The Nerve Center for Construction Innovation

Construction leaders need transformation initiatives with a direct link to value. They need solutions that boost productivity and reduce cost. They need to systematically drive efficiencies across organizational processes and proactively manage risk.

At Suffolk Construction’s Roxbury headquarters, John Fish views a digital skyline of his far-flung projects. A nerve center gives him updates, status reports and financial data.

Connected Sites

A Connected Site is a one-stop solution that digitises and centralizes the management of complex and vulnerable elements of construction sites. This includes tracking and aggregating data from equipment, materials, and people, as well as offering analytics functions that help E&C firms identify and prevent issues on the jobsite.

These platforms can also help E&C companies optimize their supply chain by enabling them to buy or hire supplies and equipment directly from suppliers and other contractors in a marketplace setting similar to how online shopping platforms revolutionized retail. In addition, these platforms can streamline the purchasing process for long-lead items like steel, concrete, and asphalt by allowing contractors to preorder supplies from reputable vendors and then have them delivered directly to the construction site.

Aside from these operational gains, cybersecurity solutions can be integrated into Connected Sites to provide a layer of security that protects information, equipment, and employees’ devices from cyber attacks. This is important given that a single breach can be costly for E&C stakeholders.

Zero Safety Incidents

The goal of zero accidents on construction sites is an attainable vision. Human error is the only thing preventing us from achieving this goal. Creating a culture that emphasizes the safety of everyone on site is the key to success.

To do this, it's essential that we understand the cause of accidents and create an environment where all employees feel safe to report issues in real time. We also need to make sure that we're using accident analysis to fix the system – not to blame individuals for their mistakes.

Pursuing a zero incident goal without focusing on the causes of these incidents leads to a self-limiting organizational viewpoint and dangerous employee belief. Instead, companies that achieve sustained excellent performance define what they want, measure it, and encourage change. This includes a commitment to frequent hazard assessments, toolbox talks, and inspections that incorporate management's involvement.

Data-Driven Decisions

Using data to make business decisions is a pursuit that every organization should pursue. It allows for a level of precision that makes it easier to avoid making gut-based choices or relying on biases, allowing businesses to be more adaptable and grow more quickly.

Assignar provides the standard and custom reports that construction project teams need to make critical decisions on a real time basis. This way, decision makers have access to the latest information and can avoid having to wait hours for reports to be compiled.

Our platform enables you to make your operations more intelligent by leveraging our value delivery methodology, connected data fabric, digital right-fit capabilities and powerful artificial intelligence (AI). You can manage projects faster, improve collaboration, balance cross functional and enterprise trade-offs, automate workflows and gain E2E transparency with persona-based visibility. You can also slash costs, increase productivity and create a safer workplace for everyone involved. Having access to real time data is the key to better jobsite performance and construction innovation.

Intelligent Operations

The construction industry remains one of the lowest innovation sectors, with productivity growth only rising 1% annually in recent decades [1,2]. However, innovations in technology are driving new possibilities and opportunities for accelerating productivity gains.

For example, construction equipment connected to the Internet of Things can feed information to predictive machine learning models, a form of AI, which reduces maintenance costs and eliminates downtime by predicting what’s likely to happen next. Similarly, Pype’s Smart Plans uses AI to manage core construction documents like spec books and submittals. It reads the drawings and extracts contract compliance items, enabling construction pros to focus on high-risk issues.

The future of construction involves a more product-based approach, consolidation of the value chain, and a shift to a data-driven decision making process. These trends are requiring companies to break down existing departmental, management, and cultural silos to embrace a new model of operation. Intelligent Operations is the next-gen solution that streamlines technology, processes and people to get you there.