Keeping up in any competitive market demands that your business monitors the latest and greatest technologies to become available. You don’t have to adopt all of this new tech right away, of course, but you should know what it is and how it might be able to benefit your company. Failing to keep up on this critical point could cause you to fall further and further behind the competition moving forward.
It’s with that concept in mind that we would like to present five of the most interesting new technologies to become available in the AEC industry. Take some time to consider each of these five and you might find that at least one or two of them could serve you well. Let’s get started!
#1 – Continued Move Toward Automation
Automation can be a touchy subject in AEC circles. Sure, it’s easy to see the potential of cost savings, but automating tasks that have been performed by humans for generations can be a leap that’s hard to take with confidence. At the same time, it seems certain that added automation is the way of the future, and companies that find a way to incorporate automation in a strategic, calculated manner will be positioned to have a distinct advantage.
When looking for tasks that might be prime choices for automation, remember that one of the strengths of computers is completing the same task over and over again without any errors. As it happens, this is an area where humans tend to struggle, and repetition can lead to boredom, and boredom often leads to mistakes. So, it tends to be the areas of your workflows that require repetitive actions that are good targets for seeing what role automation can play.
#2 – Reliance on 5G
Obviously, 5G is not a technology that is focused specifically on the AEC industry, as it’s a leap in cellular connectivity that will have a major impact on both personal and professional life. With that said, upgrading to 5G devices can make it possible to communicate and compute in ways that simply weren’t available on a lesser network.
One of the things 5G can make possible is a shift to using mobile devices to be productive on the job, rather than carrying around larger, heavier equipment. When served by a 5G connection, mobile devices can run powerful apps that play significant roles in the work you need to complete. Given the expanded reach of 5G, you also may find that some jobsites or other remote locations are now covered by a cellular connection where they weren’t previously.
#3 – It’s a Digital World
Even well into the 21st century, paper continues to play a prominent role in the process that many organizations use to see a project through from start to finish. That’s especially true out on a jobsite, where devices tend to be set to the side in favor of paper documents. However, managing digital documentation and other assets has only gotten easier, and working remotely through the pandemic period has furthered the need for organizations to adopt this approach.
The benefits of cutting paper out of your process are many. For starters, it’s easier to communicate back and forth with people in distributed locations and keep them involved in every step of a project. If even one or two areas are still managed on paper, that will suddenly put a hole in your digital workflow that will somehow need to be filled. Accurate record-keeping is made far easier by digital documentation, as well, meaning you’ll have what you need should issues come up in the future, or if you want to look back to learn from past projects.
#4 – Augmented Reality
One of the most advanced ways to employ new technology in an AEC organization is through the use of augmented reality devices. While this might sound a bit like sci-fi at the start, these devices have come a long way in recent years and now can be trusted to add significant value to a project in the right application.
Any project manager who has ever tried to explain what is going on at a jobsite to an individual who doesn’t work in the industry – such as a property owner or investor – knows how difficult it can be to help them see the big picture. They can do just that, however, with the help of augmented reality. This way, anyone could look at an in-progress project and see exactly what is going on and where it is leading.
#5 – Embracing Modular Projects
One of the best ways for AEC firms to streamline their work and increase profits is to remove variables from the project equation. In the real world, there is simply a lot that can go wrong – and anytime something does go wrong, it means money is lost off the bottom line. With modular projects, more work can be done in a controlled, industrial manner away from the site where the finished product will eventually live. This shift takes some of the natural variables of working at a jobsite out of the equation, and it’s easy to see how improved profitability would follow.
While a modular approach isn’t going to be practical – or even possible – for some projects, others will be a great fit for this approach. Going modular allows the building process to work more like an assembly line, with dedicated locations assigned for each step in the journey. Then, assembly can happen at the actual building site, but the time spent working there will be reduced dramatically and the whole project should be streamlined and more affordable.
Marketing Never Goes Out of Style
While the technology used in the AEC industry is always changing, one thing doesn’t change at all – the need to promote your business in order to earn new contracts and stay ahead of the game. Reach out to us today to learn more about our digital marketing services and how we can help to put your brand in front of the right people at the right time. Thank you for visiting!
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