Industry Spotlight Construction - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

Industry Spotlight Construction - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. The construction industry is heavily influenced by technology. New technologies and inventions allow for the workplace to be more efficient, and also safer. Buildings are being created in new and different ways, in an ever changing industry. Wondering what trends can be expected in 2016-17? Well discuss them below.   New Technologies One of the most noteworthy shifts in the industry is the growth of prefabrication buildings. Prefabs are buildings that are constructed off site, and later transported in pieces and reconstructed. Prefabs are growing in popularity because they save money in a number of areas. Labor time is cut down since all is being made on site, and resources are also cut down on. Efficiency is higher since materials and workers dont have to convene at a congested location. Instead, the building can be worked on off site with less hassle. Building information modeling is another large focus in the industry. Before, building information modeling was simply a luxury. Now, its becoming an expected necessity. This has led to rising interest from not only contractors, but also owners who have a hands on approach. BIM allows a company to model a structure in 5 dimensions. The first three of course being width, height, and depth. The 4th and 5th dimensions are time and cost. This allows companies to model out a project and plot ahead into the building process.  3D printing is also making a difference  in the industry. This makes it easy for companies to model out projects, or print custom pieces to use in construction. Project Trends There are also a few new trends in terms of projects. Companies are being choosy in the projects they take on, rather than taking on all the work they can. Many buildings are choosing to go green when being built. This is a trend that exists in both the residential and commercial categories. In addition, the popularity of remodels is at a high, as businesses and homeowners work to stay current on design trends.  The upside of this is that it generates more business. Buildings are also becoming easier to monitor in the process. Many companies have begun to use drones to monitor their build projects in places that would normally be challenging or unsafe to check on. Also, following completion the use of monitoring technologies are making a difference. Companies can now use the data gathered to determine when preventative or corrective construction needs to be completed. The last notable trend is that the demand for skilled construction workers is at a high. However, the amount of available skilled workers is low. There is an extreme challenge for companies to find and train workers, and many young workers were discouraged from getting their start in the industry. Thus, if you are a skilled worker in the industry, now is a great time to find a job. We hope you enjoyed this look at the construction industry. If youd like to take a look at our other industry examinations, they can be found here: Accounting Banking/Finance Customer Service Human Resources Information Technology