Regardless of the industry, asset management plays a pivotal role, and this is particularly true for construction. Effective asset management is essential in the construction sector for overseeing and maintaining various assets like trucks, heavy machinery, tools, and building infrastructure.
Historically, however, the construction industry has lagged in embracing digital technologies– with Excel sheets, A3 drawings, and clipboards still commonly used to manage large construction projects.
So, what happens when new technology meets an old industry? Quite a lot, actually.
Pyramids to Skyscrapers
The construction industry has been around for thousands of years and continues to have an outsize impact in our lives and the economy. Also constant have been daily site reports: progress updates, end-of-day reports, time-sheets and more. Large businesses have back-office systems to process data while smaller ones manage with smaller systems or spread-sheets.
And all of them, no matter their size, still grapple with the essentially manual process of reporting from the field.
Making it Easy With Tech
Cloud and mobile computing is changing much of this.
Firstly, the cloud removes the necessity of purchasing and setting up hardware or software, along with the associated IT costs. Deployment is rapid. For example, Connixt iMarq can be implemented within weeks, eliminating the need for extensive training, process overhauls, or change management. iMarq enjoys high uptake among maintenance crews primarily because its user-friendly technology simplifies the onboarding process for field crews, enabling them to begin using the app seamlessly without any training.
Next, the (non-tech-savvy) field user needs an intuitive mobile app configured with their forms – not some canned one-size-fits-all template. Connixt iMarq configures user forms in the cloud, deploys within hours and runs on standard smartphones and tablets using familiar features (e.g. speech-to-text, navigation).
Once they download the mobile app, a Work Queue lists their jobs for the day, each linked to the relevant reports they need to submit. Every submission is automatically geo-tagged and time-stamped and can have photos attached – verification is therefore largely automated, reducing site visits to a random few.
The app can also track equipment and material movement from warehouse(s) to site(s), receipt and consumption at site, monitor stock and re-order across sites.
Back at the Office
Data received from the field can now be used for progress tracking, customer invoicing and for payments – either managed in the cloud or fed automatically to an available back-end system. Reports of any kind – standard, exception, management – can now be generated with a single click.
Compliance is made effortless with iMarq, as it provides instant access to all your reports. These reports are automatically compiled and generated as soon as the work is finished, streamlining the compliance process.
Get 360-degree Visibility Anytime, Anywhere
Your construction equipment and assets are constantly transported to and from jobsites, across jobsites, and frequently left on jobsites overnight. By using asset management software for construction, your assets’ locations are available within seconds. Connixt iMarq’s asset tracking capabilities is ideal for this since it quickly provides data regardless of where your asset is.
Choosing the Right Solution
Asset management in the construction sector is more complex due to the vast scale of projects. When seeking the perfect mobile solution for your construction business, consider these critical questions for each software you evaluate:
- Does the software accurately track the entire lifecycle of my assets?
- Is it capable of tracking my assets in real or near-real-time?
- Does it include features for custom report generation?
- What level of training is necessary to operate the system, and is this training available?
Finally, prioritize mobile solutions that offer flexibility to accommodate your company’s specific requirements.
At Connixt, we know asset management.
Let us help you with your asset management in construction needs. Contact us today for a demo.
