This article is part of a blog series, which explores the use of Digitalization and the Internet of Things (IoT) in construction.

Companies in the construction industry have started to embrace Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

Connecting sensors, communication devices, and wearables, to the cloud and analytics engines, is boosting automation in construction organizations of all sizes. The implementation of the IoT solutions helps to get real-time information facilitating the decision-making process.

Companies using IoT solutions in the construction industry can transform their businesses.

The acronym APPRECIATE will help you to memorize the top use cases for IoT for getting the best Return on Investment when choosing what to implement in your business.

A - Asset monitoring & inventory management

IoT will allow you to monitor your assets by:

• offering automatic notifications when the assets change location
• tracking multiple assets eliminating human errors
• enhancing the supply chain’s safety using sensors
• predicting recurring potential issues ahead of time
• reporting on weather conditions, such as humidity and temperature
• reducing defects
• eliminating waste
  
• improving profitability
  

IoT in inventory management is very useful as you can:

• scan with RFID tags automatically
• calculate stock levels
• record items’ location
• record the date and time of movement
• prevent theft from workers

For example, civil engineers use IoT devices to get the data they need for assessing system strengths and vulnerabilities. By recording and adjusting technical issues early, engineers are getting good preventative maintenance results with the optimum level of inventory.

P - Permiting easy access to different construction project types

Companies in the construction industry tend to specialize in one type of project: residential, commercial, or infrastructure. By using the IoT, incorporating sensors on different internet-connected devices you will be able to understand your processes better and open the possibilities to diversify your offering by:

• analyzing your strength
• automating your processes
• offering new product and support to your clients to increase your competitive edge and profitability.

As an example, prior to the Industrial Revolution 4.0, which connects people and technology, the terms “civil engineer” and “architect” were synonyms. Nowadays civil engineers are concentrating their efforts on resolving issues with scientific or technological solutions through project management, helping construction firms with project planning.

P - Providing material for efficient marketing strategies

With IoT devices, you can evaluate different activities, environments, or operational performance, and analyze the data to generate useful observations, helping you to prepare custom messages for individual customers' needs.

For example, IoT technology enables construction site managers to gain a better understanding of how their fleet of vehicles is used and where allowing them to predict future customer requirements, which in turn will allow the bid manager to prepare tailored responses to crucial procurement requests.

R - Real-time Information providing visibility

Real-time information collected from processes, devices, or employees via sensors has revolutionized design-processes-management and site-management by providing visibility.

Engineers and Architects using Building Information Modeling (BIM) software create digital structures before the asset is physically built. Reusing previous project data help them to detect and reduce issues during the initial design phases and eliminate expensive reworks during the construction phase.

To illustrate our point the Slate Digital Assistant using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, executes multi-dimensional analysis across internal and external data sources, learning as it goes to offer full transparency into the building process.

These data sources include enterprise resource planning systems, emails, RFIDs, 3D models, and other construction-related information. Other data can be collected such as weather, labor, traffic, and non-integrated systems within the general contractor and subcontractor organizations.

E - Enhancing customer experience

IoT plays an important role in listening to clients and improving the customer experience. You can use adequate devices to collect client data from multiple points of contact. This data is consolidated, analyzed and personalized to satisfy your client’s needs.

A building’s entire lifecycle is responsible for approximately 37% of global energy related to CO2 emissions being wasted due to building mismanagement. The construction industry is also well known for its poor records on health and safety issues

Schneider Electric Egypt listened to their client's concerns on these issues and organized, on March 22nd 2022, a one-day event entitled “Innovation Day: Buildings of the future” for all its stakeholders in the building industry including consultants, contractors, eco-experts and end-users.

During the day their experts described the effect of global energy waste due to the mismanagement of buildings. They then presented how its full suite of cutting-edge technology can enable better interactions with buildings throughout their life cycles. They demonstrated how their tools can reduce the negative impact of bad designs on the safety, emotional and mental health of laborers.

C - Creating smart factories

In the construction industry, IoT solutions can transform prefabrication and modularisation into smart factories. Process workflows, software, data, and physical equipment will have to be integrated to determine the key data points that will drive optimization and then deploy sensors, cameras, drones, etc to collect data.

IoT-enabled devices will deliver real-time data on the performance of the production process, using the cloud to minimize the need for data to be processed in a remote data center, and AI to transform big data into meaningful observations.

Developing a digital string of each physical component throughout the production process, allows you to build a 3D modeling digital twin to complete a clone for the existing production line.

I - Increasing efficiency & productivity

Improving productivity in the construction industry worldwide is a priority as poor productivity is a compelling threat, due to the increase in global urbanization.

The implementation of IoT technologies will help the industry to address these challenges.

Worldwide, the construction industry should grow 4.2% by 2023, according to a January 2021 report by Research and Markets . To maintain this growth the industry needs to boost its productivity.

Here is an example of how it can be done, Bouygues Construction Matériel, a subsidiary of the global construction group Bouygues Construction, has implemented an asset-tracking product that ensures construction sites have compliant equipment. The company has deployed long-range and low-power connectivity with sensors on more than 20,000 pieces of equipment across construction sites in France. Each site gains insight into productivity by tracking geolocation to optimize equipment use and monitor the state of site equipment.

A - Approaching new business opportunities

According to the Forbes Insights survey, a majority of executives report that IoT is creating new business lines. Construction companies can share and reuse data from previous projects to provide their clients with innovative ways of engaging them in providing value-added services.

The digitalization of the construction industry is a major opportunity for investors, innovators, thought leaders, and professionals.

In architecture, urban planning, and design the increasing digitalization of human interactions with machines through the use of the internet will increase exponentially the volume of construction output.

IoT will help to find new business opportunities to sustain growth by simplifying complex object manufacturing issues to uncomplicated design alterations.

An idea for new business opportunities could be to embrace the green building movement to:

• construct buildings that can automatically shut down unnecessary systems when they are not in use.
• create buildings with enough alternative energy to be self-sufficient.

T - Transporting and sharing Data

Cloud-based collaboration solutions allow all stakeholders in a construction project to easily exchange information with each other. It helps to:

• manage cost and time
• increase productivity levels
• improve performance,
• schedule collaboratively to efficiently manage your workforce and enhance health and safety.

All stakeholders of the project share the same data, so they work from the same page with one single source truth.

Internet of Things devices like:

• telematics
• track & trace
• jobsite software
• mobile devices
• fulfillment technology
• production automation

using a common data model in the cloud, enable data to be converted into actionable information and applied in other solutions.

E - Enhancing workplace safety

Smart devices and equipment capable of communicating with each other in real-time about potential hazards, malfunctions, and even job-site challenges, without the need for human intervention, increase the health and safety of laborers.

IoT applications reduce costly human error improving health and safety on-site 24/7.

For example, vehicles on the job site can be equipped with onboard sensors to detect hazards and other environmental conditions and proactively alert the drivers via networked applications. We could even imagine that IoT-enabled equipment can shut down operations completely if emergency safety measures are needed.

In Conclusion

According to Impact.com, 43% of businesses that implement IoT policies in their organizations have seen:

• increased business agility
• improved operational efficiency
• gained a competitive advantage
• increased overall productivity
• improved customer experience

According to Fierce Electronics, business benefits gained implementing IoT solutions exceed original expectations of Return on Investment by 16 to 17 percentage points.

Organizations that implement IoT solutions can increase opportunities to develop business operations and become more responsive to customer requirements.

Construction firms applying IoT technology will get a serious competitive edge:

• boosting their efficiency
• increasing their revenue
• offering the right services or products to their clients
• delivering projects on time and on budget

Implementing BIM can be daunting, but Driving Vision is here to help you at the pace you are comfortable with. Get started by getting in touch now