The internet has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Therefore, it is quite evident that it makes a lot of sense to connect the construction industry to the Internet of Things or IoT. 

Combining the small and big things to the internet was considered just a pipe dream a few decades back. However, today it has become a reality, and therefore there are reasons to believe that IoT devices could play a significant and positive role in adding benefits and value-additions to the construction industry. It could change the face of the construction industry forever. 

If you look at some big names like JD Edwards ERP, you can be sure that they are also taking a lot of steps to integrate IoT into the construction industry. We are happy to share three essential ways in which IoT can help in giving a new direction to construction projects on a permanent basis.

1. It Could Help In Bringing Down Cost

Many construction entrepreneurs are worried about the fact that their projects could be bleeding money. This could be because of a number of reasons. Delayed supplies, delays in surveying, pilferage, and stealing of items and other such things could take a toll in the construction time, and this is where IoT could come in handy. 

IoT can help in taking care of the many “little” things, and when they add up, as a construction entrepreneur, you will be surprised that it could mean a lot of savings. Here are a few examples that perhaps could make a big difference.

For example, if you are able to have RFID tags labeled to your supplies, it will help you to keep track of the movement of your supplies. You will not have to worry about the “loss” of equipment on the way, and you also can avoid pilferage, which again is a significant and challenging problem. 

These tags are easy to track, and it allows you to use these tags remotely. Hence, when it comes to keeping count of various types and sizes of materials, there is no doubt that IoT can come in very handy.

2. You can Improve Employee Safety

Though the construction industry takes all possible safety measures and also puts in place the best of safety protocols, accidents fall, and collisions with heavy objects still continue to plague the industry. On average, each year, the construction industry has to reckon with 10% accident rates. 

Even one small accident could have a cascading and disruptive effect on the employees and the other project staff. It could bring down their morale and bring in the sense of fear into them. All these can be reduced and perhaps even completed prevented with the use of IoT. 

IoT can help in putting in place remote operation capabilities. In other words, it can help workers to stay away from large and dangerous pieces of machinery. These machines can be connected to another computer using IoT, and the same can be used for moving and towing the tools that are prone to accidents and mishaps.

There also is a growing demand for wearable devices across many industries, and it can also be used in the construction industry. These include many hands-free devices and even small devices like Google Devices. The best thing is that all these devices can be directly connected to the internet, making the latest IoT technology. 

When this happens across construction projects and covers thousands of workers, it certainly will increase safety standards quite significantly. It also can bring in other benefits like automated time logging and prevent falsification of records and could also help in monitoring the health of the construction workers.

3. Smarter Design

2D building plans are popular, but it may not be long before they are replaced by 3D computer models. This is what BIM all about. BIM is the acronym for Building Information Modelling. It certainly is the future as far as construction designs are concerned. 

We may soon see a phasing out of traditional blueprints that are used by planners and architects. Construction workers will instead have free access to models that are computer generated and are three-dimensional in nature. Workers will also be able to overlay BIM models atop their actual construction work, and this will prevent errors, and the integration will happen in a real-life environment.

Conclusion

There is no denying the fact that IoT in the construction industry has come to stay, and it will only continue to grow in speed and usage over the years. As of now, costs could be an inhibitive factor, but as the numbers and volumes pick up, the costs will also come down for sure.