Manufacturing & Construction CHANNEL REPORT
“There is an expectation that all new builds will be smarter, in order to deliver a smart building, the
construction companies must start to use smarter technology.”
Anton Le Saux, Head of IoT - Zest4
GenieBelt, a provider of real-time construction management software
and mobile app, provide a guide on how to ensure good communication
on a construction site and say that good communication is an essential
component of success on construction projects, and it plays a decisive
role in saving both time and money during the building process. Their
tips include:
1. Devices and Technology. It is important to use up-to-date digital
solutions which allow you to communicate with the other members of
the team regardless of the type of device you are using.
2. Reinforce. Convey messages in different ways to ensure better
understanding.
3. Chain of command. Establish clear lines of communication and chain
of command for messages and information.
4. Quality and upgrades. Use document software that tracks revisions in
all stages of the project and with all stakeholders.
5. Connections. Ensure the proper connections and functioning
networks are available even in very remote sites.
scoping of potential solutions.
Which leads into to the realms
of Augmented Reality (AR)
and Virtual Reality (VR).
Whilst I have not been directly
involved in this tech, I see a
massive upside to using it in the
construction space. e ability
to hold up a tablet or mobile
device and be able to show the
client what their building will
look like over the top of the
construction site in front of
you, these are the tools that the
industry needs.
Wearable tech, like cameras,
smart helmets and tracking
devices enable construction
companies to keep on top of
the work sites, tracking progress
and addressing issues in real
time.
But all this technology
requires underlying tech to
make it all work; smartphones,
tablets and connectivity. is is
where the channel comes in as
it’s our bread and butter.”
Which products and services
are selling well?
Le Saux says that tablets
and smartphones will always
sell but they are also seeing the
connectivity solutions selling
well as these are critical to
success.
“is is where Zest4 are
strong and we can share that
with the channel. We oer a
basic connectivity solution for
fast-start or temporary sites.
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Corrotherm says that there’s no
denying that manufacturing
plays an important role in the
UK, particularly when it comes
to the country’s economy.
“It’s a huge, high-value area
of employment – according
to a report released in April
2018, e True Impact of UK
Manufacturing, it directly
accounts for 9% of the UK’s
GDP and provides 2.6 million
jobs, which is bigger than the
nancial services industry for
context. e report also reects
on the indirect impact of the
manufacturing industry –
which includes those businesses
that are within the supply chain
– and the statistics rise to 15%
of the UK economy and over
ve million jobs.”
Tata Communications
believes that for today’s
manufacturing sector,
connectivity is critical.
“Real-time supply chains
and logistics require seamless
data exchange and collaboration
at every step. And, as
manufacturers look to machine
learning, AI and robotics, the
need for a network that can
enable this new environment is
becoming increasingly urgent.”
Tata is looking to SD-WAN
solutions for the manufacturing
sites of the future.
“Legacy WANs are simply
not t for purpose – and
transforming the WAN is
seen as a complex and costly
challenge. Here’s where SDWAN
can help take the sting
out of the transition.”
Daisy, who has worked
extensively with Mitel in
developing solutions for the
manufacturing sector, says there
is a signicant disconnect in
some organisations between the
uses of technology in alignment
with core businesses objectives.
Daisy polled UK
manufacturing businesses both
small (less than 500 employees)
and large (500+ employees)
to nd out their priorities,
concerns, insights and plans for
embracing digital technologies,
unied communications (UC)
strategies, Industry 4.0, Big
Data, automation and the
creation of smart factories.
eir report concludes; “To
become a true digital business,
an organisation needs to adopt
an ‘always on’ infrastructure,
supported by an agile workforce
which is always fully connected
and protected. In this way,
unied communications
enable seamless information
sharing, knowledge gathering,
collaboration and productivity.”
Whilst this could be said
of most industry sectors it
does go to prove that the
manufacturing sector is
switched on to achieving
Digital Transformation and all
that goes with it.
Looking wider afield, where is
the disruption coming from?
Digital Disruption is all
around… how is it impacting
this particular vertical and how
can the Channel react?
Anton Le Saux at Zest4 says
the construction industry is
like every other in the digital
age, and digital disruption is
everywhere.
“Whilst the smaller
organisations may be slower on
the uptake, I see the world’s key
players taking advantage of the
digital age in many areas.
ere is an expectation that
all new builds will be smarter,
in order to deliver a smart
building, the construction
companies must start to use
smarter technology.
Construction companies
can go online now for building
design, modelling and project
management. It is now
possible to create structures
and solutions to problems
that would have been dicult
to conceive without a digital
solution.
3D printing capabilities will
no doubt have a big impact
for both manufacturing and
construction. Why send a
design laid out on paper when
you could deliver a 3D model?
Being able to physically show
the space before construction,
and therefore mitigating any
issues that may arise.
We are also seeing drones
playing a part in project
management and for the
John McKindland, Head of Solution Sales at Nimans
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