MAY 2023CONSTRUCTIONTECHREVIEW.COM9disruption combined to disrupt our supply chain in unprecedented ways. According to the AGC of America, "In addition to increased costs and lead times, contractors are experiencing delivery times that have stretched or become completely unreliable. These problems have shown up at all points in the delivery chain."Ouch. But it gets worse.While material costs escalate from mid-double to low-triple digit amounts, bid prices on new non-residential construction have increased only 3.4%. (again, credit to the AGC of America's chief economist Ken Simonson). "This combination of steeply rising costs and nearly stable bid prices threatens to push some firms out of business and keep the industry's unemployment rate unacceptably high."Double ouch!What can commercial contractors do?Short-term actions include revisiting contract language and setting clear expectations with building owners. But to thrive in the long term, contractors must embrace transformational technologies and prepare for future disruption.Take, for example, construction robotics.At Hilti we're proud of JAIBOT, the first production robot purpose-designed for the put-in-place jobsite. JAIBOT is a semi-autonomous overhead drilling robot that in nearly all cases is 5x faster than a human crew.This is a big deal because overhead drilling is a difficult task when you consider precise floor layout (even when using a total station), marking the concrete, transferring the point to the ceiling with plumb laser, then using a lift or ladder to drill overhead. JAIBOT takes a task where one person can complete five to seven holes per hour to 25-60+. Over the course of a complicated jobsite, this is worth weeks of time savings. Not to mention health and safety benefits for workers who thus avoid repetitive overhead drilling.Another benefit of jobsite robotics is accuracy and precision. When combined with BIM all the holes match the digital model, link precisely to prefabrication, and enable cross-trade collaboration. This in turn maximizes productivity.Sounds great!So, why would any contractor with abundant overhead drilling hesitate to hire JAIBOT?The brutal truth is that our industry is resistant to technology transformation. Developing new workflows isn't easy. Tradespersons might feel threatened. The financial commitment isn't small. There will always be reasons to spurn new technologies.But good news! Industry leaders will not allow this to continue.Which brings us back to the Tesla story ...Barton Malow builds great buildings and are an industry innovation leader. To complete projects they need heavy machines, haulers, and trucks. What role would an all-electric sport sedan play in their fleet? I had to ask."Great question, Jason" said Ryan. His answer amazed me. Barton Malow is led by curious innovators who seek opportunity in many new technologies. Even if they are not obviously relevant to their work, their job as leaders is to bring the company along. To foster like-minded curiosity in their employees. To seek unexpected breakthroughs.Someday electric trucks will arrive at jobsites across our nation. I know of no general contractor who will be better prepared for that day than Barton Malow.And that's why it's no surprise that the first US customer to see JAIBOT operating at a Hilti corporate jobsite in Europe ­ over two years ago ­ was the executive team of Barton Malow.Now what? Are you intimidated by technology breakthroughs including robotics, BIM, sensors, human augmentation, 5G, structural wood, and artificial intelligence? If so, you're not alone. But leaders must decide: at what rate will you prepare your organization to thrive on the technology-rich future jobsite? Benefit of jobsite robotics is greater accuracy and precision. When combined with BIM all the holes match the digital model, link more precisely to prefabrication, and better enable cross-trade collaborationJason Janning
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