In difficult times for the whole world with the advent of coronavirus infection, the work of construction companies has become more important than ever, as the world needed to rebuild medical facilities for the care of the sick as quickly as possible. However, these difficult times have brought a lot of problems for this industry, as it depends on manual labor, and the industry has had to deal with the closure of many enterprises, the introduction of new security measures, as well as the transfer of employees to remote work.
However, already in 2022, we see how everything is slowly starting to work out for the best. Many projects are resuming, but other problems have emerged, with construction companies managing disrupted supply chains, soaring material prices, and other critical issues.
In this regard, digital transformation is changing the world and it has the potential to improve the construction industry as well as make it more productive. The Internet of Things, robotic drones, the creation of digital construction products according to digital product design trends, and other innovations are helping to change the industry for the better.
Using technology to create a safe work environment
Many companies cannot return to the usual format of work, as the threat to the safety and health of employees remains. As a result, companies must operate in such an environment, but they need to adopt new technologies to keep their employees safe.
Wearable devices help a lot with this, as well as various AI sensors help employees adhere to the rules of social distancing, notify about the presence of a large crowd of people at facilities, track infected people, and much more. When using such technologies, companies keep their employees safe and also reduce the risk of construction site closures.
In addition, there are a huge number of video platforms that allow managers to negotiate without the need for a physical presence at the construction site. Robotic drones also make it possible to track construction progress.
Use of modern construction methods
One of the modern construction methods is the construction of modular structures that can be built at individual enterprises and then delivered to construction sites.
The concept is nothing new to this industry. However, today, thanks to the advent of a huge number of digital technologies, this process is now much faster than before. Thus, companies get the opportunity to increase the pace of construction, complete everything on time and, most importantly, not violate social restrictions.
Using the Internet of Things
In both the manufacturing and construction industries, robots are used today, as well as machines that help increase the speed of work. However, such machines, as practice shows, quite often fail and because of this, companies face downtime and huge losses.
The technology of the Internet of Things, which consists in installing sensors on machines and collecting data about them, helps to cope with such a problem. With data, companies can monitor the health of their machines and predict their breakdowns. This allows companies to resolve issues early before workflows stop. In addition, equipment maintenance costs are significantly reduced.
Implementation of Building Information Modeling for sustainable construction
It’s no secret that construction releases huge amounts of carbon into the environment. That is why many companies are starting to use Building Information Modeling, which allows them to have a digital representation of a building object, including production details, design, the object’s environmental impact, and much more.
In this regard, the world will strive for green construction, using various innovations in the field of building materials. We will be able to see how self-healing concrete, concrete canvas, aerogel, and nanomaterials will be used.
Conclusion
The problems caused by the coronavirus infection signal that the construction industry needs to engage in digital transformation to more effectively cope with the emerging challenges. Construction companies that are ready to use the aforementioned technologies will be able to quickly adapt to changes and continue to work efficiently.