Portable Plants & Equipment , June 2017

OPERATIONS The jobsite of the future A manufacturing exec explores the role of innovation in our evolving industries BY MEGAN SMALLEY J obsites of the future could look fairly different from what operators are familiar with today as they might have fewer full time employees fewer machines and much more information and data available at workers fingertips Joel Honeyman vice president of innovation at Doosan Bobcat led a Tech Talks session at Con Expo Con Agg 2017 to share his vision for a connected jobsite We just thought it was important to start laying out the strategy for how we at Bobcat and Doosan feel our industry is going Honeyman says And also the impact on our customers because they are wondering and nervous about technology During his presentation Honeyman Honeyman shared a hypothetical scenario comparing the work experiences of a construction contractor today with that same contractor 10 years from now He explains how contractors today might have dozens of employees and multiple crews that own equipment This kind of business can be chaotic since the business ends up running the contractor instead of the contractor running it he says Honeyman continued by explaining how a few evolutions could take place in the construction and aggregate industries to streamline businesses Here are some of his predictions for the future of jobsites 2017 Jobsites will feature more connected awareness as they integrate fleet management systems and telematics on both big and small equipment to monitor job performance Owners will be able to keep track of employees from smartphones and tablets to check for signs of fatigue Companies will also likely begin to lease and rent more equipment instead of purchasing new equipment There is redundant equipment on jobsites today Honeyman says While older generations prefer to own equipment younger generations are seeing value in leasing and renting equipment for specific jobs You can own some equipment for business but you dont have to own all of it 2022 Jobsites will feature more connected performance Visitors to The Tech Experience pavilion at ConExpo Con Agg 2017 saw the exhibit titled Imagine Whats Next Jobsite Instead of simply knowing where equipment is located equipment could also tell owners how much work is being performed We might have cylinder sensing technology on excavators and dozers Honeyman says Finance companies wont charge contractors by the hour or day but rather by how much material is moved and this makes businesses much more efficient 2027 Jobsites will provide more connected control as owners will be more specialized in their jobs Owners will bring in experts to help with more specialized jobs Autonomous equipment will help get jobs done faster Technology will enable these things to come together Honeyman says When you combine these things it will make contractors incredibly efficient Honeyman suggests operations that want to prepare for future jobsite changes should approach manufacturers and equipment dealers about piloting new technologies I think a lot of manufacturers have things they want to bring out to the market and do in real jobsites he says I think if you went to a dealer or business partner they would be more than happy to try new things PP E 16 PP E June 2017 www portableplants com PHOTO BY MEGAN SMALLEY