Author: Peggy Smedley

We are at a precipice where we need to rebuild much of our infrastructure, technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and we have a worker shortage that threatens to stall the construction industry—all while the cost of materials and labor do not show signs of slowing any time soon. With all this in mind, it begs the question, is optimism about the economy up or down? A recent report might shed some light into how executives at engineering firms view the economy. First, a primer. The ACEC Research Institute survey of 650 engineering firm executives looks at current and…

Every day my inbox is flooded with news and reports about gen AI (artificial intelligence). Some of it is interesting, some of it is innovative, some of it is inspiring, and some of it sounds far-fetched. Let’s look at some of the recent research. An interesting statistic passed my desk in May. It states nearly two out of three small business employees say AI can increase or retain headcount. Cox Business surveyed small business owners and employees on their view of the technology. The study found 52% of small business owners said AI enables them to increase or retain employees,…

Construction projects—specifically infrastructure projects—are becoming more complex than ever before. As Julien Moutte, CTO, Bentley Systems, recently told me on The Peggy Smedley Show, the demand on infrastructure has never been so high for many reasons, which he explains on the podcast. Here at Constructech, we have been talking about failing infrastructure around the world and in the United States, the need for greater resiliency and sustainability, and the need for greater security of our infrastructure systems. With the help of technology, there are opportunities to build infrastructure that is modern, resilient, and sustainable. However, building these projects is easier…

We live in a world where there is a rise in extreme weather events, cost of energy is soaring, energy companies have a lack of skilled workers, and we have a responsibility to improve our carbon footprint. All of this points to the need for greater connectivity at the grid—which is something we have seen steadily rising in recent years. The U.S. Dept. of Energy suggests the U.S. electric grid has more than 9,200 electric generating units, having more than 1 million megawatts of generating capacity connected to more than 600,000 miles of transmission lines. But it also states the…

Here at Constructech, Connected World, and The Peggy Smedley Show, I have been sounding the alarm for years about the dangers of distracted driving. Awareness is particularly important in the construction industry, where work zone safety is a top priority for many. The hard reality is that work zones are still not a safe place, according to recent numbers from the AGC (Associated General Contractors of America). In fact, the organization’s recent survey found nearly two-thirds of firms working on highway upgrades experienced vehicles crashing into work zones during the past year. What’s more, 24% of respondents report experiencing five…

The cloud and SaaS (software-as-a-service) are rising trends for many business and IT professionals—and it is something we saw play out last week at Microsoft Build, which took place May 21-23, 2024. I thought it might be worth looking at what came out of the event and the impact such technology is having on enterprises, especially considering this is happening alongside the rise of AI (artificial intelligence). Let’s consider the rising trends of cloud and SaaS first. In the earliest days of computing, large mainframe systems acted as the central processor and networked terminals as the clients. Cloud computing is…

I recently came across a study that says nearly 90% of skilled tradespeople are satisfied with their careers—and that this number has actually grown since the pandemic. What’s more, more than 65% of pros believe AI (artificial intelligence) won’t replace their jobs, and half are even excited about its potential to help them better serve homeowners. Here’s my question: who did they interview? Because there is a lot of conflicting research out there. The Skills Shortage The reality of the situation is the skills today are seriously lacking. We know from the U.S. BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) numbers and…

Robotics have been around for decades, with a rich history in both business and consumer applications, which we will explore here on this blog. However, we are at an interesting precipice in time where we can now combine robotics with new intelligence that comes from gen AI (artificial intelligence). Let’s take some time to explore the wide world of robotics—yesterday, today, and tomorrow. A Robotics History Lesson A robot will often drum up an image of a helper—think Rosie from the Jetsons—or a machine rising-up—imagine Terminator. Stanford suggests the reality is the term robotics was first coined by Russian-born American…

What impact do PLAs (project labor agreements) have on construction projects? That is the question one new study aims to answer out of the ILEPI (Illinois Economic Policy Institute) and the PMCR (Project for Middle Class Renewal) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. First, a definition and a bit of a history lesson. As most in the construction industry already know, project labor agreements are pre-hire agreements between the project owner and labor organizations. Often, they establish the terms and conditions of employment for skilled craft workers on large infrastructure projects. Most PLAs include provisions for preventing strikes and…

Supply-chain weaknesses have come into the spotlight in recent years, but with this we also have big opportunities for new innovations to create true transformation. As this happens, we will need people, process, and technology to work in tandem to ensure smooth and successful implementation of supply-chain technologies. To proceed, we must take into consideration the most significant trends for our supply chain. Perhaps the notable is that man and machine must continue work side-by-side closely, enabling new efficiencies and faster decision making. Of course, this is only the beginning. Gartner suggests there are eight remarkable trends to watch when…