By David Gaw, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Sensera Systems
Advancements to heavy machinery are critical to the health and performance of the construction industry. As machines get smarter and more connected, they offer a host of other safety, performance and intelligence benefits that contractors can utilize. Procuring these assets is vital, protecting, maintaining and securing them equally so.
As heavy equipment becomes more expensive and complex, the challenges of theft and maintenance failures increase. Upwards of $300 million of heavy equipment is stolen annually. With machinery becoming increasingly intricate and software-based — almost mini-computers with mechanics — incorrect use or ill-timed maintenance can also cause extremely expensive downtime and inefficiency at construction sites.
To protect heavy machinery, ensure effective operation and optimize its value, contractors are increasingly investing in jobsite intelligence solutions that provide safety, security and performance benefits. These solutions have evolved into self-contained, wireless and multifunctional camera systems that are integrated with software and embedded directly into the construction workflow.
They turn information into insight and action.
Whether protecting the perimeter of a site (and therefore, equipment), capturing live data on machine use or integrating into project management tools to validate work and scheduling handled by heavy machines, integrating jobsite intelligence solutions into construction workflows delivers business and operational benefits.
Ensure effective operation
For construction to be successful, people and technology must work in harmony. This is no truer than when it comes to heavy equipment. Oversight and operational excellence rise in importance the smarter and more autonomous heavy machinery gets. Being able to keep eyes on machines while freeing up workers to focus their time and energy elsewhere will be a pillar of operational excellence and competitive differentiation.
With the latest jobsite intelligence solutions, cameras can be your eyes both during and after work hours. With advancements to AI detection, contractors can set parameters to automatically capture and alert managers when a machine is in a place it shouldn’t be, outside usage best practices or too close to another piece of equipment.
Having a second set of eyes across the entire site — and automatic alerts when things are worth attention — provides peace of mind and helps mitigate risk. In addition, the benefits are particularly helpful as the industry confronts ongoing labour challenges while also under pressure to close its productivity gap.
Turn security into action
Security cameras have long been a staple of the construction industry, particularly on the perimeter of the operation. However, when protecting against today’s more sophisticated and varied threats, it’s no longer enough to see what has taken place.
Jobsite intelligence solutions reduce the time from detection to action, connecting security cameras and talk-down solutions with near-real-time alerts. These advancements, when combined with smart machinery, accelerate issue resolution and bring a more preventive approach to security.
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As one example of the security benefits, consider self-contained and wireless security cameras that are integrated with talk-down or deterrence capabilities. These solutions give contractors an automated way to deter anyone who is considering tampering with or stealing machinery. Using thermal imagery and advanced detection, threats can also be more accurately validated, resulting in fewer false positives, while also delivering real-time alerts to the proper authorities.
Intelligent solutions provide peace of mind and alleviate the need to worry about all jobsites, 24/7. When theft does happen, the solutions simplify recovery efforts and help contractors get back to work faster. Automatic time stamps, time lapses, and video and image accessibility streamline the filing of insurance claims and help authorities act based on both machine data and site data.
Improve documentation
The construction industry has made incredible strides in digitizing documentation (and project management as a whole), but project management, scheduling and documentation remain challenging.
Disturbances from heavy traffic, material availability or inclement weather can impact the scheduling of machines and machine use. And at the end of the day, after a gruelling shift, the last thing contractors want is to be bogged down in reporting or struggling to accurately document which equipment was used to do what, and where.
Jobsite intelligence solutions address these challenges by embedding directly into project management systems (such as Procore or Autodesk), bringing visual data to users so they can quickly understand what was supposed to happen on a jobsite versus what took place. Stronger relationships can be made directly between written or digital schedules and visual data to automate documentation. For example, timelapse video can prove that a heavy piece of equipment moved X tons of land, was in operation for Y hours, and used Z fuel to complete the job, with AI-powered image search simplifying validation.
Visual data also provides a new layer of understanding around heavy equipment or machinery use, opening the door to data-based decision-making and a quicker time to action when it comes to updating processes, protocols and schedules. Instead of phone calls, a site visit and a report to detail what took place, automated data capture presents a clear picture to act on in near-real time.
There is no doubt that heavy equipment is getting smarter and more intelligent. These valuable assets need protecting. However, with the amount of data machines produce and as they become increasingly automated, visual data offers a better way to manage fleets, measure performance and mitigate risk.
Evolution in jobsite intelligence means that operationally, contractors can deliver new levels of safety, security and success to the jobsite, and build with more confidence.
