Building Efficiency: The Comprehensive Guide to Construction Equipment Tracking Software

Types of Assets in Construction

In the construction industry, assets are items that are needed to finish a project. Their size, form, and function may vary substantially.

Construction workers use a variety of amenities while on the job, such as trailers, restrooms, kitchens, and storage areas. 

Additional assets that need monitoring include automobiles and specialized construction equipment.

There will be distinct management needs for the former, which are often reserved for on-site usage only (e.g., cranes or bulldozers), and the later, which are part of regular traffic when transported.

There are a lot of smaller things that are considered assets, such tools and electrical equipment. Electronic devices such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets must be handled carefully. Cybersecurity risks might affect them as they often hold crucial information.

However, tools are constantly being passed from one worker to another and even moved from one job site to another. Therefore, it is critical to keep track of who is responsible for their utilization if operations are to function smoothly at any location. Moreover, they are often worth a lot of money.

And lastly, consumable goods, including building supplies, safety gear, and even certain office supplies, are used up quite quickly by construction enterprises. 

Because of their high volume of usage, consumables are often recorded in bulk, much like tools.

What is Construction Equipment Management?

A group of practices known as "construction equipment management" helps companies maintain tabs on their owned and rented machinery. Maintenance, location monitoring, and scheduling of equipment for usage on the project are all part of it. 

According to McKinsey, worker productivity in construction has grown by just 1% per year over the previous two decades, compared to 2.8% for the global economy and 3.6% for the manufacturing sector. Poor construction asset management is one of the most persistent impediments to productivity in the industry.

Equipment management is often known as fleet management or asset management in the construction industry. While plans for the management of smaller tools and light machinery may also be included, the usual emphasis is on larger pieces of machinery such as bulldozers, excavators, and forklifts.

Why Good Construction Equipment Management Matters

Cost, maintenance, and utilization are some of the aspects that are taken into account in construction equipment management. The timely, safe, and cost-effective completion of a project depends on competent management of the construction equipment. When equipment is well-managed, it does:

• Extend the life of machinery
• Minimize potential dangers
• Lessen the likelihood of higher and unforeseen expenses
• Make sure projects don't go beyond budget and
• Lessen avoidable harm

Effective management of construction equipment is crucial to a project's success. Serious managers will keep track of everything from the most and least used pieces of equipment to when maintenance is due and if anything needs fixing or replacing.

What is Construction Equipment Tracking Software?

Using construction inventory management software, often known as tracking software, you can always know exactly where your heavy equipment is.

You should be able to find what you need for a task and get it to the right place fast. If you have more than one storage yard and a lot of different kinds of equipment, this kind of logistics might become complicated.

With equipment tracking, you can always know where every vehicle is. Traditional barcode systems are still used by certain businesses to monitor the movement of equipment, although they are prone to human mistakes. 

Unless you do a thorough inventory, you may not be able to find a piece of equipment again if someone moves it without scanning it.

Types of Equipment Tracking

There will be more machinery for you to keep track of when your company expands and more people join your staff.

However, there is a direct correlation between lost equipment and financial losses due to the high cost of replacement and the resulting drop in output. 

A piece of construction equipment tracking software can be necessary to cut down on losses, depending on your industry:

• APM: Software for managing the functioning of your assets can save information and statistics pertaining to your machinery. Through the use of sensors and predictive analytics, it is even capable of transmitting equipment measurements in real-time.‍
• CMMS: For the purpose of managing preventative maintenance, computerized maintenance management software records all actions pertaining to a piece of machinery.‍
• EAM: Although CMMSs are similar to enterprise asset management, the latter sometimes lacks the sophisticated functionality and scalability that the former offers.‍
• IWMS: Using a central dashboard, integrated workplace management systems may monitor machinery in several buildings or offices.

There is no universally applicable answer when it comes to construction equipment tracking software. What works well for one business may not for another, even while there are many of equipment monitoring systems that can meet the demands of businesses in many different sectors. 

How you choose to keep tabs on the machinery in your company is entirely dependent on its specific requirements. There are several equipment tracking solutions available, so it's likely that your company will be able to discover one that works for them.

Which Industries Use Equipment Tracking?

There is an abundance of uses for equipment monitoring, notwithstanding its popularity in the construction sector. Companies in these sectors utilize equipment monitoring systems to get the most out of their machines and keep them running for as long as possible:

• IT
• Creating videos
• Engineers and surveyors
• Churches Schools NGO's
• Manufacturers
• Companies providing in-field services, such as cable or pest treatment
• Instructional Setting Medical Facility

Take the restaurant industry as an example. Food service equipment is crucial to their operations and must adhere to strict standards. These standards include sanitary and hygienic design guidelines, FMSA regulations, and the National Sanitation Foundation's food safety guidelines. 

To ensure that their equipment meets these requirements, they can obtain one of several food equipment certifications. Certification markings and equipment identification badges may be used to communicate this information to those who examine, maintain, and utilize the equipment.

The medical device industry is another prime example of a sector that must adhere to stringent standards, be subject to regulation (in the US and elsewhere), and undergo continuous monitoring to guarantee the highest level of performance and patient safety.

Top Attributes of Construction Equipment Tracking Software

Construction equipment tracking software can assist firms with much more than simply massive trucks. Almost every component of on-site work and project planning can be readily incorporated into one system.

1) Heavy Equipment Tracking

Most businesses in the construction sector first focus on using construction asset tracking software to monitor the whereabouts and efficiency of heavy equipment. 

Optimal budgeting and effective operation of leased equipment is still a common concern for decision-makers, managers, and stakeholders. 

Companies that lease heavy equipment may benefit from monitoring software in several ways, including preventing theft, keeping track of maintenance tasks, and managing vehicle capacity. 

Using construction equipment tracking software for construction equipment has further advantages. They consist of:

• The capacity to document and organize post-use equipment inspections and cleaning
• Offering a venue for employee education and development Estimating the useful life of machinery 
• Restricting the use of machinery
• Reducing the likelihood of downtime and making contingency plans for worksite activities
• Performing inspections to ensure compliance with warranties and regulations
• Ensuring conformity with regulations and warranties

Tags that are suitable for the equipment and the situations it encounters are an integral part of a well-designed software package. 

For instance, archival-quality glue applied to thin polyester labels would be ideal for instructional equipment that is never moved from its regulated indoor setting.

A tough metal tag soldered to the frame, nevertheless, may be necessary for big machinery that operates and remains outside. Such a solution is available for heavy machinery from GoCodes.

2) Small Tool Tracking

Using a QR code and an existing construction asset tracking software? Here are some pointers for connecting your little tools:

• To ensure ownership and avoid misunderstanding, give each thing a unique identity. 
• Put things in controlled batches and label them if they are too little to use QR codes. For instance, a bin containing 250 bolts might represent a batch of nails, ball bearings, or drill bits. 
• You can prevent asset or inventory shortages or oversupplies by analyzing the data that scanning offers. It is wise to place orders in advance.
• Sort your tools into appropriate categories for your organization's needs for storage and retrieval.

Although individual equipment and components may not seem to be a significant expenditure, their cumulative impact may significantly impact a project's budget, margins for overruns, and timeline. 

As a result, your complete business may benefit from using construction equipment tracking software for both your screws and cranes. 

3) Construction Material Tracking

In the course of a project, what happens to the consumable materials that the workers and machinery use? In this area as well, construction asset management software aids in streamlining operations. 

Drywall, sand, bricks, and concrete are among the often transported materials used on a building site.

Unlike building assets, which need a more conventional method of monitoring, construction materials are essential and fully traceable. 

To keep a project on track, managers and staff need to collaborate with the supply chain, unless your building supplies are created in-house. Having QR tagging and tracking software is crucial for self-produced goods when it comes to accurate product counts and quick delivery. 

Maintaining material tracking capabilities is critical during busy seasons and in the case of unanticipated occurrences like weather catastrophes or long-term problems like the COVID-19 epidemic. 

By planning ahead, you may save money on staging and storage, minimize unsolicited deliveries, and avoid shortages.

4) Modular Construction Projects Tracking

The term "modular parts" refers to prefabricated, standard components that can be easily built on-site. 

The increased efficiency of modular building goods compared to conventional building methods has led to their meteoric rise in popularity in recent years. 

Modular buildings can be safer, less expensive, and better for the environment. As a result, modular building has become an alternative for many bespoke construction businesses.                                           

With this kind of asset management, you can be certain that all of the off-site components will be put together according to specifications and regulations. 

Elements' construction status, utilized materials, and shipment status may all be readily monitored by project management. 

5) Maintenance Management

Anyone with access to the data can effectively comprehend repair activities and inspections when the scheduling of maintenance and repairs is automated and uniform across all branches and work locations. 

It can come as a surprise to some that construction equipment tracking software may include maintenance tracking. But it's still a major plus for the system in question. 

Using QR codes to store and access service records is a breeze. Both in-house staff and outside specialist repair teams may benefit from this.

Also, the asset's life cycle may be better managed and anticipated with the use of automatically created data reports. 

The Benefits of Construction Equipment Tracking Software

Monitoring Heavy Equipment

Keeping track of all the different project sites and the equipment that travels between them can be quite a challenge for a construction fleet. The use of construction equipment tracking software greatly simplifies the process of overseeing these assets. 

Automated maintenance, asset location (in the event of theft or loss), and mobile access to relevant data are all features of this solution's unified platform for asset monitoring. No matter where you are, you'll always be aware of your fleet's requirements with real-time diagnostics.

Maximizing Asset Utilization

When it comes to your construction equipment, monitoring is only half the battle; you also need to maximize the use of every asset at your disposal. You can boost productivity on the work sites and decrease equipment hoarding and excessive staffing expenditures by using your equipment properly. 

You can see how many assets are on a work site, how many active days there were, and how many engine hours were used using monitoring data from construction asset tracking software. The aggregated data presents equipment use as a simple percentage. 

Your day-to-day choices rely on this data. You can, for instance, determine the construction contractor's management softwares cost, compare the amount of time spent on a site with the use of an asset, and find out how much fuel an asset consumes. 

Improving Safety

Construction equipment tracking software isn’t only beneficial for your fleet’s efficiency. It can also boost safety on your job sites by tracking operator behavior. Obtain customizable reports highlighting specific driver habits and warn you when problems require more training. When you know these behaviors, you can provide targeted training that addresses the issue at its root. 

With construction tool tracking, you can ensure that your fleet remains compliant with federal regulations. You’ll never have to worry about being hit with unexpected fines or fees.

Maximize Productivity

Naturally, increasing output should be the primary objective of any construction fleet. You may find out when and where construction trucks are, as well as when they start and stop, with the use of fleet monitoring technology. 

Make sure everything is running well by checking in with the driver after a car has been gone for a time. Work gets done as fast and effectively as if you were personally supervising on-site when employees are aware they are being watched.

Assign Crew and Assets Effectively

Always make sure you're getting the most out of your assets and personnel. Vehicle and asset monitoring allows you to be informed about the use of assets on-site. You can see when cars start and stop, as previously said. 

For instance, you can redistribute personnel and equipment as required if one location has unused cars and another has employees reporting overtime.

Reduce Fuel Use

One of the top benefits of fleet tracking is the ability to track idling. Idling is a huge fuel waster, and once you start tracking, you’ll find that it happens more often than you think. Your fleet tracking software can create reports showing what vehicles are idling and how much fuel is wasted, showing you exactly where to crack down.

Furthermore, fleet tracking lends itself to route optimization, which uses algorithms and machine learning to help vehicles and equipment get from site to site in the most efficient manner possible, wasting the least fuel.

In Conclusion…

Properly managing your construction equipment helps your team work more efficiently and effectively. Because equipment is essential to the construction process, establishing an equipment management plan should be a high priority for every construction business.

Tools like construction equipment tracking software will help you manage your fleet in a streamlined way and prevent common pitfalls like idle time and poorly-timed maintenance