Category: <span>Productivity</span>

Category: Productivity

Roofing manufacturer’s robotic arm improved safety and created a more diverse workforce

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By David Huval, RoofConnect and RT3 member.

OMG Roofing Products recently hosted the RT3 Live Meetup at its headquarters in Agawam, Massachusetts where RT3 members were treated to hearing from employees Todd Emmonds on the company’s use of robotics and automation in production and Peter Shadwell on their rapid prototyping process in their research and development department.

Sometimes you have to take a leap

RT3 members learned that OMG dedicated massive resources into becoming one of the most innovative manufacturers of roofing products in the industry. They decided to “take a leap of faith” and buy a robotic arm they could study and develop even though they didn’t have any previous experience with robotics.

The company was searching for a way to eliminate the repetitive motion that an employee was subject to by removing six pounds of fasteners from the production line every few seconds and placing them in the packaging. They put massive effort and resources into coding, programming and developing the robotic arm.

After rigorous testing, the robotics were introduced on the production line, creating increased productivity while simultaneously making a safer and healthier environment for their employees.  OMG’s use of automation and robotics created new career opportunities for women and older workers in roles that used to be filled by men, due to the physical nature involved.

3D printing for prototypes

OMG has an innovative and dedicated research and development department that encourages “wild ideas” from all employees. The company uses industry-leading innovation and techniques to develop new products for the industry in-house. Using computer programs like CAD, paired with 3D printers and CNC machines, they can develop and test new products much faster and with less capital investment than ever before.

After prototypes are 3D printed, they are subject to rigorous testing in OMG’s in-house testing lab which simulates all kinds of conditions and stresses that the products could potentially be subject to in the field.

Headquartered in Agawam, Mass., OMG Roofing Products is a leading manufacturer of commercial roofing products including specialty fasteners, insulation adhesives, drains, pipe supports, edge metal systems and innovative productivity tools. The company’s focus is delivering products and services that improve contractor productivity and enhance roof system performance. For additional information please visit OMGRoofing.com.

Learn more about membership in RT3 at www.rt3thinktank.com.

David Huval leads the marketing efforts for RoofConnect.

Study suggests autonomous robots working together are the industry’s next big thing

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By Karen L. Edwards.

Collective robotic construction (CRC) specifically concerns embodied, autonomous, multirobot systems that modify a shared environment according to high-level, user-specified goals.

A Science Robotics study published this March states that ‘the increasing need for safe, inexpensive, and sustainable construction, combined with novel technological enablers, has made large-scale construction by robot teams an active research area.’

The study notes that 54% of the human population currently live in cities and that number is expected to grow to 66% by 2050. The researchers feel that collective robotics can help meet the construction demand in the midst of an ongoing labor shortage. CRC could also make construction safer for workers, with the Department of Labor citing that 20% of all worker injuries occur in construction.

The researchers were inspired by the extensive use of collective construction in nature for building nests, protection barriers, traps and mobility scaffolds. Where animal construction relies on reactive behaviors and ‘low-bandwidth communication,’ robots can rely on high-resolution sensors, high-speed communication and GPS to communicate their exact location for completing specific tasks.

Construction materials used in CRC are divided into two categories – discrete and continuous. Discrete materials would be square, rectangular or homogenous bricks, struts and sandbags. Continuous materials would be things like two-component foam, concrete and fibers.

The study says that “challenges pertain to CRC hardware, especially in relation to coordination, communication, and multimodal sensing.” The robots need to be able to adequately communicate and coordinate with nearby robots for success. “As more advanced sensors such as radar, depth cameras, laser imaging and ranging systems, and GPS become cheaper and more readily accessible, they may play a bigger role in the field. ”

The researchers reference two published systems, UAVs and climbing robots,  that can be used to develop a metric that measures constructed volume relative to time, the number of robots used and the volumetric size of each robot. “A flying robot [UAV] has higher energy expenditure and lower payload than a climbing robot but may fly directly between material cache and deposition sites. Reversely, climbing robots can carry more but have to traverse through previous construction.”

The study is the first step in really determining how robotics can make an impact in construction. Further study is needed to develop performance metrics, evaluate the reliability of CRC and it’s ability to adapt to changes in movement, or expected behaviors of the other robots. There also needs to be more research in order to determine where humans fit into the CRC picture to oversee work, make adjustments and corrections when there is an error and in the support and maintenance of the robots.

Read the full study here. 

From leads to estimates to project management, this roofing company has a tech solution every step of the way

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By RoofersCoffeeShop®

RCS Influencer Drew Smith says that technology is used every day and on every job from start to finish at Brad Smith Roofing. At Brad Smith Roofing, we have found success using several different programs that all work together to help us run the business. Those programs are:

  • JobNimbus
  • EagleView
  • CompanyCam
  • Clock Shark
  • QuickBooks
  • GPS TrackIt

We researched and worked with several different CRM programs in the past, but JobNimbus has proven to be the most compatible with its operation. The JobNimbus program is open on every computer and the app open on every company iPhone all day operating its client’s complete account information and sales calendar.

JobNimbus also has the ability to formulate estimates, send, receive and track all lines of communication with the client throughout their customer history whether it originates in the office or out in the field. We are able to open all saved contracts, documents, emails, invoices, and estimates wherever we are. It is a cloud-based system, so internet service and a device is all we need to access the vital information necessary quickly.

When I have JobNimbus open working on a proposal for a client, I simultaneously have EagleView and CompanyCam open in order to connect all the dots. EagleView gives us the satellite blueprint with which to estimate a project while CompanyCam quickly opens the field photos gathered during the initial inspection. The field photos saved on CompanyCam allow verification that the findings and notes match the EagleView report before putting the final touches on an estimate.

CompanyCam also allows multiple people from the office staff, to the foreman on site or the project manager to see the same photo in real time, despite being in separate places to quickly communicate with each other and make important decisions. CompanyCam has revolutionized our operations at Brad Smith Roofing and reduced important time downloading photos and has eliminated the need to print project photos because they are so easily accessible from anywhere, anytime, with a date and photographer (user) stamped notation.

We can visually identify the problem areas in the photos using text and shapes superimposed over the photo in the edit feature of the app and it makes for a very professional and visually informative presentation for the customer, as well as, simple processing for the crew members when setting out to perform the work. Every department of our business relies on the project documenting capability of this application to fulfill tasks. Newly added features to this app also include the ability to read the actual slope degree of the roofline and accurately measure the roof, line by line. These features are just another way to make the diligence of the estimator that much more efficient and accurate.

Clock Shark has done very well for us integrating with QuickBooks and allowing quick tracking and documenting of individual crew member labor time, travel time and location. Each crew member can clock in and out of projects throughout every day with the user-friendly app on their mobile device. The time that the Brad Smith Roofing team spends verifying payroll has dramatically decreased since implementing Clock Shark. We are also able to take the information that Clock Shark provides in real time and then use it to cross check with GPS TrackIt that is installed on each service vehicle to ensure there is accurate documentation to report back to a customer or insurance company for labor time verification and invoicing.

QuickBooks organizes all purchase orders, vendor invoices and everything financial and makes it easily viewed at the click of a mouse. Job costing should not be considered complete without the use of Clock Shark, GPS TrackIt and QuickBooks.

Drew smith is Vice President at Brad Smith Roofing.  Learn more about him here.

Source: RoofersCoffeeShop.

Contractor turns to technology to complete large install with fewer crew needed

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By Tom Whitaker, RT3.

KPOST Roofing & Waterproofing is one of the most successful contractors in the U.S.  But even they have had problems finding workers.  So, when they were awarded the contract to build the 8000 square-foot roof for Facebook’s new data center in Fort Worth, Texas they were excited and concerned at the same time. If the project didn’t keep to the bid schedule, how would they allocate the workers the job required without a negative effect on their other projects?

Technology to the rescue.

Steve Little, a KPOST founder who calls himself “Head Coach” and his staff began discussions with manufactures of modified bitumen for tools that could reduce the labor required on the rooftop.  They found a tool that was primarily being used in Europe and Canada that can apply roofing membrane in a way similar to how a paver applies asphalt to a road.  The machine is called a Mini-Macaden® and it’s manufactured by SOPREMA®.

The type of system being applied at Facebook’s data center would ordinarily take a crew of ten people.  The Mini-Macaden that KPOST would employ reduced that number to six people.  That’s a 40% labor savings!!!

Additionally, this new technology reduced the amount of material waste, propane used, and increased the safety on the site because there were fewer open flames.

With less workers on the job, it wouldn’t be crazy to assume that the job might take longer.  But that’s not the case.  The Mini-Macaden used by KPOST was actually able to apply the roof system faster so the job is currently ahead of the roofing production schedule.

Doing more with less.

According to SOPREMA’s website, with traditional welding techniques, a crew can average between 5 to 9 rolls per hour. SOPREMA predicted that a four-member team using the Mini Macaden, could be expected to install over 20 rolls per hour. KPost is getting more like 16-17 on this Facebook project in the side open areas.  Still an amazing improvement.

“Completing our projects much faster allows KPOST to move our crews to the next job quicker, maximizing our revenue potential during the construction season,” says Little.

With a huge segment of the workforce nearing retirement and fewer younger workers entering the construction trades, technology can be the silver bullet.  Companies like KPOST have realized this and it’s given them an advantage.  Will your company follow or fall behind?

Stay up-to-date with the latest roofing and technology news when you subscribe to RT3’s Smart Brief newsletter.

Why focusing on technology will help increase construction productivity

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By Trent Cotney, RT3 Board Member.

The productivity problem in the construction industry is undeniable. Although the industry has only just begun to scratch the surface with technology, it is a key to improving how efficiently things are done. Our construction lawyers believe the construction industry can benefit significantly from the leveraging of technology as a means to increase productivity.

The industry needs a technological transformation for several reasons: the industry is plagued with overly complex and bureaucratic processes, slow document control and distribution, and a lack of access to needed information. Technology will help close the performance gap, reduce manpower in critical areas, and attract new talent to fight the labor shortage.

Close the Performance Gap
According to a recent construction survey, most construction executives believe that construction performance levels are subpar, yet, they believe technology is one of the keys to bridging the performance gap. Building smarter will increase performance. Those that participated in the survey believe that integrating project management information systems, building information modeling, and advanced data analytics will deliver the greatest return on investment.

Reduce Manpower
Although the industry is experiencing a labor shortage, introducing technology in certain areas will help workers work more efficiently in other areas. Machines such as the Tybot, for example, are capable of doing what humans can do and free up available people to work on other tasks. This is especially valuable during the construction industry’s labor shortage. The Tybot can tie rebar on bridges. It is estimated that the use of technology such as this can cut labor hours in half as well as reduce rebar-related injuries, which will also reduce your need for a Sarasota construction attorney.

Attract New Talent
On the other side of the manpower coin, is the technology’s ability to attract the next generation to the construction industry to combat the labor shortage. Progressive construction companies are those that embrace digitization and utilize new technologies like IoT-based wearables, analytics solutions, building information modeling, smart tools, and project management software. These technologies help to optimize the workforce which is an attractive incentive for millennials.

Source: Cotney Construction Law.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

Roofing Technology Think Tank Goes to Microsoft HQ

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By Jill Bloom, RT3 Member and Publisher, Roofing Contractor.

 

The Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) met Monday at the headquarters of Microsoft Corp. to talk tech and how roofing contractors can embrace the exciting opportunities it offers today and in the future.
The day consisted, in part, of a series of “Tech Talks” starting with Ken Kelly, president of Naples, Fla.-based Kelly Roofing, RT3 board member and winner of the Microsoft Modern Small or Medium Business category of the 2015 Visionary Award.

Kelly presented an overview of Microsoft’s Dynamics platform — how it’s changed his business by streamlining operations while growing, and has the potential to do even more. Microsoft Dynamics is a line of enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management software applications.

He used elevators made by Thyssenkrupp by example. Kelly said some of the elevators made by the company are equipped with technology that can run a test, create a service ticket, find a tech with the best credentials for fixing the problem and automatically schedules a service call – all without a human involved until the problem is actually being fixed.

Kelly said, “we can let our minds run wild on how we could use this technology in the roofing world.”
Kelly wasn’t the only one presenting at the RT3 meeting. Others included Scott Dwyer, business development director at Microsoft Power Objects, and Bill Kramer director of product marketing for Microsoft Business Center. They, too, addressed the potential of technology on various industries. At one point, a video demonstrated how a service technician could guide another person on how to perform a repair (in this case on a four-wheeler ATV) with both parties wearing virtual reality goggles.

The day also included a tour of Microsoft’s Internet of Things lab, where attendees of the RT3 event were able to see some of the amazing technology in the works — many aimed at addressing health and health care needs.

In the second part of the day, participants broke off into groups to develop a task list of how to promote RT3 and what members are learning about, along with ways to inform others in the industry about new technology for the industry.

RT3 was formed to act as a conduit for curating knowledge on technologies that can help contractors and the roofing industry overall. Formed in July of 2017, the group has grown from 20 founding members to more than 60 and incorporated as a 501c6 in 2018.

Source: Roofing Contractor

Why your construction company should break up with e-mail and replace it with Slack

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By Tom Whitaker, Harness and RT3 Board Member.

Why are there so many darn emails?

Since it came of age in the mid-1990’s, email has been the most heavily used communications tool in business.  Over 269 BILLION emails are sent and received worldwide each day and the average office worker receives somewhere around 121 emails per day.  Emails were useful because they allow for (usually) short concise exchanges with co-workers, clients, and more.  But is email still the best method for all types of communication?  Might there be better tools out there?  Finally, what would be the advantages for construction companies in particular that choose those different tools?

The average employee spends 40% of their working week dealing with internal emails which add no value to the business.

Do a quick scan of your inbox.  How many of your email messages are conversations amongst your team?  How many of them are communications with outsiders like suppliers or clients?  Independent research by Atos Origin highlighted that the average employee spends 40% of their working week dealing with internal emails which add no value to the business. In short, your employees might only start working on anything of value from Wednesday each week.  US-based studies by Siemens Group point to the value of this “lost” time.  They estimated that a company with 100 employees loses the equivalent of $528,443 each year.

Organizations with effective communication are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers.

Since email is the primary communications tool for most companies, if a company has a problem keeping workers engaged, they MUST consider that the method of their communications could be a contributing factor.   A lack of engagement certainly seems to be a factor.  According to a 2015 Gallup study, only 32% of US employees feel engaged with their companies.  This disengagement leads to poor productivity, high turnover, and what could be aptly described as a negative company culture.  A separate study found that moving a “disengaged” employee over to “engaged” could add over $13,000 in value to your company.  In the construction sector, where labor shortages are rampant, the need to keep workers engaged is even more important.  Companies must strive to improve communication if they want to attract & retain engaged workers.  And it’s not even just about engagement.  Organizations with effective communication are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers.

In 2013, a small Vancouver, Canada based company called Tiny Speck decided to stop development on a failed online video game and instead launch an innovative chat-based communications tool they had built to facilitate communications between their Canadian & US teams.  Called, “Slack” as an acronym for “Searchable Log of All Conversation & Knowledge”, the service grew to become one of the fastest growing products in the history of software.  Slack is now in use by over 8 million people every day.

“The world is in the very early stages of a 100-year shift in how people communicate, and we’re determined to push the boundaries,” said their founder & CEO, Steward Butterfield.

Slack is a cloud-based communication tool so it works on all types of devices and allows teams to communicate with each other by sending short messages to the whole team, subsets of the team, or individuals.  Over the past few years, messages have become much richer than just text and Slack is now used to exchange documents, images, and other information seamlessly.

Teams across the world have found that Slack helps them:

  • Collaborate online just like they would in person.
  • Bring the right people and information together in one place.
  • Communicate efficiently, stay connected, and get things done faster.

At Harness, we use Slack to focus our internal communications around “channels,” a core feature of Slack.  For instance, we have a channel for discussions between our development team, a channel for marketing, and a channel to collaborate on customer issues.  We even have a channel where we post our latest sales wins.  Channels can be either public, meaning they’re available to anyone in your organization or they can be private.  Generally though, Slack works best when the majority of communication happens in public.  Channels all have one thing in common; they contain the entire message history of the group in a searchable archive.  This means, for example, that any new member of our “development” channel could get insights from past discussions or search to find a specific topic of discussion without having to ask a colleague.  When a more specific conversation is needed, team members can direct message each other, start a video chat, or connect via phone right from within the app.

Slack integrates with nearly everything which makes it even more valuable.  For example, our “new-deals” channel at Harness is populated with messages automatically whenever our CRM system records a won opportunity.  Sharing good news has never been easier.

Slack in a Construction Context

Slack’s early adopters included digital agencies, software companies, and other “high-tech” industries but that doesn’t mean it isn’t also a great tool for construction companies.  How many of your company’s internal discussions revolve around individual projects?  If you use Slack, each project could have its own “channel”.  All discussions for that project now have a central location accessible to anyone on your team.  Things you might put into Slack could include:

·       Change order details & approvals

·       Daily progress photos

·       Copies of submittals, plans, or other documents

·       Production issues that need resolving with input from others

Slack makes sure these conversations are easy to have and that each team member is aware of the outcome.  No need to worry about not including someone on an email chain.  The fact that some of your team will be in the field and some others in the office doesn’t mean sacrificing quality of communication.

Let’s say that there needs to be a heavy discussion surrounding an issue that could cause significant delays or cost increases on a project.  The foreman on site could initiate a video chat that could include the project manager, superintendent, or even the owner.  Each of those team members could be in a different location.  The details of the discussion could be recorded and posted in that projects Slack channel so that it could be referred back to later by anyone who wasn’t on the initial call.

Oh Yeah…It’s FREE!!

Probably the greatest thing about Slack is that you can start using it for free. Unlike some “free” products, you’ll get all the features that you need to experience the power of Slack. When you’re ready the paid plans start at $6.67 per user per month. With those plans, you get a longer searchable history and some more integration options, along with the group calling & screen sharing. Slack is definitely worth it in my opinion. But I’m not the only one that feels that way…

Construction companies are made up of teams in the same way as tech companies like Harness. So why can’t we use the same tools for internal communications? Better employee engagement, more complete communications, better productivity. These are some of the many reasons why break up with email and try Slack.

You can create a free account at www.Slack.com.

Source: Harness

4 Key takeaways from 2018 Projects LA Conference

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Industry experts, startups, and technology innovators gathered in Los Angeles, California last month to explore how the process of planning and executing construction projects has been forever altered by emerging technologies.

With the growth and development of new technologies including drones, IoT, advanced software, A.I./machine learning the way construction projects are planned and executed is rapidly changing. Here are four key takeaways from the conference according to BuiltWorlds’ Matt Gagne.

1 – Industry and technology are in sync when it comes to innovation.

Gagne reports that industry and technology panel discussions showed that each side understands what is needed for success. APiO EVP and GM Tom Lineen said that in his company they “strive to make the user experience so easy that users can’t mess it up.” Stephen Knapp, VP of IT for Hollister Construction Services said, “these technologies need to bring some kind of value and it needs to affect the bottom line.” Companies want solutions that don’t disrupt their daily workflow but provide the ROI to justify change.

2 – A call for data standards.

A groupwide discussion took place on the value of connected job site technology. There is more data being collected from many, many sources that all have different formatting, requirements and standards. With new solutions arriving every day, the industry would benefit from one set of standards so the data can be analyzed on a broader scale.

3 – A strong assertion that interoperability and open API’s are the way of the future.

Gagne reports that “Enterprise-wide systems that don’t have API’s or interoperability with smaller point solutions are going to become challenged and fazed out in the world of the connected job site.” With the large amounts of data being gathered and communicated tech companies must focus on integrations first.

4 – We must address the needs of every stakeholder.

This was apparent in the Tech Ridge panel, which is a planned community that is attempting to be the first paperless job site. The entire project is being facilitated by busybusy, a tech platform based in St. George, Utah that collects data for the construction industry so companies can make better, more educated decisions. The company provides time and equipment tracking solutions, which are set to be used across the entire Tech Ridge construction project.

According to Gagne, it was apparent that everyone in the room was in agreement that they want to align specialty contractors, architect and engineers so that all stakeholders in the project are engaged with every system in use.

Source: BuiltWorlds.

 

What is a Sales CRM and Why Should You Care?

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If you don’t have a sales CRM in place, you’re leaving a lot of potential money on the table.

By Ryan Groth.

A sales CRM (customer relationship manager) system can tell you how much work you can expect to come in the next week, month or quarter. It gives roofing contractors the ability to define sales processes and measure the stages of each potential contract. Sales CRM programs also give you reliable reporting to make the right decisions and predict the future. Wouldn’t you rather “know” than “guess?” Making sales predictable so that you have enough work for your crews to do is important, but if you don’t have a sales CRM in place you’re also leaving a lot of potential money on the table. Leads are slipping through the cracks due to mismanagement. Did you know that the first company to contact a lead has a 238 percent higher conversation rate than the second to contact? Companies on average take 19 hours to respond via email and 61 hours to respond by phone, according to a recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Given these overwhelming circumstances, there are some key questions you need to be asking: Do you know that following up is important? What are you doing about it? Do you know that if you take managing leads seriously that you’ll smoke your competition?

The problem is salespeople and estimators are telling you one thing, but the reality is they’re doing another. This means that you aren’t in control and you need to keep a closer eye on your projects. Without a good sales CRM, you’ll find that you’re unable to see trends at a glance and see who and what’s really performing well. That makes it very difficult, if not nearly impossible to answer the following key questions directly impacting your company’s day-to-day: How can your sales manager manage his team objectively without knowing what your closing ratio is? How do you know where to spend your marketing dollars, or is it just a guessing game? What can you anticipate in future sales without understanding your pipeline? Are you thinking that you can buy that next big piece of equipment, building or two more service trucks based on hope? It’s better to really know.

Think of it this way, would you hand-weld an entire TPO roof just because you happen to already own a heat gun, or would you rather do the field laps with a robot? A sales CRM is like the robot. A heat gun is like most database software.

In a sales CRM, one must be able to insert and measure their identifiable key performance indicators, or in layman’s terms, each step of the sales steps. Sales managers also need to be paying attention to reports like sales pipeline, closing ratios, selling cycle, achievement against goals for sales and bid volume, lead source tracking on a per-salesperson, per-division basis. If you’re not keeping track then how can you hold your team accountable to performing the right activities to close more deals? It’s better to “know” than to “guess.”

So, is a CRM all about the sales manager after all? No, CRM’s can be user-friendly even for roofers and can actually help sales people sell. Sales reports are a huge pain in the neck for salespeople because they get paid to produce revenue. But if the system can actually help them sell more and keep them focused on the right priorities, everyone wins.
So, if you knew your competition was following up with every lead and tracked every step of the sales process, would you want to compete against that guy?

Ryan Groth is president of the Florida-based Sales Transformation Group, Inc. Over the past decade, he’s helped roofing companies from around the country improve their technological capabilities and transform their sales organizations. Reach him at rgroth@salestransformationgroup.com.

Note: This article first published in Roofing Contractor Magazine and can be viewed here.