Texas is rapidly becoming one of the most active states in using RFID tracking for managing production and inventory control of precast concrete. Why? For one reason, precast and prestressed concrete producers selling to TX DOT are required to produce production and quality assurance records known ...

In Reinventing Construction: A Route to Higher Productivity, the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that improved efficiency in procurement and supply chain management can produce a 7-8% improvement in construction productivity. Effective utilization of technology is estimated to produce a 14-15% ...

All of a sudden it seems that everyone is interested in 'Smart Cities'. Publishers are creating periodicals dedicated to them (our favorite is Smart Cities Dive); in 2016 the venture capital community invested $2.7 billion in the sector; and now business accelerators (DreamIt and Urban-X, to name ...

On May 17, Dodge Data & Analytics released a new report on the use of BIM in the civil construction market. BIM, an acronym for building information modeling, is a 3D model-based process used by architecture, engineering, construction and asset management professionals in the design, planning, ...

Precast and prestressed concrete producers are embracing RFID tracking for the productivity it provides them with paperless quality control, inventory management, GPS tracking and production management. The added advantage is that they are well poised to serve as preferred vendors for state ...

We were pleased to be asked by the Architectural Precast Association to lead a discussion about RFID tracking at their annual Spring workshop in late April, so we gladly accepted! This was part of a broader conference theme they titled: "Problem Solve. Innovate. Produce." It was a great workshop ...

At its essence, a lean manufacturing practice is the continual pursuit of more efficient ways to operate. Ideas are contributed by all involved in any process; they are tested for effectiveness; and the winners become standardized in the workflow. These standardized practices are reduced to their ...

Having spoken to a number of producers at The Precast Show earlier this month, we got a good chance to learn what the industry wants from technology. We are impressed by how much is understood about the potential for using an RFID tracking system to remove paper from QC practices and create a ...

Earlier this month, the American Society of Civil Engineers reported that the US will require $4.6 Trillion of investment in its infrastructure over the next 10 years. This would seem to be an opportunity of a generation for the construction industry but it remains to be seen if it is actually ...