More Mobility Options for Construction
Will 2013 be the year of mobile applications for the construction industry? Contractors have always been on-the-go, needing access to critical project information at the jobsite. As of late, solution providers are coming to market with applications and devices that allow construction companies to take that data to the field in new ways.
Move over iPad. One recent announcement for the construction industry comes from last week’s 2013 Intl. CES, which took place in Las Vegas, Nev. At the show, Panasonic Corp., www.panasonic.com, Osaka, Japan, announced the development of a new 4K tablet.
The device, which will be available later this year, has a 20-inch screen, a high-precision pen, and leverages the touch capabilities of Windows 8. It is designed to enhance the way AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) professionals interact with digital drawings.
Also announced at the show was a partnership between Panasonic and Bluebeam Software, www.bluebeam.com, Pasadena, Calif., a provider of PDF-based collaboration solutions for the design and construction industry. The combination of the tablet and Revu software will allow contractors to electronically redline 2D and 3D PDFs, track comments, compare revisions, store project files, and collaborate with others in realtime.
In years past the iPad has been one of the go-to devices for the construction industry, but with the unveiling of Windows 8 contractors have been discussing the potential benefits of Windows-based tablets in construction. The new 4K tablet, combined with Bluebeam’s software, could be a nice option for the construction industry in the future.
Another big mobile development in the construction space is the recent acquisition of ACS Connect, www.acs-connect.com, Brandon, Fla., by Viewpoint Construction Software, www.viewpointcs.com, Portland, Ore., which the technology provider announced last week.
This follows up Viewpoint’s August 2012 release of Viewpoint Mobile Field Manager, which allows users to capture time, equipment usage, and production data on mobile devices and share with the office. In order to develop Mobile Field Manager, Viewpoint Construction Software worked with ACS Connect.
The recent acquisition allows Viewpoint Construction Software to accelerate the expansion of its mobile product offering for users of Viewpoint V6 Software as well as customers of other ERP (enterprise-resource planning) and accounting packages. Mobile Field Manager will be sold as a solution that can be integrated with other solutions or as an integrated component to V6.
Jay Haladay, CEO, Viewpoint Construction Software, says the acquisition of ACS Connect gives Viewpoint Construction Software the ability to better leverage and deploy mobile technology.
For construction companies, solution providers are coming to market with more options for accessing data at the jobsite. Now is the time to develop a strategy for how these mobile applications and devices will be used in the field.