Civil contractors are embracing technology on their jobsite to help them deal with the biggest challenges they face. New data from Dodge Construction Network’s Civil Quarterly report, released in partnership with InfoTech and Hexagon, shows remarkable growth in many onsite technologies in just a two-year timespan. This growth is part of a larger trend toward digital transformation, and it is in direct response to the market conditions.
Civil construction is booming, and the data clearly reveals the growth in work has made the ongoing skilled worker shortages in this sector even more acute. While technology cannot replace a skilled workforce, it is still a valuable tool. That is why 68% of civil contractors cite increased productivity as the top reason for adopting new technology, up from 57% in 2020. New technology can empower workers and make them more productive, allowing companies to get more out of the workforce that they have and stretch their resources.
Understanding the site better allows for better planning, fewer mistakes and better allocation of resources, all of which help to improve productivity. The study found major growth in two site capture technologies over the last two years: utility detection and mobile mapping systems. Utility detection is now used by half of the contractors surveyed (up from 40% in 2020) and mobile mapping systems by 34% (up from 28% in 2020). In such a short timespan this level of growth is striking, demonstrating the usefulness of these tools for contractors.
However, new adoption does not provide a complete picture of how site capture technology is taking hold in the civil sector. Those using utility detection and two other types of site capture technologies (robotic total stations and laser scanning/lidar) report that they use these tools on far more of their projects than they did in 2020. In fact, on average, utility detection is used on 66% of projects, robotic total stations on 61% and laser scanning/lidar on 54%. All of these experienced double-digit growth compared with the percentage of projects on which they were used in 2020.
Of course, not all of the technologies studied gained in new users. Tracking technologies like equipment tagging, e-ticketing, wearable tech and RFID tagging have remained steady in the number of users in the last two years.
However, the data hints that these are poised for future growth, as each is deployed on more than half of projects on average by those using them. E-ticketing has seen a substantial boost from 54% of projects in 2022 to 65% of projects in 2022, with the greatest growth coming when supply chain issues began to emerge. As other companies get a better sense of how this technology helps to manage their supply chain more efficiently, it is likely that interest in e-ticketing will grow.
While these technologies help with the acute challenges faced by civil contractors of skilled worker shortages and supply chain issues, their longer-term growth will likely be due to the increasing importance of data and analysis in the construction industry. Many of these technologies provide the bedrock of data that is essential for contractors to be able to improve their sector in the future.
Other research reveals a larger shift in the industry, often driven by owners, to digital project delivery. The flow of data from the jobsite to the office and from the contractors to the other project team members, such as owners and engineers, will be a critical factor in their success in this industry in the future.
Donna Laquidara-Carr
Industry insights research director
Dodge Construction Network
www.construction.com
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