Author: Peggy Smedley
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the homebuilding industry remained strong, but in the past few months, we have been talking about an impending downturn. Has it happened yet or is it still on the horizon? To identify the state of the homebuilding market, let’s start by looking at one metric and then I will give you my thoughts on what needs to happen next. The monthly BTIG/HomeSphere Homebuilder Survey seeks the perspective of approximately 50-100 small and mid-sized tract homebuilders nationally about sales, customer traffic, and pricing trends. It received 113 responses for the month of July.…
Technology can help corporations improve their ESG (environmental, social, and governance)—but how exactly? We often think of sustainability software solutions as being able to help organizations track and report their ESG performance and provide relevant data to improve their operational performance—and they certainly do. But there is a little bit more to the story than just that. For the past several years, we have been talking about the impact of using software in corporate settings to improve environmental sustainability, but now one new survey suggests software is also needed to monitor social sustainability. In fact, the IDC (Intl. Data Corp.)…
Every couple of years there is a burst of M&A (merger and acquisition) activity among construction technology providers. Companies like Autodesk and Trimble have long had an M&A strategy that we have covered in depth here at Constructech. Now, it seems Bentley Systems is also making many big moves, some of which includes acquisitions. Last week, Cohesive, an independently operated, digital integrator business unit of Bentley Systems, announced the acquisition of MaximoCon, a Brazil-based consultancy specializing in technical services for IBM Maximo, which is IBM’s enterprise asset management solution. This is a big move for the construction industry. MaximoCon has…
Mentorship is important for both personal and employee development, with roughly 97% of people saying a mentor is valuable and 55% believe mentoring can help them succeed. For businesses, 67% report an increase in productivity due to mentoring and 55% of businesses felt mentoring had a positive impact on their profit. So, how then can we give and receive such mentorship in a way that is beneficial to both parties? Let me proclaim the story of a great mentor. Those of you who are regular readers have heard me talk about various family members and I personally enjoy sharing the…
Perhaps one of the biggest factors holding back widespread adoption of sustainability in the home is the cost—or is it? One new survey suggests 56% of U.S. internet households would select renewables as an energy source if costs were the same and 36% say they would pay more to use power from renewable sources. That is a start. And it seems this is a trend that is already starting to take hold too. Parks Associates research shows 45% of broadband households made energy-saving renovations or added major energy devices in 2021, which is an all-time high. This is a trend…
For more than a decade, we have been talking about how builders can put technology—back then it was called AHT (automated home technology)—in new homes as a competitive advantage when selling houses. Today, it is no longer a competitive advantage; it is expected by consumers. So, what exactly should go inside new homes? The answer is long and short. If we were to sum it up in a word, it would be sensors. Sensors enable homes to become smarter. They can create more convenience in the home, while also providing an environmental impact. However, ABI Research suggests it is the…
One question I always like to ask during a one-on-one interview with executives is: What is keeping you up at night? The answer to this question will inform decisions made in the organization and which technologies are ultimately implemented. This is why my interest was piqued when I was reading through Gartner’s second quarter 2022 Emerging Risks Report, which was published in July. Concerns about a macroeconomic downturn has rapidly ascended into the top emerging risk facing organizations today. What’s more, there is a high degree of interrelated risks that need to be addressed. Gartner actually surveyed 306 senior executives…
Climate change is impacting homeowners in myriad ways. From the hurricanes in the South, to the wildfires out West, to tornados in the Midwest, natural disasters are on the uptick and homeowners need to be prepared by living in resilient homes. Perhaps it’s long overdue, but we really need to take a closer look and narrow in on the drought-stricken areas of the world. Average drought conditions across the nation have varied over time. The 1930s and 1950s saw the most widespread droughts. During the period from 2000 through 2020, roughly 20-70% of the U.S. land area experienced conditions that…
Tomorrow’s infrastructure needs to be resilient and connected if we ever intend to fulfill the objectives of its users—and simply that needs to be built today. AI, (artificial intelligence) ML (machine learning), cloud computing, the IoT (Internet of Things), and digital twins can be applied in myriad ways, constructing and designing the most massive and impressive infrastructure of the future. With more than 80,000 centerline miles of highway and more than 14,000 employees statewide, TxDOT (Texas Dept. of Transportation) has a vision to provide mobility, enable economic opportunity, and enhance the quality of life for Texans. To meet these goals,…
Supply-chain officers have several risks that regularly need to be assessed—many of which can be evaluated by leveraging digital technology. One such example is the risk that climate change poses to our supply chain. Many realize climate change risks are materializing and are beginning to identify what this means for supply chains. While there are perhaps too many risks to name, some include the impact of rising sea levels on transportation and the influence of increasingly extreme weather on all industries, just to name a few. From wildfires threating lumber to hurricanes barraging seaside industries, the effects are wide and…