How well have we prepared ourselves for doing business in the 21st century? Are we ready for the technology that awaits us? If you read construction publications regularly, you no doubt have seen countless write-ups and advertisements on new technology.
I had a chance to see some of that innovative technology in Germany last month at the BAU trade show in Munich. Along with several other members of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, I visited a drywall company called Baierl & Demmelhuber, which allows employees to input their work timetables on a computer a week in advance. The electronic system assists management in scheduling meetings. The company also has a bar-coded inventory system in which materials and/or equipment is charged directly to the project.
Stateside, I will be visiting a company soon that has also made great strides in bringing technology to its business.
One of the great benefits of belonging to AWCI is that members can share their experiences at the office and on site with other members. It gives us a chance to see how something works in practice and whether it is feasible to apply that something to our own businesses.
Along those same lines, The Foundation of Wall and Ceiling Industry’s Preparing for Tomorrow research study, excerpts of which we have been publishing in this magazine for the last four months, covers many aspects of changing construction technologies. If you have not read the articles or the publication itself, I recommend you do, to stay on top of things.
The follow-up to this publication is coming out this summer, and you don’t want to be caught up in everyone else’s dust.
Don’t let yourself get too far behind. Technology won’t wait for you to catch up.
