FROM THE EDITOR
FROM THE EDITOR REACHING FOR A DIGITAL FUTURE IN CONSTRUCTION
T
he concept of digital transformation is a frequent topic in many industries today. It has been around for a while now, but the acceleration of online work and other factors have brought it to the forefront. Everyone seems to be talking about it – although, as we frequently find, the construction sector is somewhat slower to join the discussion. Digital transformation doesn’t refer to buying every piece of new technology that pops up; it’s a process that takes advantage of digital advances to update or expand existing business processes and procedures, while also changing the culture of business and how it operates. Often, it provides new ways to improve efficiency, cut costs, expand contacts and opportunities, and cut back on problem spots related to aging practices. A recent report from the Canadian Construction Association and KPMG suggests that Canadian companies have a lot of room to move when it comes to adopting innovation in their processes. In fact, 75 percent of companies responding to a survey rated their digital maturity as “fairly low” compared to competitors, and nearly 60 percent say they need to adapt their digital strategy – but that they aren’t sure how to best find a competitive advantage through technology. And, while many companies have adopted communication strategies for remote work during the COVID-19 lockdowns, less than half said it had affected their technology investment plans. According to the CCA, there is some movement toward digital growth in the construction sector. Companies that are leading the charge have taken advantage of tools like drones, augmented reality and analytics among others to improve productivity, safety and decision-making, CCA President Mary Van Buren notes. Those tend to be larger firms, however, and smaller and mid-sized companies have yet to move forward in expanding their digital operations. There is a lot of room to move forward. Contractors of all sizes have begun to take advantage of office solutions that automate processes, reduce redundancy and cut costs. Cloud technology has been adopted by, or is in the planning process, for 87 percent of construction companies. Cyber security is at a similar mark. Contractors are learning the value of collaboration and sharing data; the next step is to expand the data collected and make that vast flow of information work for them.
8
heavyequipmentguide.ca | JUNE 2021
A recent report from the Canadian Construction Association and KPMG suggests that Canadian companies have a lot of room to move when it comes to adopting innovation in their processes. One example of how that can help comes from Procore, which released survey results recently showing that real-time performance insights available to construction managers can save them 4.5 hours a week. Cloud-based tools that give on-demand access to performance data helps cut down delays, rework and other gaps in operations, Procore showed. And yet, a large portion of Canada’s construction industry still uses manual tools, like spreadsheets, to record their operational data – making it that much more difficult to analyze and find improvements. The Internet of Things, cloud services, Building Information Management tools and many more technology tools can help reshape businesses in construction and elsewhere. It’s a daunting step to take, but one that can push contractors and their companies forward into a digital future.
Lee Toop Editor ltoop@baumpub.com heavyequipmentguide.ca
