The construction industry is not known for embracing new technologies quickly. Any new tool or piece of equipment has to prove itself extensively in the field before it is considered worthy and even then it takes time to move the construction mindset to new ways of working. Tablets, like the iPad, and construction apps, like PlanGrid, are proving to be a useful field tool and dramatically increasing the speed and accuracy of projects. Currently Cooper Oates Air Conditioning is proving the effectiveness of the tablet/app technologies on the 1.2 million square foot new Amazon Fulfillment Center underway in Tracy, CA.
With the tablet and app, our project manager and field foremen can carry a complete set of plans, from every sub-trade, that incorporates every change order and all notations made to the projects plans in a pocket of their safety vest. They no longer have to go back to the job trailer to reference the paper plan set and try to figure out whether they are working off the most recent version. We are now working from a unified, instantly updated set of plans.
Any issues or discrepancies in the field can be noted on the electronic plans. We can then take a picture of the problem, link it to the details on the plans and e-mail this immediately to the general contractor and any sub-trades. It allows us to develop solutions quicker, more accurately and in collaboration with everyone on the job. The improvement in speed, clarity and accuracy of communication alone has proven its worth with COAC.
We will be integrating this technology into future projects, large and small giving us greater efficiency and giving our customers more insight and awareness of the building process.
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