The age of construction automation is upon us. There are a host of cutting edge technology tools that are being implemented in various stages of construction projects around the globe. Virtual reality, 3D scanning, wearable biometric sensors, building information modeling and fabrication robots are just a few of the technology trends that are prevalent in construction today. One phase of construction automation that doesn't garner a lot of attention is the pre-construction phase. Pre-construction encompasses services such as public tender searches, cost estimating, virtual design construction, risk mitigation and project scheduling. While pre-construction services have been around for decades, the value that they provide to the end client continues to improve with the advancement of technology.
However, sometimes technological advancement in construction can be met with fear and apprehension. The construction industry has been slower than other industries to adopt digital technologies, partially due to the seemingly unchangeable nature of construction. If you're building the same type of structure over and over again...why bother adapting to new technologies? There is also a long standing fear that technology will ultimately replace site workers as fabrication robots become more common. In a study done by the Canadian Construction Association in 2020, it was found that only 25% of construction companies surveyed felt that they had embraced some of the current technology trends in construction.
Let's focus in on pre-construction for a moment. If the overall goal of pre-construction is to put a project on track for success, then doesn't it stand to reason that all technological tools should be used towards fulfilling that goal? Take PataBid for example. PataBid strives to combine technology and human experience to create a smarter, more efficient, bid process for construction. PataBid's products all focus on services in the pre-construction phase - automated public tender searches, market data analytics, and eventually, a proprietary bid platform. We love technology at PataBid, and we believe that it has the ability to change our lives for good. If new tech tools are implemented fully, then a melding of machine and human capabilities is possible. Construction automation tools are not intended to replace employees, but rather, to make those employees able to do their jobs faster, better and with a higher level of accuracy.
So to recap, PataBid is on a mission to transform the construction bid process. How do we accomplish this? All of PataBid's bid automation tools are made possible by implementing AI technology. We have two AI's that do most of our work for us. We lovingly refer to them as Doug and Diego. Artificial intelligence is available for us to utilize in order to become the best versions of our work selves that we can be.
So construction automation....success or AI apocalypse? Our vote is for success. Construction automation in any phase (if fully adopted) allows employees to improve productivity, increase accuracy, mitigate jobsite risk and so much more. In this new era of fluctuating material prices, labour shortages and overdrawn government budgets, companies should be exploring ways to implement AI into their digital workflow to give them an edge in the marketplace.
Connect with us to learn more or book a demo to see if our leading edge construction technology tools can work for your business.
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