Category Archives: Construction

Manage your profits wisely

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It takes a lot of time for a person to start making profits in a business. It is evident that a person can’t expect to generate profits right from the moment he starts up with a business. He will take time to first understand how the business works and slowly he will begin to see monetary inflows. There may be situations when he will run into losses right from the time he ventured. But things will improve and most importantly the owner of the business needs to learn from each of his mistakes. That will take him closer towards his goals. Now by the time he/she starts earning profits, he/she needs to be more cautious with the money he/she earns as profits. Normally, we have the tendency to spend on ourselves and our loved ones the moment we find monetary gains happening in our business. Well, you can definitely spend some amount buying items for yourself and for the people you care for but you also should be cautious about your spending as you may need the money for future investment.

A person who is engaged with the construction business and is now at a formidable position can very well tell you how difficult it had been for him/her to reach where he/she is from nowhere. No wonder he must have been very hard working but there is something more than just being hard working. You also need to care for the hard work that you have done all the years. In other words, you got to respect your work by thinking what more you can do to make things simpler and achieve what you want to without having to go through the same trouble again. This is where managing your profits come into picture.

Construction industry unlike many other sectors is a volatile business. You may have a good time running the business and then all of a sudden things might turn upside down for you. The orders that you have in hand may get revoked and the prospect of your existing project may also get hampered. There are many such companies who have suffered huge losses from something that they failed to envisage and this can happen at any point in time in this business. In such a bad phase of your business it is perhaps the money that you have saved will come to bail you out.

A contingent fund is a basic requirement that should not be avoided. You make this contingent fund out of the profits in your business. Try to set aside an amount every time you get money after the completion of the project. You may unable to do it on a monthly basis as you may not even earn monthly. Do not end up spending on things that you have temporary use. Look at the bigger picture before you buy any commodity. Heavy equipments play a crucial role in the construction business and it should be well maintained. It might eat up a lot from your profits through means of repairs. Keep a tab on your expenses and save your profits for some better use.

Sell your heavy equipment on internet

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Internet has given us all a new way of conducting business. There are millions of people who do not go out of their homes to work. All they do is turn on their computer and have their internet connection on. They do their business from that small equipment and make good profits. We can make use of the same technology to sell heavy equipment and still expect good profits. One may be forced to ponder that how somebody can buy construction machines by not even seeing it in person. Well, they can at least select the product online and then they can personally come down to check the stuff. This idea of selling heavy equipment online has been a big success throughout the globe. Be it developed economies or developing economies, all are making ample use of this technology to make their business successful.

We will be talking a bit in detail on how one can conduct this business without even stepping out from their home.

Become member of an online portal:-

There are number of online portals available that are into selling heavy equipment. Not just heavy equipment, they also sell heavy equipment accessories. An online portal is nothing but just a platform provided to both buyers and sellers to come to a common ground and do business there. So the seller simply lists the items that he wishes to sell with the price that he expect to get and if any buyer who is looking for similar stuff likes the item, he can buy it online and pay for the stuff using his credit card or through internet banking. All they have to do is become a member of the online portal to begin business on the website.

List items giving detailed description:-

When you are listing your product on the online portal, you should be aware that people are not able to personally see the machine though they can see the picture of the product but not the product itself. Therefore, you should give a detailed description of the product on the portal so that the readers get a fair idea as to what they will be dealing with. Mention every intricacy, sophistication of the heavy equipment on the listing. Viewers will want to know more about the product if you mention the intricacies. They might get attracted towards the product and might contact you so that the process can be initiated further.

Accept the payment via the portal only:-

Once you finalize the deal, please ask the buyer to pay for the equipment via the portal. It gives both the parties the required security that they are looking for in the transaction. It protects the interests of both the buyer as well as the seller. You may have to pay some amount to the online portal for listing the item and some fees if the item is sold successfully but it is really worth the security that you get from them after the deal is done.

Construction Companies using Drones

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Technology is often used to make things simpler and easier for you and no one can particularly set its limits. So you can go to any limits by not harming the nature or any living entity and use technology to its fullest to achieve goals. As far as the construction segment is concerned, the use of technology in many advanced countries has not been accomplished to its complete potential. They may use the best of raw materials and the best of designs and the infrastructure needed to complete those designs but much can still be done in the sphere of technology.

Construction companies can now make use of drones to monitor their work and make their lives simpler. One can only imagine how a mighty construction house that has its hands into vast projects is able to keep everything under control. Well, they know no magic but rely heavily on technology. They ensure that they use drones to get latest updates of their project and where it is heading. They can manage to have a bird’s view on the entire project and get all the details that they need to show the progress of the work to their clients.

Man management becomes simpler:-

When it comes to better man management, you can do it only when you know things that are happening on the ground. Getting updates from the heads of different departments may at times can’t give you a clear picture of the real ground situation. You have to monitor the situation on your own and then analyze to take better decisions. This is normally known as taking informed decisions. A drone can help you take informed decisions with accuracy. You only have to send the drone on the site and it will get all the pictures for you. It helps you to do a quick survey of the entire site which also invariably saves a lot of your time. You do not have to go in person to the jobsite and still get to know the ground situation.

Saves money on employing human resource:-

Buying a drone is anytime less expensive than employing a person with skills. You have to pay the guy good salary for his work and this will be a recurring expense. On the contrary, you buy a drone and get the work done at half the cost. The maintenance of the machine will again be less expensive than paying salary to the employee on each and every month. It will also provide you with more accurate data than what you can get from an individual.

Sharing the progress report with your clients:-

Your clients must be as busy as you are and it may not be possible for them to make their presence felt at the jobsite again and again. In such a situation, you can make use of drones to give them the real time pictures of the areas that are in progress and the areas where you have already completed your work. This will not only save yours as well as your clients’ time but will also win their confidence on you.

Big construction companies should take participation of small companies

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Construction projects are usually profit making ones and bigger the project the amount of profit that one can expect increases manifolds. However, the risk attached in a bigger project is also high. It is practically not possible for any might construction company to invest all it has into one project as they have their hands into other projects all around the city. So for instance, if a construction company is constructing a township in some city of Florida, it is not necessarily the only project under its belt.

The same company may also be working in simultaneous projects in some other city of the same state or in some other state as well. One can simply understand the amount of men they need to complete the projects all across the country. This also bring forth the question of investment that the company has to put in. it makes no point in making such huge investment because at the end of the day if you tally your total expense and the profit you have made, it will result to a minor difference. However, if you want to see the profit margin higher you can involve other construction companies or contractors in your work and just pay them for their services.

This is what many big construction companies have been doing for the last many years. Rather than working on a big project alone, they involve the participation of other small companies and give them their part of work. This means that the company does not have to deploy additional men and heavy equipments for the work. As a matter of fact, it does not have to deploy anything. The small construction company to whom the work will be assigned will take charge of the project and will do everything to ensure that the work is completed as per the instructions given to him by the big company and also that it is finished on time.

The project taker will thereby deploy its heavy equipment and men and work on the project. In this way, the big company can concentrate of other projects and can also simultaneously hunt for more projects and the small companies also get work. This means that the small companies do not have to spend their time and energy to hunt for new projects and if at all they do to get some extra work, it is completely fine as long as they are able to manage both the work at the same time. The big construction company should ideally not have any problem as long as his quality of work is getting unaffected.

This is a kind of win-win situation for both the big construction house and small companies and contractors who ideally have a hard time to get some work. The big companies also find it immensely difficult to manage the entire project single handedly. Now with the involvement of the small companies things will for sure move for better.

Wanting to make a career in selling heavy equipment – Read the tips

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It is believed by many that one can have a wonderful career if he knows how to sell things. We all are sellers but very few are good sellers and only the few good sellers make the most out of anything. Selling has always been referred to an art which needs to be sharpened in order to make maximum revenue or to get utmost advantage. One such industry that pays a lot is of selling heavy equipment. The reason it pays lot is because it is not an easy job at all. Heavy equipment is in itself a complex subject and people who are into the profession of selling these complex subject needs to understand it well so that they can pitch them to the consumers with confidence and can also sell them the right stuff without misguiding them.

People who want to make their career as a salesman selling heavy equipment should for sure follow these points as it will help them big time to climb the success ladder.

Knowing the technical aspect is important:-

In order to become an ace salesman, it is crucial that you know a bit about the technical intricacies of heavy equipment. Not knowing anything about the technical aspect can cost you dearly when you start facing different types of clients and especially the ones who knows about the stuff you are dealing with. Just because you can speak well and not have much knowledge about the machine you are trying to sell will not help you to bail out from the grasp of the client who knows the in and out of the equipment. You will definitely see yourself to be trapped. Therefore spend some time to learn the stuff you are selling.

Do not try to fool the client:-

Many beginners commit the mistake of trying to play around with the client’s intelligence and thus also end up paying a heavy price for it. Trying to fool the client can have drastically adverse effect on the company for whom you work. The client will completely lose his confidence from the brand and he will feel that the brand is misguiding people to sell its product. You can’t play around with things like this. In case you do not know something that was asked to you, be strong enough to answer the truth and say that you will gather more information about it and will get back to him. The client will appreciate this and you may do well in the next meeting.

Give demo to the consumer:-

When a new product is launched in the market which the consumer has not heard of or perhaps have never experienced it, you should give a live demo of the machine to him. In this way, you attract most of his attention and can also leave a positive imprint on him. Try to explain the benefits of the equipment in his business and if he finds it worthy, he will take it for sure.

What does construction industry have for new entrants?

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New entrants are always posed to higher risk in any form of industry. Newbie who lack experience to handle volatile business are prone to risk that can lead to winding up of the business once and for all. This is the reason why when you think of trying your luck in an industry, try to gather as much knowledge as you can to help you analyze the scope you have to stay afloat and the risks attached that has the potential to sway your business forever. Take advices from people who have been in the industry for long. Their tips will definitely help you for good. When we talk about volatile industry, we can never skip talking about the construction sector. It is considered to be one of the most volatile sectors. It is also known for rewarding people for their good work and ability to strive in high tides.

New entrants in the construction industry have to witty, sharp and sensitive towards their business. Any form of casual approach can cost the company dearly and end their hopes to make it big in the sector. Market experts believe that the construction sector in a nutshell is doing better that most other industries and the reason behind it is the boom in the economy.

The world economy is improving and so are the industries that are closely associated with a growing economy. It is therefore the right time to get into the construction business and try to achieve success with hard work and dedication. However, you got to decide the genre that you want to take. For instance, you need to decide if you want to get into forestry or road building or construction of residential property or commercial houses. This decision is quite imperative for you to get hold of the business and later consolidate it.

Housing sector is at its peak:-

New entrants in the construction industry can try out in the housing sector which is at its peak for the time being. You will not find much competition there as long as the size of the project is small. Companies that are into this business for long do not want to end up in small projects. They basically eye for work that will last for a couple of years. It undoubtedly has more money for the builder which is why many companies compete to bag the work. Quite contrary to this, small housing projects are not a highly profitable zone that one would like to enter and therefore it gives new entrants the opportunity to take the work and strengthen their position. They can continue to pick smaller projects as long as they are not confident to go for a bigger deal.

Construction of amusements parks and resorts:-

Constructing a holiday home is the next big thing that the construction industry has for new entrants. However, a company with no experience of building such projects can have a hard time to complete it and therefore it is recommended that they get into a partnership with a more experienced company which is smaller in size and is ready to partner with a company that is a newbie.

 

Starting an excavation company

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Starting a construction company is way different from starting an excavation company. Though both are very closely associated with each other but still there lies a chunk of difference when it comes to operating the business. A successful construction company may not put his hands in the excavation business as well. They might find it a bit uneasy to operate that stuff. They got to learn whole new things if they intend to lay their hands in starting an excavation company. Firstly, it has to do much more than just operating heavy equipment. Here you need to know the guys whom you should hire and whom you should fire. Not knowing that part can have a drastic impact on your company. Moreover, you should also know the laws of each state. You will definitely not be restricting yourself to just one state and if required you will move out to other states as well for the growth of your business. There it becomes instrumental for you to know the law of the land.

We will be discussing few important points that are required to analyze before you start an excavation company.

Knowledge about the business:-

Before you start doing any form of business, it is important that you know a bit about it beforehand. Depending on others for your business can prove to be harmful. You have to depend on their decisions and will not have a choice of your own. It becomes suffocating when you are not allowed to make decisions on things that belong to you. Taking advices from others is different from accepting and following other’s decisions. Apart from that, you never know if the person on whom you are so dependent is taking you on a royal ride. Knowing a bit about the excavation business will be a healthy sign towards making your company a formidable one. You can attend few training sessions that are conducted by business leaders where they share their ideas to the mass. Such sessions can be really helpful. Other than this, you can also work on the field in order to understand the business better.

Hire competent attorneys:-

You may not be able to understand the legality of each and every state and therefore it is advisable that you hire an attorney who has loads of experience in dealing with matters of your domain. He/she will be the man or woman who will guide you on legal issues. So before you set forth for a new project in a state, you try to get all the necessary sanctions with the help of the attorney so that once you begin your work, you do not come across any legal hassles from any part of the government.

Handling payroll of your employees:-

You should have designated staff who will handle the payrolls of the employees. Try and create a log in your computer and share the details with the department who handles the payroll part of the company. People work for money and if there are discrepancies in their salary they feel de-motivated. This is a danger sign for the company.

 

Are two-way radios still use on a construction job site?

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With the world constantly moving towards technological advancements, there is a huge tendency of users to switch over to the use of smartphones in comparison to any other old and traditional methods of communication. However, the question is, whether the smartphones are always the best choices or not, remains.

At a construction site, where there is a continuous need to communicate with each other, it becomes absolutely impossible to complete any task if the communication is hampered or hindered. Hence, proper communication methods or medium should be used to ensure constant communication between all the workers.

About Smartphone and Two-Way Radios:

Traditionally, the tool that has been loved and vastly used by most of the workers at almost every construction site is the two-way radio. It is a handy tool, something that looks like a walkie-talkie and helps the workers to stay connected at all times and with everyone in the loop. But, its usage is limited only up to communication.

As the technology is ever growing and advancing in its features and facilities, even the heavy construction equipment and machines can now be synced with smartphones and operated well. Many other machines, contacts, alarms, notifications and apps can help you to make your construction work easier with a smartphone that is the reason why many of the construction site workers as well as the leaders, managers and executives are switching towards using the smartphones as their mode of communication.

Which One is the Better?

Now that you have known about the two most popular modes of communication at a construction site, it is now a question, which one is better. There are a few factors that need to be taken into consideration then.

  • Ease of use:

 

One of the most important factors that need to be taken into consideration is the ease of use and that is great in case of the two way radios. With just a single push, you can communicate with one or more workers at the construction site at a time. The smartphones do not give the facility of communicating with every person at the construction site a single go.

  • In case of emergency:

 

There can be emergency situations when the cell towers or networks of the smartphone operators stop working or responding. The two way radios work even in such emergency situations.

  • Affordability:

 

Yet another important factor that needs to be kept in mind is the factor of affordability. Since you will be purchasing them for all the workers at a construction site or for you on-site construction workers, you need to buy something that is cost-effective. The two way radios are way cheaper than the smartphones.

Hence, it can well be said that the two way radios have a great acceptability at the construction job site and its popularity is not going to lessen any time soon. With the world famous companies such as Motorola making great two way radios for the construction job sites, you can be satisfied that the performance of these radios will be unparalleled.

Lime is a natural stabilizer: It prepares the soil for construction works

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Soil stabilizers convert apparently less bearing ground into highly suitable one for starting construction work like pavements, road beds, basement of canals, water reservoir, etc. Soil stabilizationis the method of strengthening the ground through pulverization and moisture conditioning. This job is efficiently done with different forms of lime and then compaction and trimming as necessary. This process improves the basic characteristics of soil that makes it suitable for a construction project. Lime is used in different percentage depending on the soil condition to adjust the parameters like moisture, density, plasticity, permeability, strength, etc.

Benefits of soil stabilization

Soil stabilization with lime before starting any construction work has the following benefits:

  • Apparently wet soil that is not suitable for construction work can be made suitable within one or two days.
  • Treatment with lime ensures production of long-lasting stable jobs comparable with graded aggregates.
  • The soil becomes hard wearing with greater toughness and strength that make it extremely suitable for a construction process.
  • It enables recycling ofinsitu materials and existing soil that ultimately provides financial benefits to the contractor or owner of the land. It takes less time to prepare the soil as also saves expenses in labor, transportation, and import of aggregates.
  • Soil stabilization with lime also reduces PI (Plasticity Index) of the existing soil significantly.
  • The ground gains strength significantly that is found to be more than 15% as per CBR test.
  • This process of soil stabilization is environmental-friendly too. The process requires very small quantities of other additives making less transportation of materials, less disturbance in busy areas, and lesser use of factory made binders.

 

Lime efficiently stabilizes weak soil

Use of lime as a stabilizer for road beds has been in practice over the century. Modern research works have proved behind doubt that lime can also be used for stabilizing the soil in the large construction sites. Lime is especially useful when expansive clay is present is a construction site. Expansive clays destabilize the base work and change the orientation of the concrete slabs with time. Whereas the soil treated with lime can solve the issue permanently. Lime actually performs a chemical stabilization process where the added lime compound reacts with the clay present in a ground in the following ways:

  • When lime is mixed with the soil, the clay particles come together forming stiffer silt, and reducing plasticity of the soil.
  • After the compaction job, life further reacts with the soil particles binding them firmly and increasing their strength.

Quicklime for soil stabilization in construction works

Many types of lime compounds are available, but quick lime or calcium oxide is mainly used for this work. Quicklime reacts with soil water forming calcium hydroxide which again reacts with some existing minerals like silica and alumina initiating an ionic exchange reaction forming a cement-like product naturally. In this reaction, called pozzolanic reaction, cannot retain water particles anymore and with the passage of time, it hardens like cement. Thus, quicklime provides the required stability to the soil.

 

Vision and determination are facets important to achieve success in the construction domain

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If you think that having all the heavy equipment in the world can help you achieve success in the construction domain, then you perhaps need to rethink because there is something more important than a machine that is required to sustain in the construction domain and to defeat your competitors from taking away your business. You need to have a vision in your career and the determination to pursue it. If you fail to have either of them, then you and your business might come into big trouble someday or the other.

We often consider that having a sound financial backing is the most important thing after having the right set of heavy equipment but that is not the case. A person who does not know where he wants to take his business is walking in the dark and he may soon begin to face hurdles in his life and may also experience severe financial crunches which may even lead to the closure of the business. There are numerous examples where entrepreneurs who lacked focus were not able to sustain and were forced to shut their shops. Therefore, being focus should be our first priority. We often get help from institutions if we lack sound financial backing but no one can help a person who lacks vision in his career. A person with no goal can lead his business to dangerous paths and will eventually result in the demise of the business. Construction sector in particular is one of the most difficult sectors for people who lack vision.

Stay focused and always have a strategy in mind:-

Remaining focused to your job does not imply that you do not stop thinking about work but it means that you know where your business is heading. You keep a close watch on the ground realities and make sure that things go as per the plan chalked out by you. In case, if there is any deviation then that needs to be brought under control by chalking out a separate strategy that works more on the ground to keep things in your control. A business without a proper strategy is like sailing in a wrecked ship which has all the possibilities of getting drowned.

Know your project well before drawing a plan:-

You may have more than one project in hand and the requirements of both the projects may be different. You need to make sure that you know which project of yours require what. For this you need to do a thorough study of your projects and then draw a road map that takes to the completion of it.

Be determined of your success:-

Life in the construction domain is not a bed of roses and you do not get things that easily. You will come upon lot of hindrances from various corners that you may not even expect. In this situation, it is just your determination that will help you taste success. If you are determined in achieving something then there is no stopping you.