NECA’s Techtopia sessions on Monday offered attendees additional perspectives on the digital job-site. EC&M covered several of the sessions on the second day of the show and had two favorites: “The Job-Site of the Future is Paperless,” by Drew DeWalt of Rhumbix, and “Disrupt AEC with Tech Startup Rock Star," by Cody Nowak of DisruptAEC.
Rhumbix’s DeWalt said the idea behind his business is to get all of the key players on a job-site pulling all digital project documents from the same place, or as he likes to say “working from the same version of the truth.”
DeWalt, who got his start in the construction market working on large energy projects in Latin America, said some of the tasks his company helps contractors automate are field timekeeping, daily reports, quantity reporting and compliance.
Bringing all of this information together in a web environment saves time and can help subcontractors get paid for their work faster. DeWalt say that’s important because industry data shows that 88% of contractors wait more than 30 days for payment and 46% of them have to tap a credit line to float payments.
Cody Nowak also offered attendees some ideas on using new digital technologies to operate more profitably. He has worked with construction tech companies in the areas of BIM, artificial intelligence and IoT sensors and real-time camera coverage to monitor construction projects and potential safety concerns. Opportunities for vendors of this equipment are ramping up fast. “It’s the Wild West out there," he said.
