectives are achieved
  2. Check for the loopholes/shortcomings of a project and suggest how to overcome them.
  3. May indicate whether the project is feasible or not. If not feasible then suggest to not go ahead
  4. May indicate about the investment to be done and if it is possible. If it is a huge investment and difficult to manage then suggest for decreasing the size of project.
  5. May show the underlying problems of a project and suggest desirable changes to be made to face or overcome those problems.
  6. May indicate the chances of success and failures of a project. To avoid failures some alternatives may be suggested.
  7. They may give strategies for proper planning and execution of projects/tasks

 

Many a time suggestions are not taken seriously due to ego problems. The person may not be confident that the suggestions will help and may yield any benefits. Although this being a case in 90% cases taking suggestions from experienced people has proved beneficial for the project work and made it successful. This ultimately has boosted one’s self confidence to perform better for the next projects. Further it leads to personal and professional growth of an individual.

 

 

Construction in the Housing Market

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There has always been a huge demand for houses all across the United States. However, it has been seen that the construction company is finding itself short of workers and this is why the end users have to wait for longer than they were told. The construction workers are of the opinion that the housing market is to a larger extent quite unpredictable and a major blow can come at any given point in time. This will lead to job loss and they have to look for other means to continue their livelihood.

They no longer want to be a part of the construction industry that is pertaining to the housing market. Well, the construction workers should understand that ups and downs are part of any industry and one should not just return because it is uncertain. On the contrary, they can make full use of the opportunity where they can demand more money for their work. As the construction company is already running late in giving possession of the house, they will not mind a slight increase in the wages to the workers.

If we go as per the statistics, we will find out that the job opportunities of a construction worker in the housing market is the highest since 2007 and they should waste no time in grabbing this opportunity. The work of a construction worker can’t be supplemented by any other person and therefore the need of the workers can really give them a good jump in their wages. As per the Home Builders Institute that prepares construction workers and train those in constructing houses believe that the shortage of labor is getting worse as there is a huge increase in their demand.

The repercussion of this has been felt on the US economy as well as it is struggling hard to get through with the problem of scarcity of construction workers in the housing segment. The most cases the industry runs through a sluggish state due to scarcity of demand but in this case it is almost the opposite. It becomes quite important to win back the confidence of the construction workers because once that is done and workers start flocking in, they will build homes and the construction companies will start meeting their deadlines. The shortage of workers has been mostly felt in hot residential zones where people have money but they do not have houses as the construction companies are unable to give possession at the stated timeframe. The construction companies in such location are seeking for extension in deadlines so that they can arrange workers by paying those more and can get the work done.

Other than this, construction companies also want to make the most during this troubled times. They are not paying heed to small housing segments and are more focused on expensive markets. So the starter homes are going through a rough phase. However, it also seems to be a good opportunity for new construction companies to make their presence felt. They do not have to look to get big projects and can work on building homes. All they need to do is manage the construction workers well and can make it big in this segment of the industry.

 

7 elements needed for success in the construction industry

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Success is a simple word but it comes with a heavy price. We have usually seen people always running for success but it is quite difficult to get it. A person has to strive hard for years to achieve it. Some even try few shortcuts and they are also able to taste success but not achieve it. As it is rightly said “There is no substitute for hard work”. You can be smart with your work but just being smart does not help. You need to be equally hard working. People who believe in smart work can only taste success for a short while and then they fall like pack of cards. It is because the foundation on which they are standing is not strong enough to keep them on the top for long. People in the construction industry in particular have to go through a lot of hard work and patience to achieve success. Other than that, there are few others factors that are imperative for them to have in order to succeed in the construction industry.

People to people contact:-

You got to be a good communicator if you are a part of the construction industry. Most of the world leaders are good communicators. Simultaneously, you need to be remarkable when it comes to people to people contact. You should basically speak with everybody in your company. Right from the worker to the managers who are managing these workers, you should try to communicate with everybody. You should be able to reach out to them and so should they. This will earn you something very important and that is people’s loyalty.

Patience is the key:-

When you are after something, you should be patient enough. Success is nothing but just a benchmark that you draw and then try to achieve. While you are in the process of achieving it, you should remember that by rushing things you can spoil all your effort. Therefore try to be as much patient as you can.

Remaining focused:-

A few failures in our life and we tend to lose our focus. This is completely unacceptable when you are a part of a dynamic industry like construction. Here in this part of the business you just can’t afford to lose your focus. Failures teach you something. Learn from it and move on.

Be punctual:-

We are often taught to be punctual in our schools but we kind of tend to forget it in our journey of life. Your punctuality displays how professional you are with your work. It also shows your seriousness towards your business and also how much you respect others time.

Knowing your business:-

To conduct the construction business you first need to know the business well. You can’t jump into this business and take important decisions. Important decisions are taken based on experience and if you lack that, you better start from the beginning.

Learn a bit about heavy equipment:-

Heavy equipment play an important part in the construction business. It is imperative to know which machine is needed for what purpose or else you might end up buying something that is of no use to you.

Market your business well:-

Promoting your business will let others know your existence. You need to learn to promote your business in a way that it is cost effective, pretty much in your budget and connects you to people across the spectrum.

Water crisis can have serious impact on the construction industry

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This summer has dried up many lakes and water bodies in many parts of the country. Not only US but many countries all around the world are facing severe water shortage and are finding it difficult to sustain. Agriculture sector that depends primarily on rain water is not doing well because of acute deficiency and most likely the prices of agricultural products will shoot up considerably in the coming days. So is it only affecting the agricultural sector in a major way or are there any other industry as well that is being hit hard by this issue. Water which is such an important component in our day to day lives, scarcity of it can affect many industries and some of the most profitable industries can take a backseat as far as their businesses are concerned. One such industry is the construction industry can is currently facing the brunt of water shortage.

Water is required in immense quantity in a construction site. Not just for keeping the employees hydrated but also for other purposes like mixing cement with sand, spraying water on the ground to restrict the flow of dust on the site etc. It is also required to clean heavy equipment and lot of water is required for that purpose. Fluctuation in the price of fuel has a big impact on this industry but shortage of water can have ever lasting impact on many big construction companies. You need fuel to run heavy equipment but you need water to meet every small need of yours which can’t be compensated by any other component. Countries in the gulf are paying a heavy price to port water from their sources to the construction site which is why the prices of the final product is relatively higher.

A big construction company has to spend a lot on aqua and if it is in crisis then they may even experience shutting down of projects. His workforce will need water to drink and if he can’t even provide that basic necessity he will soon find people leaving his company. But the fact is drinking water has never been such a big issue in this country. The construction labors are able to get drinking water while they are at the jobsite. The problem is with water that is needed for construction purpose. There they might feel the pinch and it will definitely pain a lot.

Many parts of Asia and South America, the construction sector has already taken a backseat due to scarcity of water. The government in some countries has curtailed the use of water for construction purposes which had a big impact on the overall sector. Though they understand that the crisis is not going to be forever and till the time it does not rain, the problem might remain. However, once it starts raining, things might come back to normal. But the important part is to sustain till the time it is not monsoon.

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