Trimble is a Business Reporter client

The construction industry is facing a widening array of challenges at a time when projects are becoming larger and more complex. Costs are rising as a result of economic instability, businesses are struggling to integrate new technology and shortages in skilled labour are worsening due to difficulties in recruiting new talent.

At the same time, new regulations and compliance burdens, material and supply chain volatility, a fragmented value chain and the siloed nature of current software solutions are all compounding project complexity.

Moreover, because many businesses are yet to digitise their value chains, data losses are hitting harder. Construction projects depend not only on accuracy and timeliness, both of which are impacted by data quality, but the ability to co-ordinate information across multiple stakeholders: contractors, suppliers, clients and otherwise.

Failure to address data challenges increases the chances of rework and drives costs even higher.

Value-added tech

The evolving nature of problems in construction is pushing companies to consider wider tech adoption. But many are not realising the full significance of such a change.

Tech offers a sense of predictability that lessens the challenge of delivering complex projects; it helps businesses strengthen capabilities in quality, cost, scheduling, safety and sustainability, and opens up opportunities to de-risk wider business processes with the confidence gained from success in adjacent digitised tasks. In other words, it empowers organisations to drive the safe landing of a project.

Tech can have a transformative impact on numerous aspects of a business. One study found that in one year alone, bad data – which it defined as “inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent or untimely numbers” – cost the global construction industry $1.8 trillion. If the entire value chain is digitised, there is less likelihood of losing vital information, greater potential to reduce friction and lower risk of rework.

Digital tools can also help with resource allocation, which is key in a time of labour shortages.

And they can also drive labour uptake. Generation Z want their work to be as digital as possible – indeed, a recent study found that 70 per cent of Gen Z employees would switch jobs entirely for better tech.

This is important for the construction industry, which is associated with cold outdoor sites, taxing physical work and menial tasks. If, for instance, the less attractive jobs can be automated then recruitment will be easier.

Connecting office and field

Not only can technology help to bridge silos by creating a single source of invaluable data, it can also bridge the gap between office and field.

This is a central focus of Trimble, which supports customers in more than 175 countries. It provides the global construction industry with hardware and software solutions that enable companies to connect the key components of their operations – people, data and workflows.

By connecting workflows using Trimble’s Connect and Scale strategy, businesses are able to optimise real-time communication between the office and the job site, thereby facilitating faster, more informed decision-making and significantly reducing the incidence of errors and delays.

“When teams operate in disconnected systems, mistakes slip through unnoticed until they become expensive problems,” says Nassim Saoud, Director EMEA at Trimble. “Failing to share the right data at the right time leads to budget overruns, avoidable errors and costly delays.

“Prioritising a connected workflow helps ensure everyone is working from the same set of reliable, real-time information. This strategic alignment drives better decisions, stronger collaboration and more predictable project outcomes, reducing avoidable errors and costly delays.”

Productivity drives competitiveness

Technology can transform the construction industry not only by addressing the challenge of productivity, but also that of sustainability.

A business that delivers on both is more competitive – after all, if productivity gets a boost, then project quality is enhanced, costs are optimised and deadlines are met; if sustainability goals are realised and a brighter future for the industry comes into view, then a critical priority for Gen Z workers is met.

In short, by boosting competitiveness, the talent that businesses in construction need is more likely to flow in – and is likelier to stay the course. Trimble’s goal of helping its customers become better, cheaper, faster, safer and greener looks set to revolutionise not just individual companies, but the construction industry as a whole.

**For more information, visit **trimble.com.