Starting Off:
Last Friday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 59 of the podcast in which James Benham (@JamesmBenham), Rob McKinney (@Conappguru) and Josh Bone (@BIM2theBone) discussed the latest construction tech news. Headliners last week included the CAT S60 smartphone, top tech trends at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017, SAM robotic bricklayer version 2.0 and much more! Special guest, Viktor Bullain, Regional Lean Manager at Turner Construction, also joined to discuss adoption of lean construction.
Tech You Should Try:
CAT S60 – Indestructible phones are here! The CAT S60 smartphone is waterproof up to five meters, has built in FLIR thermal imaging, a push to talk button, drop tested, and much more!
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: Do the mechanical contractors you work with use BIM? The poll resulted in 71% “Yes,” and 29% “No.”
This Week’s Poll: “What is the number one benefit of using lean construction principles?” Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and choose from the following options, “Reduce Waste,” “Increase Collaboration” or “Predictable and Reliable Workflows.”
Construction Tech News:
Industry Education, Insights & Trends
The Top Five Tech Trends at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017
Construction Dive explains the top tech trends at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 and they include drones, telematics, additive manufacturing, self-driving vehicles and safety wearables.
An Open Letter to the Construction Industry Regarding App Fatigue
Kris Lengieza wrote this article to discuss what he learned at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017. He explains the importance of app integration and utilizing robust APIs.
ROI of Robotic Total Stations vs Traditional Layout
This short article lays out the comparison of traditional layouts and robotic total stations. Make sure to check out the statistics here.
Technology and Software Rundown
Marla McIntyre, Editor of Construction Executive, provides a rundown on technology and software used in the construction industry. This article features Brinno’s BCC200 time lapse camera, B2W new scheduling and dispatching solutions, GeoSLAM’s ZEB-REVO and much more!
Builder Online discusses home building and touches on the question of how to achieve a 100% production work day. Read this article to learn how construction professionals can improve productivity from day to day.
A happy employee is a productive employee! This article explains how the Happiness Play Pro Platform can help companies and professionals find solutions and happiness in the work place. Start your free trial today.
World Econ Forum Urges AEC Innovation
The World Econ Forum (WEF) released two new reports this month on the ongoing transformation of the construction industry and the importance of utilizing existing and emerging technologies. The WEF explains how the AEC industry needs to embrace and accelerate innovation in order to achieve higher productivity.
Prefabrication
Inside a Specialty Contractor’s Pipe Fabrication Shop
Watch this video to get a behind the scenes glimpse of the prefabrication process of assembling materials offsite and then installing them onsite. “Prefab is the future of construction.” – James Benham
Drones
The Next Great Frontier for Drones Lies in the Ocean Depths
The PowerRay is an underwater steerable drone that can be deployed from a boat. This technology is not only useful for fishing, it could also serve as an assistant for construction professionals working on levy and bridge inspections.
Emerging Technology
11 Transmaterials Highlight The Coming Generation of Building Products
Building Design and Construction highlights innovative materials that will benefit the future of construction. These materials include climate-responsive wood apertures, 3D printed stone, retroflected concrete and much more!
Retooled Robotic Mason Brings Added Might to Sites
A robotic bricklayer known as SAM100, now has an upgraded version available. Construction Robotics released an enhanced version of SAM100 that works faster, more efficiently and has the ability to lay 350 bricks every hour. Watch the video here of SAM100 OS 2.0.
HiBot, has created an amphibious robot that has the ability to crawl through pipes to collect data, visualize pipe health, analyze pipe wall thickness and more!
[INTERVIEW] Viktor Bullain, Regional Lean Manager at Turner Construction, Discusses Adoption of Lean Construction
In the second half of the podcast, Viktor Bullain, Regional Lean Manager at Turner Construction joined the ConTechTrio to discuss adoption of lean construction. Viktor was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary right behind the Iron Curtain Memorial. He graduated with an architectural engineering degree from Technical University of Budapest.
After realizing architecture was not his calling, Viktor started working for a start-up technology company called Graphisoft. A few years later, he moved to Boston to focus on BIM products and then to California to work for Turner Construction. Viktor currently lives in Orange County, California and is the Regional Lean Manager at Turner in charge of the southwest region of the United States.
Viktor discusses his passion for lean transformation by giving specific examples of projects that have benefited from lean construction. Viktor and the ConTechTrio wrapped up the interview by discussing software tools that help with lean adoption, transparent processes between lean and safety, as well as, the principles and benefits of lean construction.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast this Friday for Episode 60, featuring Matt Gotterer, Senior Manager of Strategic Development from Bluebeam discussing end to end workflows in construction.
Listen to the Podcast: Spreaker, SoundCloud , YouTube, iTunes
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