Technology is rapidly changing the game in the construction industry, and the firms who are paying attention and embracing the change will be the ones who win. KPMG’s annual report, “Building a technology advantage — Global Construction Survey” reports that 55 percent feel the industry is ripe for change with 74 percent of respondents saying…
The Stafford Civic Center was buzzing with the STEAMinecraft in EDU workshop for instructional technologists, tech coaches, STEAM teachers and more on Thursday, Feb. 28. For the first time in the civic center’s existence, high-speed Internet access was available and enabled attendees to work on the web. Internet access was established by Stafford-based Premier Wireless….
Mayor Sylvester Turner established a Smart City Advisory Council this week comprised of city and regional partners. The council was announced at a smart city planning workshop hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. The advisory council is charged with engaging community stakeholders, governments, academia and industry to develop a roadmap that will speed the adoption…
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a collection of compliance assistance resources to address falls in the workplace, the leading cause of worker fatality in the construction industry. OSHA’s goal is to promote awareness about common fall hazards in construction, educate job creators and workers on fall prevention,…
The American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation has released the results of a three-year study on worker fatigue that indicates that wearable technology could play a role in both better defining the problem of overtired workers and increasing safety on the job. In “Advancing Safety Surveillance Using Individualized Sensor Technology (ASSIST): Final Progress Report,” the…
It’s been three months and your client still hasn’t paid his overdue bill for the work you performed. What do you do now? Fortunately, the State of Texas has laws in place that protect business owners, allowing you to collect on a debt, but only when the proper protocols are followed. The Cromeens Law Firm…
Businesses are looking for partnerships to help guide them through a period of digital transformation, according to a report from Information Services Group (ISG). Areas of focus include lean project management, agile software development and customer journey mapping, among others. Stakeholder and product relationships, virtualization of some operations, and long-term feedback and analytics are key in enabling companies…
What do you need to innovate in the Transformative Age? You need diversity. You need men. And you need women. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but it is also linked to a country’s overall economic performance. Organizations where women hold 30% of leadership positions could add up to 6% to their net margins,…
Construction has been slow compared to other industries to adopt technology, but it’s starting to catch up as technology gets more sophisticated to accommodate the industry’s unique needs. Michael C. Brown, a Skanska executive vice president and general manager in Florida, attributes construction’s tech dawdling to the idea that no two construction projects are the…
Businesses must remain alert for both future growth opportunities and potential threats. The dawn of advanced technology has enabled, and in many cases forced, quick mobilization into different growth areas, rapid industrialization and wide ranging global expansion. It has also brought profound change, such as improved healthcare, better access to finance and educational opportunities. And…
Look out California, Texas is now the top state to do business in, and for Minority, Women and Veteran-Owned Businesses, that means it is time to expand! Why are companies leaving California? A recent study by Joseph Vranich from Spectrum Location Solutions showed that from 2008 to 2016 more than 13,000 businesses left California and…
Just a few years ago, enterprise adoption of drones was out of reach for even the largest contractors, due to tight Federal Aviation Administration regulations and limited options in the drone hardware and software marketplace. But with the development of the Small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Part 107 regulations in 2016 — eliminating the requirement that commercial drone…
There are three main factors that drive the demand for mobile technology in the construction industry: leadership request, an increasingly mobile workforce and the growing need for real-time information. According to a recent study, more than 80 percent of construction professionals surveyed said that mobile capabilities are “very important” in improving their workflows. While the…
Construction jobsites will one day be bustling with “terminator-type,” humanoid robots, according to Scott Peters, president and co-founder of Construction Robotics, but that future may be a long ways off for the industry. For now, the Victor, New York-based company recognizes that human workers have unique expertise and problem-solving skills to offer, and that to increase…
When McKinsey released a report in February 2017 about construction’s productivity gap, much attention was given to the industry’s abysmal 1% annual productivity growth rate, which is less than half of the 2.8% global construction growth rate. However, McKinsey’s report said U.S. contractors could increase productivity in part by “infusing digital technology, new materials and…
You’re an engineer on a tight schedule to design a power supply for a robot that will automate a factory. Or maybe you’re designing the power supply for an automotive braking system. Or a remote-controlled toy airplane. Or a smartphone. You’ve got decisions to make. You need a switching regulator for DC/DC conversion, but there…
At a recent Congressional hearing, Congressman G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) brought to light a very serious issue that the National Association of Minority Contractors has been echoing for some time now. There is a digital divide between minorities as tech consumers versus minorities as entrepreneurs or employees. These differences cannot be ignored. On one hand, the…
H-E-B continues its path toward becoming a dominant force in the digital retail space, announcing that it has signed a long-term lease for a building in East Austin. The largest privately-held employer in Texas will develop a world-class tech facility and innovation lab for its growing H-E-B Digital team and Favor, the Austin-based on-demand delivery service that is a…
By: Lea Bogle Healthcare costs have skyrocketed and small businesses that have historically provided healthcare benefits have either gone to plans with high deductibles, or have stopped offering it all together. Other small business who would like to have a company provided health benefit, can’t simply because of the costs. Additionally, many employees have decided…
Intel and Its Partners Have Made Significant Progress in Deploying Updates as Software Patches and Firmware Updates Intel has developed and is rapidly issuing updates for all types of Intel-based computer systems — including personal computers and servers — that render those systems immune from both exploits (referred to as “Spectre” and “Meltdown”) reported by…
