A construction project management app built by developer Mobilengine, and being used in the UK by contractor McGee, promises to increase onsite productivity by allowing digital reading of CSCS cards, contactless safety inspections and paperless workflow management.
The software is cloud-based and can be accessed from an app on iPhones, android phones and tablets so each worker as well as administration and management can have a comprehensive view of each worker’s daily tasks.
Mobileengine’s solution is customised for individual businesses, which lie in a variety of sectors. McGee is currently the only construction company to utilise the system, which includes features bespoke to the contractor.
One of the functions in McGee’s version of the app allows information contained on CSCS cards to be accessed digitally along with additional information about the employee that is kept on the cloud-based system.
This means that a card’s validity can be instantly checked along with the time the employee has spent on site, safety briefings they have undertaken and hours of exposure to hazardous materials they may have been subject to.
Mobilengine has offices in Boston, London and Budapest. Boston-based chief executive Adam Dalnoki told BIM+: “Tapping the card can check details either kept on the card or stored in the back end system. The app brings desktop workflows to the site as part of the digital transition of the construction site.”
A CSCS card’s validity can be instantly checked using the system
But digitising CSCS card information is only one part of the software, which aims to provide companies with the tools to manage the construction site, allowing a variety of work flows to be recorded and controlled digitally.
Dalnoki explains: “The goal is that for construction customers on the platform the flow of information is made paperless and there is a live link from the site to the office.”
Safety management is a key area where Mobilengine has focused its attention, as the developer has found a significant demand for digitising safety procedures among its customers.
For example, inspection of equipment on site can be undertaken using the app in conjunction with near field communication (NFC) points placed on each piece of plant of equipment.
Dalnoki says: “The app can be used to inspect equipment. By walking around and touching the app on NFC points placed on the four corners of the machine a workflow is immediately started showing that the inspection has taken place. This is then easily auditable.
“Business logic built into the system dictates that a vehicle cannot be allocated until it has been inspected,” he continues.
Resource allocation and stock management can also be managed with the app, which is built to be integrated into companies’ existing systems.
McGee has adopted the system and is currently using it on around 25 sites in the country as the contractor tries to digitalise the site as much as possible.
McGee undertook a full audit and identified 160 processes that would be beneficial for it to digitise. According to Dalnoki, working with Mobilengine has allowed the contractor to reach number 40 on the list.
Dalnoki believes that construction is lagging behind other industries on the path towards digitalisation. However, falling costs will see construction rapidly digitalise in the next couple of years.
He says: “It is now affordable for every employee to be included in the digital workflow. Phones can be purchased and NFC is affordable. These technologies will be used with apps like ours to digitalise the site.”
His advice for companies looking to digitalise is to create a roadmap, identify the processes where the most benefit can be gained and then work through digitising each workflow one by one.
The goal is that for construction customers on the platform the flow of information is made paperless and there is a live link from the site to the office.– Adam Dalnoki, Mobileengine
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This just doesn’t work, we tried it and all that happened is we had 4 lost/smashed iPads as our site manager dropped 1 down a floor void from 5 stories high, lost 1 in the sub-contractors canteen, smashed 1 by hitting it with a hammer by accident and the last one he had he broke by accidentally putting in the microwave with his baked beans. Site staff just don’t know how to look after kit like this.