Construction technology — or ConTech — products represent a growing industry that caters to architects, engineers, project managers, and field workers who want support with their daily challenges. Successful implementations can relieve daily struggles, making users more productive and satisfied with outcomes. What are some examples of popular offerings, and how could they help you?

Cloud-Enabled Digital Twins

Digital twins are highly accurate virtual representations of physical assets, buildings, sites, or other things in the real world. People have built them to reflect everything from wind turbine designs to manufacturing plant expansions. One of the main digital twin advantages is that users can see how things work in virtual environments before committing to them in real life. That reduces guesswork and increases confidence. 

Some digital twins work in the cloud, allowing authorized users to collaborate and see changes in real time. One such product is a primary facilitator of a capital investment project at Ireland’s Dublin Airport to accommodate more passengers, reduce its carbon footprint, and work toward a net-zero energy goal. 

One pilot project involves building a digital twin to show all the airport’s spaces and systems. Decision-makers anticipate that the approach will streamline communications and workflows, supporting each project phase from preconstruction to operations to maintenance. 

The digital twin’s accompanying cloud platform has already improved workflows. It allowed people to conduct project reviews three-and-a-half times faster while tripling project resolution speeds. Those shorter time frames were possible even though people submitted 19,000 documents to support their work. Providing a single platform for fast information retrieval prevents mistakes and improves accountability across teams. 

Project Management and Scheduling Tools

The days of using whiteboards and sticky notes to track projects or ensure they have adequate contractor coverage are in the past. People can use dedicated project management and scheduling products instead. Although specific features vary by vendor, many of these possibilities work in the cloud and pull data from multiple sources, such as email or calendar platforms. 

People can work more efficiently once they understand how to operate these platforms, especially while calculating timelines. Accurate time estimates require project managers to assess how long tasks and phases will take to finish and the potential impacts of unexpected circumstances. Project management tools keep all stakeholders informed, even when adjusting original timelines. 

Similarly, scheduling tools also have smartphone apps that send push notifications to the appropriate parties if changes occur due to weather, supply chain backups, or other situations. When people can see up-to-date information in the app, site managers save time because there’s no need to communicate through email, phone calls, or other less efficient methods. 

Fleet Management Platforms

Whether you own or rent construction equipment, it can be challenging to monitor its use and maintenance requirements. Fortunately, fleet management technology makes those tasks much easier and more efficient. Most tools can tell you the real-time location of equipment, along with its average daily usage, time since the last servicing appointment, and other details. 

Construction industry downtime is inconvenient and expensive. Statistics suggest it costs up to $760 per nonoperational vehicle. Fleet management platforms can substantially reduce those instances by giving project managers better oversight. 

These tools are also excellent theft deterrents because many allow people to see equipment information at any time, including during sites’ unoccupied periods. Additionally, you can set geofencing boundaries that indicate if someone has tried to take equipment from its rightful place. Such capabilities improve utilization by tackling many of the challenges that can cause equipment-related headaches. 

Real-Time Monitoring Solutions

Numerous ConTech vendors provide specialized products that improve supervision and safety. These products collect data in real time and send it to the appropriate parties for review. Since even the most conscientious managers cannot be everywhere at once, the solutions provide better visibility and ensure everyone follows site rules. They can also alert managers to risky behaviors or new dangers, prompting them to take the proper precautions to avoid accidents. 

Some monitoring products also connect to building information management (BIM) tools. This allows site managers to see overviews of construction hazards even before work begins. That advantage improves preparedness and reduces the chance of dangerous oversights.

Well-chosen monitoring products also help leaders verify that construction is progressing at the expected pace. Determining that early and often helps them keep everything on schedule or make adjustments when needed.

ConTech Can Be a Game-Changer

Whether you have already used a few construction tech products or are new to this product segment, these options are some of the most widely used choices. Once you become more familiar with them, it’ll be easier to determine which ones are best to address your needs and challenges.