This book includes a plain text version that is designed for high accessibility. To use this version please follow this link.
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Tracking Technology Trends


Q&A: James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge, Inc. Discusses Changes, Challenges in Construction Industry’s Technology Adoption


By Carol Eaton From the proliferation of drones


on jobsites, to an increased use of BIM, 3D printing, laser scanning and an array of digital field mobility and automated safety solutions, to name a few, technology adoption appears to be on the uptick in the notoriously change-resistant construction industry – especially compared to just a decade or two ago. But there is still plenty of progress


to be made. Even as more contractors embrace


some of the time and cost saving solutions technology offers, the industry continues to lag other market sectors when it comes to investment and spending on technology. Tat means real dollars are being left on the table when it comes to achieving the most efficient projects and processes, according to James Benham (James- Benham.com), Chief Executive Officer of JBKnowledge, Inc. (JBKnowledge. com), a leading construction industry technology solution provider. Based in College Station, TX, with


offices across the U.S., South America and South Africa, JBKnowledge, Inc. (JBKnowledge.com/about) develops information technology solutions for construction and insurance companies worldwide. Te company created the widely used commercial construction bid software, SmartBid (SmartBid.co), as well as various other cloud, mobile and wearable solutions (JBKnowledge. com/our-products)


for construction


and insurance.. James Benham, a highly regarded


speaker and thought leader in the construction and business technology


12 September/October 2016


arenas, will be the keynote speaker at AGC of California’s upcoming Annual Conference in Monterey this October. California Constructor recently talked with him about the latest trends in construction technology, how the construction industry compares to other markets, and barriers to technology adoption. Excerpts from that interview follow.


stack up versus other industries when it comes to adoption and utilization of technology?


Q A


What our annual construction technology report (JBKnowledge.


com/reports) has shown us is that construction is definitely behind in spending on technology as a percentage of revenue. Te average spend (per company) is about 1.5 percent of revenue spent on IT in construction businesses, versus 3.5 to 4 percent in other industries. We consult with some really great


companies and interact with a lot of different businesses in this industry. When we ask companies, “why are you underspending on technology?” the answer often is, “well it’s a low margin business.” When companies point to the low margins as why they can’t invest in IT, I turn right back around and point to underspending in IT as one of the drivers of those low margins. When you look at technology tools


and compare their utilization – just take robotics and digital prefabri-


From a “big picture” perspective, how does the construction industry


cation as an example – the manufacturing industry is decades ahead of construction. Tey have automated vast swaths of their industry. Tat’s why you’re seeing dramatic repatriation of manufacturing industry in the U.S. Also look at insurance and banking


services. Te insurance industry has automation nailed down. Tey’ve automated huge parts of processing claims and underwriting systems. Tey also have really gotten into analytics and big data. Tat’s an area that construction is just starting to tap into.


are the biggest opportunities for improvement?


cost savings, the soft cost savings and the costs of mistakes. Te hard cost savings are things


Q A


like not printing paper. Tat’s easy to change. Soft costs are things like saving time. For every technology solution that we implement with one of our clients, at a minimum we want to save them 5 minutes a day per worker. If we do, that company can make another percent on their margin. In a business that only makes a 1 to 2 percent margin, that’s a huge impact. Most importantly is saving on


the cost of mistakes. If a contractor is going out and building off the wrong set of plans, that can be a huge cost when they have to rip out and rebuild.


California Constructor


Tere are really 3 areas in technology in which we’re lagging behind: the hard


Where does the construction industry most lag behind, and where


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24