IoT in Construction: The magic has just begun

Where are we on productivity today?

Overtime shifts, overshooting budgets, difficulty managing labour have become the norm in construction industry today. The troubling part is that these ever increasing problems are a direct outcome of us not able to improve our productivity at our workplace be it jobsites or offices or warehouses.

This is a big concern in the construction industry, but there are not many ways in which this can be tackled. There is sufficient evidence that goes on to show that several businesses have turned to the Internet of Things (IoT) to unlock the development of productivity. The construction sector is now inclined towards unraveling IoT’s capability to digitize processes

Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology that’s helping a lot of businesses achieve a level of productivity. IoT can digitize the whole business process to increase the efficiency and competitive edge in the field of construction equipment and tools.

The construction industry still needs to go a long way in the field of digitization. It is stated in a report by Roland Berger, that “less than 6% of construction companies make full use of digital planning tools, while 93% of industry players agree that digitization will affect every process.” Let us see how IoT is changing the world of construction.    

How IoT unlocks productivity?

Business today should be redesigned to adapt to the growing influence of data-fuelled processes & lesser people dependence. IoT attaches physical equipment like a power tool, compressor, or safety harness to a digital process. This helps to automatically fetch the data related to this equipment at the jobsite with the help of sensors, detectors, and connectivity. The information can be automatically recorded and fed into applications which help organizations to run necessary procedures seamlessly. The good news is that nowadays the technology needed for successful implementation of IoT comes with reliable support and at price levels apt for the construction industry.

Why the shift to IoT is necessary?

There is a significant buzz about how IOT can make our homes, industries, and even entire cities ‘smart’, but how can this boost productivity in the construction sector? IoT can be utilized to improve the upkeep and repair of machinery in addition to the monitoring of assets and ensuring that they never get lost or stolen – a commonplace issue at large-scale construction sites.

India needs 7.3% labor productivity rise for 9% GDP growth (SOURCE) and IOT could be an essential ingredient in improving productivity growth by ensuring construction companies have access to real-time data. This information can subsequently warrant machine performance and preventive maintenance, decrease downtime and repair costs along with the time taken to look for assets. In a nutshell, by safeguarding the use of tools for the maximum possible time, IOT may, consequently, increase on-site productivity.  

IoT can help tag all the equipment and tools at a construction site and gives them a unique digital ID. This, in turn, helps locate them quickly with the help of software and mobile applications, which increases accountability of workers and decreases the rate of tools being lost or stolen.

Hilti’s Efforts In Transforming IoT Solutions

Hilti is leading the IoT initiate in the industry to make us more productive. At Hilti, we realize that technology is only one part of the solution, and the key factor lies in the ability to successfully implement the technology and drive change management within the organization. Through these solutions, we strive to provide better customer experience around the globe through these new digital solutions. That is why we make sure that we don’t just assist with the implementation but also, offer the required training and support services on site for our customers to leverage these solutions adequately.

Make your assets work more for you through Hilti ON!Track

We, at Hilti, are continually trying to innovate and have brought about a perfect IOT service with Hilti ON!Track.

Hilti ON!Track has unlocked multiple productivity drivers by providing transparency to ensure accountability & efficiency. 

ON!Track Asset Management provides you with all the critical information about your assets, along with the asset’s location and its maintenance schedule. It gives you complete control of your assets to help you make better-informed decisions to help optimize your ROI.

Once you incorporate ON!Track into your business, you and your colleagues will be able to access all the information about every tool, equipment, inventory regardless of brand and manufacturer through stored in the Cloud and can be retrieved anywhere, anytime at your fingertips. This total asset management solution comprises of our all-encompassing service, software, hardware that helps you answer the question of “Where is my stuff?” and “Who is responsible for it ?”.

Now, you can incorporate IoT into your business and watch your business transform with increased productivity. 

Visit https://www.hilti.in/content/hilti/A2/IN/en/business/business/equipment/on-track.html to know more.

Maintain your tools with ease though: Hilti Connect

Hilti Connect App is a tailor-made app for the construction industry that works with all Hilti tools, solves real jobsite issues like identification, status, ordering tool repair, and provides access to instant tool training through training material and how-to videos. Hilti's latest construction app brings hassle-free tool services to your fingertips that can prove to be a huge boon and contribute immensely at improving jobsite productivity. 

There is a 3-fold mechanism related to Hilti tools that help you achieve greater efficiency at the jobsite, which includes: Identifying Tools, Tool Information & Repair History, and Submit Tools for Repair.

Read more about how Hilti Connect App fosters a world of connected tools in our blog post here. 

The time to act is NOW!

With the Internet of things taking the world by storm, it is only a matter of time before it becomes the norm in the construction industry as well. Just like other industries, the construction industry can leverage IoT to offer better customer experience to its users. However, there is still a long way to go for that. IoT needs to be propagated to stakeholders as it’s not something that everybody is ready to take up, especially in a country like India, where people still believe in traditional practices & have high resistance to change.

But the time to act is now!