Today's Technology in Electrical Construction

The landscape of construction has changed drastically over the years and continues to change rapidly. All along the construction process, from start to finish, technology is now a part of the equation. Technology has been incorporated all along the construction process.

Architects and engineers use software to design the building. During development and design, general contractors and sub-contractors use the software for clash detection and other collaborative work. Because of technology, items can be prefabricated, saving time in the field. Once in the field, technology is used for tracking time on a project, change orders, and field management.

Progress for Watson

Incorporating new technology into our construction process has helped us to continue to be the Southeast leading electrical contractor. We work with architects, engineers, and general contractors to troubleshoot and prevent issues in the field. As well as, our collaboration with general contractors will often include 3D scans and point clouds of existing and as-built spaces. 

Benefits of Technology

Accuracy: For example, with clash detection, incorporating electrical, plumbing, HVAC equipment in a small area can be achieved before getting into the field. This accuracy saves time and materials, which saves costs.

Productivity: Smartphones and mobile apps have made communication and collaboration on projects easier and faster. Most software solutions are cloud-based, allowing changes and updates to documents, schedules, and other management tools to be made in real-time.

Training: As the new generation joins electrical construction, they bring with them technical knowledge and skills. Online training can get new hires familiar with aspects of construction before they hit the job site. On-going, online training help to introduce new information to workers across the company.

Safety: Technology solutions are making it easier to properly train and monitor workers to prevent accidents and reduce the rate of serious injuries and worker deaths.

Technology at Watson

We have integrated technology throughout our electrical construction process. Some of the software we use to assists in our operations throughout construction are: 

• Accubid for estimating and change orders 
• Esub & Blue Beam for field management 
• Autodesk Navisworks for clash detection 
• Autodesk BIM for cloud collaboration 
• Trimble SysQue  for prefabrication 
• Trimble RTS873 for digital layout in the field