ACPA Concrete Pavement Progress Q1 2020

www.acpa.org Quarter 1, 2020 A C P A N E W S 25 the Concrete Industry of small to midsize construction businesses said they already use drones, or expect to incorporate them by 2020. Drones are being used to augment the inspection and planning processes with aerial data, while autonomous equipment is reducing risk for workers and streamlining labor-intensive, monotonous tasks. In Japan, Komatsu, the world’s second largest construction company, is using bulldozers guided by drones to compensate for a labor shortage, and it looks like the U.S. is headed in the same direction. According to the Bureau of Labor, there were roughly 300,000 vacancies in the industry as of June. For some operations, drones and autonomous equipment may be the solution. Construction Software and Technology Ecosystems A technology ecosystem allows collaboration across all the components of an operation—and in an industry as multi-faceted as concrete, this is incredibly important. With so many options available, it’s rare for one solution to address all the needs of a company. That’s where technology ecosystems come in. It starts with choosing a primary software solution. Innovative and industry-specific software programs track work orders, outstanding invoices, inventory, labor time, etc. They have mobile apps that allow contractors in the field to access valuable job information. And they have payment integrations that allow your operation to accept business and government cards. A construction software integrated into a technology ecosystem is a truly powerful tool that can improve productivity and ease-of-use for everyone in an operation, from laborers, to the marketing team, to office staff. What’s Driving all this Change? Put simply, competition. To remain competitive, concrete operations are looking to increase efficiency, consistency, and quality, and technology is allowing them to accomplish that. Small tomidsize operators should welcome the leveling effect of technology. Now is the time to consider how these advances can help your operation win more bids and go toe-to-toe with even the largest competitors. New technology presents new opportunities and that’s something we can all look forward to seeing. About BASYS Processing BASYS Processing is a payment processing organization focused on providing world-class service and innovative payment solutions. BASYS specializes in reducing your processing costs and growing your business. To learn more about how BASYS helps members of the ACPA, please visit basyspro.com.