CONEXPO – CON/AGG Podcast: Construction Business Insights For Contractors

No matter the size of your aerial fleet, managing equipment is a priority. This podcast digs into how telematics can help monitor how equipment is performing, how often a piece is being used, where each unit is located, and if it is ready for maintenance. Host Peggy Smedley and Christine Zeznick, Genie Senior Product and Business Development Manager, Terex AWP, talk about telematics and the company’s new Genie Lift Connect. They also discuss how we are moving from a world where information is currently descriptive to one that is more predictive and prescriptive.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are here and they are changing the way businesses operate. Host Peggy Smedley and Ganesh Bell, president, Uptake, talk about what exactly they will look like for construction—and the drivers and big opportunities that exist. They also provide key advice for executives who are considering emerging technology, while also addressing the results AI can provide and the main risks at play.

This episode identifies some of the biggest obstacles for contractors when it comes to supply-chain management—and how it has evolved in the past few years. Peggy Smedley and Alexander Schuessler, founder of SmartEquip and president of its International Group, talk about how technology can help increase efficiency from parts ordering to building materials delivery to equipment rentals —both today and in the future. They also offer tangible advice and strategies for contractors who are looking to get started using technology such as this—and the best steps to implementation. 

Learn practical strategies for how to choose the right machine control on equipment such as bulldozers. Host Peggy Smedley and guests Richie Snyder, solutions marketing manager, CASE Construction Equipment, and Max Winemiller, director of CASE’s Road & Site Prep Division, talk about if it is best for contractors to invest immediately in more advanced systems and go all in—or if there are ways to take a more entry level approach and build from there. They also discuss what dozer owners and operators can do to improve their experience and enhance the machine’s value.

Technology is helping construction companies break down silos on the jobsite and improve labor-productivity growth. Kris Lengieza, director of business development for the Marketplace at Procore, joins CONEXPO-CON/AGG Radio to discuss why collaboration technology is important and the challenges with user adoption today. He also identifies the practical ways that a construction company can ensure the successful implementation of new software and the areas where it will provide immediate value.

There has been an uptick in construction companies leveraging fleet monitoring and management. Michael Ross, director of product, Takeuchi, joins CONEXPO-CON/AGG Radio to discuss trends in the space, share best practices for how companies can get started with fleet-management technology today, and provide examples of how construction companies have benefited. He also dives into the most important factors to consider when selecting the right equipment for the construction job.

While slipform pavers have been around for a long time, many contractors still hand form concrete pavements and sections. Wade Bowman, national sales manager, Wirtgen America, joins CONEXPO-CON/AGG Radio to talk about the benefits that slipforming can provide and the challenges contractors face. He also dives into the topic of stringless paving and discusses if its time has come, identifying how a contractor can ensure success with stringless.

A number of big trends are already emerging in 2018—and they have set the course for what is to come in 2019 and beyond. Ken Simonson, chief economist, Associated General Contractors joins CONEXPO-CON/AGG Radio to discuss the overall outlook for the construction industry. He also discuss how trade disputes and tariffs are affecting the industry, the change in the labor market situation, and events that might make 2019 a better year for construction.

Lean construction first began roughly 20 years ago; and it developed out of the need for principles and practices for design and management. Today, it can help workflows become more predictable. Michael Carr, president of MOCA’s software products division, Touchplan joins CONEXPO-CON/AGG Radio to discuss lean construction, last planner, and how to forecast the future of construction. Carr shares obstacles and benefits to using lean and where the industry needs to go to be successful.

Today’s construction equipment has more capabilities to get more done and with fewer machines. The challenge is successfully implementing new technology. Andrew Kahler, product marketing manager, John Deere WorkSight and ForestSight joins CONEXPO-CON/AGG Radio to discuss the biggest equipment technologies impacting the construction industry today and how it will impact work being done out at the construction jobsite. He also address how construction companies can go about implementing solutions and training operators.