AGC of America's Technology and Construction Solutions Expo Recap

 

Last week I attended the the AGC of America 2016 Annual Convention in San Antonio Texas. There were dozens of great technology companies in attendance at the convention. There were vendors conducting demos of great hardware, software and apps. The following are my construction technology highlights that I discovered while visiting the booths.

Is your company looking for a way to transition from time clocks or paper timesheets? The BusyBusy App offers users a mobile method to collect and send employee hours worked. They are integrated with the Kyocera platform on devices such as the rugged DuaForce Smartphone.

Last week the PlanGrid team released an App on the Windows Store. I have downloaded the new Windows App onto my MS Surface Pro 4 and can now run PlanGrid as a native app in the Windows 10 platform!

Is your company looking for a way to transition from notebooks or paper to complete daily reports? The Notevault App offers users a mobile method to collect and send project details, photos and reports. They are integrated with the CAT platform on devices such as the rugged S50C Smartphone.

The Procore team has released several new features recently: Intelligent Specs, Quality & Safety Observations, Field Financials, and inSIGHTS. These new features add to the current robust online and mobile options for the platform. The Procore team showed me a beta version of their new Windows App on a Surface Pro 4. They expect the app to be ready for preview next week.

The Fieldwire platform provides a unique Mobile App experience to manage projects in the field through the plans. The online platform allows users to upload PDF plans  and distribute them to their team through their App for Tablets and Smartphones. The App allows users to manage project items such as tasks, punch list, and safety inspections. They are now integrated with Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive for document uploads.

Is your company looking for a way to transition from notebooks or paper to complete weekly safety toolbox talks? The Safety-Reports.com app offers users a mobile method to document project safety activities. One of the new features is the "Photo Inspection" option that allows users to take multiple safety-related photos during a site walk. Then, they can use the app to create a safety inspection report based upon the photos taken on devices such as smartphones.

ARC Document Solutions announced recently that the Skysite platform has a new integration with the HP Designjet T830 Multifunction Printer. The T830 is a WIFI enabled printer and scanner with a 36’ frame. This new device allows users to print documents directly from the Skysite platform or a mobile device such as an iPad.

This online platform makes the project planning process easier. This interesting platform allows users to capture Lean Last Planner information online and share with others. Think about the old concept of sticky notes on a wall. TouchPlan.IO allows users to create, share and manage digital sticky notes.

A mobile app (from JBKnowledge the makers of SmartBidNet ... SmartInsight ...  SmartCompliance) that enables users to visualize a 3D BIM experience that is coordinated with 2D plans on tablets and smartphones. The SmartReality App allows users to view a project 3D model by holding a mobile device over the "Target" that is printed on paper or actual printed plan. Users can view the model details while moving around the target to see multiple views.

To learn more about these great solutions, check out my video blog from the AGC of America 2016 Annual Convention on YouTube.

The #ConTechTrio podcast was recorded live on the showroom floor last Friday. Our guest last week was Benjamin Crosby form WG Yates Construction discussing BIM and 4D scheduling.