More than half or 57 percent of the time on construction sites is spent on unproductive activities. This according to new infographics from Volvo titled, “Top Tech Trends to Boost Construction Productivity.”
Construction Industry Ready for Technology Disruption
As the data provided by Volvo points out, construction is one industry ripe for disruption with technology. The inefficiencies due to low productivity are responsible for $1.6 trillion in losses and growth is limited to just one percent.
For the many small businesses making up the construction industry, the tech trends Volvo highlights are extremely important in boosting productivity across all operations, including the hiring process. The suggestions the company makes start with readily available and affordable technologies construction companies can start implementing right away. There is also new generation eco-friendly heavy-duty construction equipment designed to boost productivity.
The infographics look at how drones, artificial intelligence, connectivity and new generation eco-friendly heavy-duty machinery can help construction companies become more productive.
Artificial intelligence (AI), which is being adopted by almost all industries can introduce new levels of efficiency, but there will also be challenges as the technology evolves. Volvo says by 2035 AI has the potential of increasing construction productivity on site by 40 percent. However, 60 percent of building professional believe the productivity increase is going to come because of AI and autonomous construction equipment. And in 45 years, there will be a 50 percent chance machines will outperform humans.
Connectivity will bring together the many different moving parts and equipment in any given project. This will allow them to track and monitor the equipment and workers remotely or from the site. With onboard telematics and machine control systems, supervisors will be able to analyze and streamline their workflow with project management apps.
Technology Adoption Challenges by the Construction Industry
The construction industry is highly segregated when it comes to the different skillsets used by the workforce. And in most cases, the projects are one-offs, making the application of new technologies that much harder to create and implement.
But in an industry slated to be worth $10 trillion by 2020, more companies are developing technologies to bring this segment in step with other industries. The Volvo infographic just points out how some of these technologies can be applied to make construction companies more productive.
You can have a look at the infographics below.
Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “Does the Small Construction Firm Waste Half The Day on Unproductive Activities?” was first published on Small Business Trends