Advances in technology continue to impact the construction industry year after year. Aigerim Berzinya, Director of Marketing at Turtler, explains reasons why construction Industry is encapsulating GPS Tracking
Construction enterprises embracing the most cutting-edge technology can gain a valuable edge over their competitors. Any advantage is a good one, considering the number of firms operating in the British construction industry rose to its highest recorded levelOpens a new window in 2016.
BIM (Building Information Modelling), for example, is one such technological innovation. This enables construction firms to achieve stronger performance and results.
Drones, of course, deliver high-quality visual data on parts of a structure that may be too difficult or unsafe for anyone to reach.
Another aspect of modern technology that offers real benefits to the construction industry is GPS tracking. This has proven itself to be a powerful tool across countless applications in diverse areas of everyday life, from fleet management for haulage companies to monitoring children’s safety outside the home.
GPS tracking lends itself to numerous key applications on sites of all sizes, on projects of all scales. Below, we have compiled the top five reasons why every construction company should consider investing in GPS technology.
#1: Protect Vehicles and Equipment from Theft
Theft of construction equipment is a real danger to firms. In Ireland, construction-related crime was shown to actually increase by 35 percentOpens a new window within the space of one year (2016 – 17). The value of the goods taken from vehicles equated to more than €7.7m, making quite an impact on businesses across the Irish industry.
Construction theft is a problem across the entire UK though, and businesses have to take action. Not only can the loss of essential tools, equipment, machinery, and even vehicles cost firms significant sums of money, they can cause severe delays to projects’ completion.
A company that loses the tools it needs to continue work on a new building will be unable to proceed until they have replaced them, which can take days or weeks.
Clients will become frustrated. They may threaten to go to another business, and your firm’s involvement with the entire project could be at risk.
GPS tracking devices can be used with vehicles and building equipment, to both dissuade thieves and lead to their recovery if they are stolen.
You can place labels on your vans, trucks, and machinery to warn that they are equipped with GPS technology if you wish to inform would-be criminals that they’re more likely to be tracked down by the authorities. These labels are widely available and competitively priced.
Of course, while some thieves may not believe your warning and consider it a ruse, others might well decide it’s simply not worth the risk. This can save you money and avoid wasted time, avoiding the entire disruption theft can cause.
If your vehicle is stolen, though, GPS tracking devices will provide you with real-time location data on its movements. The police can monitor this information and intercept the stolen van or truck with ease, apprehending the criminal and returning the vehicle with minimal disruption.
Certain GPS-equipped devices are produced in small formats to attach to equipment, tools, and their containers discretely. If a thief removes these from the back of a van or a construction site, they may not realize they are being traced until the police appear on their doorstep.
While there is an initial investment for GPS tracking devices, the money they can save and the peace of mind they provide is absolutely worthwhile.
#2: Monitor Employees’ Driving Habits and Identify Safety Risks
**Unsafe drivers are huge liability risks for any construction firm.** A single accident can end up costing your business a lot of money, regardless of whether it causes vehicular damage or bodily harm.
Any vehicles which are owned by your company must be driven with the highest attention to safety, especially if they carry visual branding. If any of your employees have a history of bad driving or have even been convicted of reckless behavior at the wheel, they should never be allowed to drive any of your vans or trucks.
However, even the best, most cautious drivers are tempted to exceed speed limits or let their attention slip from time to time. It only takes a second’s distraction for accidents to occur.
Any other drivers who see one of your workers driving a branded vehicle in a dangerous manner will know exactly who to report to police, and if they decide to share their experience on social media, they may have a major negative impact on your reputation.
Potential clients could choose not to employ your services if they believe you allow your team to put others at risk.
This is why GPS tracking is an outstanding addition to your vehicles. Just by installing a GPS unit into any van or truck owned by your firm, you can start to encourage a safety-conscious culture.
Your workers will be aware that their activities are being monitored and recorded. If they drive over the speed limit, you’ll know. If they take a route that isn’t necessarily the most sensible for larger vehicles, you’ll know.
This can be enough to make them more alert and conscious of their behavior when in control of one of your vans or trucks.
Secondly, data from GPS tracking can be used to prove to workers how fast they were going in comparison to the speed limit. This makes it much easier to hold unsafe drivers accountable for their actions, rather than simply relying on second-hand information from disgruntled members of the public or colleagues.
#3: Reduce Fuel Expenses and Wasted Time
Construction projects often involve lots of driving. Transporting materials from one site to another, collecting equipment from warehouses, driving waste to a landfill or recycling centre, and simply going on lunch breaks all consumes fuel.
Though no employer wants to believe their workers could be capable of presenting falsified or inflated expenses claims, it can happen. It may only be a few pounds or Euros at a time, but this all adds up.
Trying to claim more expenses than necessary is unethical, taking money out of the business’s funds for selfish gain. However, it’s not easy to know whether an employee is being honest or using underhand tactics.
While most workers would be unlikely to abuse your trust, the minority wouldn’t give it a second thought.
Some GPS tracking units feature sensors that monitor fuel consumption. This lets you keep track of fuel used in real-time, while SMS alerts may be sent to your phone whenever a vehicle refuels. You can then compare expense claims with the data you have recorded from the device.
Being able to monitor fuel consumption can help you identify which drivers are making the most of their petrol and which aren’t. Your GPS tracking might have a facility to notify you of engine idling times, which will drain fuel unnecessarily and essentially waste your money.
This is a common problem with workers pausing to chat when entering/exiting a site, rather than simply turning the engine off while they talk.
GPS tracking helps you cut down on fuel expenditure by making it easier to pinpoint the most efficient routes for journeys. If one of your vehicles is driving to a supplier to collect goods and returning to your site a few times each day, taking a longer journey than necessary could leave you with costs that may be avoidable.
You can study your employees’ driving habits and choice of routes, and work out shortcuts that will make the most of their fuel (and your money). This leaves you with more to put into upgrading equipment or pay rises.
#4: Boost Performance by Assessing Productivity Levels in Real-Time
Employee GPS tracking devicesOpens a new window can be worn by your workforce while they are at work. Various types are available, including wearable tech (wristbands, watches, clip-ons) and smartphone apps.
These will stream real-time data on workers’ activities around the site, letting you know when they’re taking a break or moving slower than they should. Of course, all employees deserve a tea break and a rest from time to time, especially with the demanding work construction involves, but if this happens too often during each day, productivity can slow right down.
This affects your progress, delays completion, and ultimately impacts the bottom line.
GPS monitoring devices will also notify you if any employees leave the site. This technology is ideal for overtime too, enabling you to see which workers managed extra hours and how productive they were.
If you have to leave a project site yourself for any reason, you can keep tabs on your team wherever you go. You may already trust them to perform at their best even without supervision, but this is an extra precaution. They know you’ll be watching too, and will continue to work as they should.
Should you choose to install tracking apps on employees’ smartphones rather than providing them with wearable devices, you have to show them exactly how to activate and deactivate the software.
This prevents any sense of intrusion outside of working hours and can put their mind at ease that you won’t be ‘spying’ during their own time.
#5: Resolve Client Disputes with Recorded Data
Not every client is going to be completely satisfied with every aspect of your firm’s work.
It’s sad but true. They may feel your team could have worked a little longer and harder, or you completed a project more slowly than they may have liked. In a case like this (or similar), you can provide data from your GPS tracking to support your argument.
When you bill your clients at the end of a project, you can show just how much your equipment, machinery, and vehicles were used, how many hours your employees worked, and overtime performed. This is a simple, effective way to secure payment and satisfy the client that you delivered the work promised.
Likewise, if a client tries to claim that certain deliveries or tasks were not performed on time, your evidence will prove otherwise.
The Importance of Consent
As you can see, incorporating GPS tracking technology into your construction firm’s everyday processes offers outstanding benefits. Every penny counts when you’re investing months of hard work into a project, and these systems minimize waste and maximize performance.
However, before you start using GPS to monitor workers, it’s vital to get their permission. Employees may feel intruded upon and treated unfairly if you force the technology upon them without offering a full explanation.
Give them a full briefing ahead of time, to explain the software, how it works, why you’ve chosen to introduce it to their processes, and more. Welcome feedback and take note of their feelings on the subject. The last thing you want to do is alienate your workforce and leave them feeling distrustful or resentful.
This will only affect their performance, and no doubt prompt them to look for work elsewhere. You may even face legal action if you track their behavior without notifying them first.
Show them why GPS tracking isn’t something to be afraid of and offers only advantages. Once they see the benefits of using tracking, your workers will no doubt embrace it.
Getting employees’ explicit permission to be tracked is critical, especially now that GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)Â is in effect. You must be able to provide a valid reason for your desire to record workers’ activities and gather related data and to explain why you think doing so will be beneficial.
Any construction firm that’s found to be in breach of GDPR regulations could face a severe fine. It’s simply not worth trying to cut corners or to force tracking upon your workforce.
There is a wealth of choice on today’s market, for firms on all budgets. GPS tracking will continue to help companies in the construction industry boost productivity and reduce unnecessary expenses as it evolves in years to come, too.
Have you started using GPS technology in your business, and if so, what benefits have you seen?Â