Author: Laura Black

If we look to the past few years, we know a few things about the construction industry: labor is scarce, the supply chain is weak, cyber risk is real, and there is much economic uncertainty that leads to much risk for construction. If we look to the future, will the same be true? We are currently in the midst of a blog series looking at predictions for the construction industry. Today, let’s turn our attention to risk and its relationship to technology, and let’s see what the future holds. A new report from Dodge Construction Network shows data access will…

We all know there is a shortage of labor across many industries including construction. But what if the labor shortage isn’t the headline here? What if the real story is that there are workers, but they simply aren’t prepared for the task at hand? This is something we have indicated to here at Constructech for years, and now there is rather significant research to back it up. The nation isn’t preparing workers for construction careers—and it hasn’t been for decades—and it is ultimately hurting the nation’s economy. Since we are in the middle of a blog series looking at statistics…

This is my favorite time of the year. True, here in the states we are seeing the weather cool to a crisp and the leaves turn to orange, red, and brown, in some parts of the country, but there is another reason why I like to curl up at my office desk with the window cracked open. Predictions! It is the time of year where everyone is making grandiose predictions about what is to come in the next year—or the next five years. Analysts, associations, industry, and academia are all getting out their crystal balls to predict what next great…

It is one thing to write about emerging technologies and the impact they will have on the construction industry. It is another thing to actually see or hear about them in action. Today let’s look at the widespread impact 3D printing is having in two specific use cases in various parts of the world—and the impact it will have on construction and communities. The example comes from Saudi Arabia. Black Buffalo 3D and Saudi Readymix Concrete Co., have signed an agreement to manufacture Black Buffalo 3D’s structural ink using local materials. They are also partnering to create regional 3D construction…

There has been a lot of talk about the EV (electric vehicle) market in recent days—but where exactly do we stand on the EV construction market? One new report provides some in-depth analysis on whether the market will live or die. Let’s take a look. To start, we know EVs provide big value to the environment and to the construction industry. These vehicles are often quieter, offer better air quality, and can sometimes be more precise and easier to operate. Still, this only provides value if the total cost of ownership makes sense, right? Now, one new report from IDTechEx…

Where I live in the Chicago suburbs, a portion of this summer was hotter than I ever remember. Three days in August saw temps hovering near or above 100—which for our northern region is quite high. Air conditioning units had a hard time keeping up with the heat and many school activities had to be cancelled. Thankfully, it was just a few days, but what if that heat continues in the years ahead? That is something we, as a society, need to prepare for—and construction companies will be tasked with building structures to beat the extreme heat. The good news…

This summer we are on a journey to look at technologies that are making an impact in the construction industry. We have highlighted topics such as the metaverse and generative AI (artificial intelligence) and now we are exploring tried-and-true construction processes that can be enabled by technology. Such is the case with ERP (enterprise-resource planning) technology. At its core, ERP technologies combine data from a number of different areas of a business, including, but not limited to, accounting/job costing, project management, sales and CRM (customer-relationship management), project management, human resources, service, and more. Naturally, different companies will have different needs…

This summer we are embarking on a summer blog series looking at technologies that are making an impact in the construction industry. We have explored emerging technologies like generative AI (artificial intelligence) and the metaverse and we have looked at core construction business processes like project management and estimating that are enabled by technologies. Today, let’s explore accounting and job costing. Accounting and job costing are perhaps one of the most foundational processes in the construction industry, as they enable businesses to keep track of expenses for projects. The data collected here is critical for a number of reasons: it…

Estimating is one of the most critical tasks on a construction project. If done right, it will calculate all of the required direct and indirect costs, guiding the project to a profitable project. If done wrong, well, many in construction have been there—and on a job where margins are very tight, a good estimate can make all the difference. The challenge is estimating is often tedious and time consuming, to say the least. Could new technologies disrupt the status quo and speed up processes, while making them more accurate? Perhaps. The global construction estimating software market size is expected to…

For the past several weeks, we have been doing a blog series on various technologies that are making an impact on the construction industry. We have discussed many emerging technologies including generative AI (artificial intelligence), BIM (building information modeling), digital twin, and the metaverse, just to name a few. Now, let’s turn our attention to critical processes specifically in the construction industry—and how technology is evolving to enable better procedures in construction. Today, let’s dig into the state of project management in construction. Today’s project managers have their hands full, to say the least. We all know labor shortages have…