Automation, Streamlined Orders will Shape Construction

Brief

Heavy and civil contractors and project owners are excited about the potential for automated equipment to make construction more efficient, but there is still a need for humans on the ground, and with that comes a steep learning curve, says Phillippe Falkner, a safety director and business services specialist at Ed Bell Construction. Tom Agresta, president of Eclipse Cos., says that advances in technology are helping contractors preempt errors with material orders.

Insight

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the construction industry was 3.5 percent in July 2022.

The last time it was lower than this was in September 2019, about six months before the initial lockdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic, the lowest it has been for nearly three years; the labor shortage remains one of the most critical construction industry trends for 2022, per The Hartford.

Per AssuredPartners, an independent insurance agency, “Nearly $1.4T worth of structures are constructed each year, and it employs more than seven million workers across 733,000 businesses.

For 2022, many of these businesses struggled with a shortage of qualified workers, supply chain disruption and material shortages, weather disruptions, and inflation issues. To overcome these challenges, many construction firms are turning to technology to manage their business better.

HCSS, a construction management software provider, interviewed several of its customers about the future of construction. A summary of these discussions follows.

The Future of Construction: An Interview with Teichert’s Mary Teichert

Mary Teichert is the President of Teichert, Inc., which is a 135-year-old contractor regionally based out of California and Western Nevada. It was started by her great-great-grandfather, Adolf Teichert, a foreman for the man who invented expansion joints. Ms. Teichert’s take on the top construction trends for 2023 include:

What does the industry need to do to engage employees more?

Engaged employees matter in the construction industry because many employees are the main face to the customer. Project engineers to the customer are the company. These employees need to be proud of your company and enjoy working there.