Technologies and skills that can change the construction industry

Construction is the process of moving and assembling equipment and materials into a completed, operational facility. Newest skills and techniques are used in production of a standardized product, the demands on the material supply functions of buying, receiving, expediting, warehousing, and delivery. But the basic construction process of building piece by piece, stick by stick, has not changed. Today the technologies and skills used in construction and manufacturing sector has changed. The change in following major areas affects the construction industry significantly. 

• Construction equipment and methods
• Construction related designs
• Automation and expert systems
• Construction management

Construction equipment and methods

Construction equipment is used in moving and assembling materials. Now it is easy to move larger pieces of building material with greater accuracy and reliability due to improvements in construction equipment and methods. The construction work is performed more efficiently due to the use of conveyors, cranes, and earth movers etc. There are dramatic improvements in specific machinery, such as laser-guided excavation equipment, laser-based survey equipment, and new tunneling equipment etc.

The labor cost is reducing due to increased use of automatic machinery which enhances productivity and quality work. The use of advanced materials: honeycomb foams and structures for greater strength; polyester fiber to improve durability in the refitting of water pipes and sewage; fiberglass fabric for rapid repair work; and specialized materials for arid, radioactive, arctic, and  undersea make the construction work much easier and reliable.

Construction related designs

Computer aided design (CAD) are used to design the construction process. The benefits of using computerized designs includes reduced interference, better feedback to the design cycle, constructability enhancements, reduce job hours, construction simplicity, and improved communication between the suppliers and designers to make sure  that the required element  is accessible at the construction site. CAD systems are widely used in heavy industrial and commercial construction but prove cost-effective in residential work. Major CAD trends are as following:

• The trend toward engineering workstations for the automated design process
• The trend toward lower-cost, more powerful workstations to stabilize per unit cost
• Three-dimensional computer models with standardize and sophisticated design symbols and aids.

Automation and expert systems

The use of computerized expert systems is a growing trend for construction applications. The expert systems include systems to verify weld performance qualifications and systems to diagnose vibration problems in rotating machinery. The use of expert systems will be the most important application of artificial intelligence techniques for construction. The expert systems introduced the self-directed robots that will be used in construction industry very commonly.

These advanced-application robots will apply sprayed insulation to structural steel members, complete concrete and spray paint buildings, and even install structural steel. Laser range-finding and geodetic positioning construction technique is used to automate storage areas on the job site, to pinpoint exact locations, and to set guide tracks for remotely operated vehicles. The most prominent technique used in construction sector as well as in all industries is development and application of robotic systems.

Construction management

The construction management process controls the procurement, design, and construction process. It is the process of planning, scheduling, and cost control and provide the framework for new technological developments to work efficiently into a construction project. Effective management is essential part of construction as well as for other projects and is responsible for long term success. The construction sector is observing lot of dramatic changes in methods of management and work performance.

In the future, there would be strong relationship between construction and design. The use of automated job site machinery would be common in all industries due to the development in skills and techniques. The computerized analysis of procurement options will make it easy to trade off among scheduling, procurement, and constructability. The future of construction industry is bright due to advancement in skills, techniques and automated equipments used in construction sector.