UAV Drones have completely changed the way Construction companies approach their industry. From site surveying at the beginning of a project to performing safer site inspections during the project development, drones have become a standard tool on the construction site. Certainly part of today’s site manager’s toolbox. An integral part of their management system.
VERTICAL: Construction
CLIENT: Glenn, Construction Company Owner (Hamilton, ON)
Glenn owns his own construction company in Hamilton, ON. His number 1 priority when it comes to his business is to provide his workforce a safe environment, perform regular site inspections, monitor operational costs and maintain an efficient management of all his development projects.
Here were some of Glenn’s challenges:
Hiring land surveyors to survey project potential sites was becoming more and more expensive and took a long time to complete and involved a lot of paperwork and red tape.Finding a way to regularly inspect his development sites often meant having his own workers do the inspections and some data was usually lost in the process as there was too much area to cover or certain areas were dangerous to inspect.Overall surveillance of the construction site was often difficult to ensure in order to enhance security and prevent vandalism or theft.Calculating volumes on aggregate piles was often eyeballed and inaccurately completed which made things difficult to manage.
So, we met with Glenn and took the time to review his challenges and high-level requirements. We custom designed an action plan that gave him an initial survey of the potential site he had in mind for his next project. We were able to give him a full aerial view of the site and the surroundings to show him the potential of what could be developed on the land, provided him with regular flyovers to document the safety of the site as well as the project progression and to finally capture valuable data that would, in turn, providing valuable information that helped him manage his project more efficiently and save him money and time in the process.
HERE ARE THE TOP 5 WAYS WE WERE ABLE TO HELP GLENN MANAGE HIS CONSTRUCTION COMPANY MORE EFFICIENTLY :
1) PREVENTION
Our drones, equipped with cameras, geo-location sensors, infrared sensors, captured precise details about the environmental and physical site prior to construction. The high-resolution images captured by our drone was then turned into accurate 2D orthophotos and 3D models, creating rich digital representations of his job site. Then, our drone data made it easy to overlay design files onto drone maps, enabling Glenn to pinpoint constructability challenges in pre-construction stage.
2) SITE INSPECTIONS & PROJECT UPDATES
We were able to provide Glenn with a customized package that gave him weekly flyovers of his construction site. We collected high definition images, video and accurate data that significantly enhanced his stakeholder reporting and project updates. We were also able to use those images and video footage at a later date to create a time-lapse video of the entire project which he included in his promotional video when it came time to market the project.
3) INCREASE SAFETY
The leading cause of fatalities on construction sites is falls, representing nearly 40% of all deaths. Drones can be used to keep workers’ feet planted firmly on the ground when they might otherwise have to climb to take manual measurements or engage in other activities that can be replaced with a drone. Using drones instead of workers to perform certain hazardous inspections is also a way to keep your workforce safe and your worker’s compensations low. We were able to include site inspections to their monthly package and provide Glenn with a certain peace of mind.
4) FLEXIBILITY
Using our UAV/Drones to complete the inspections gave the company more flexibility. There was no downtime of equipment or workforce to deal with, no need to rent or schedule additional equipment to use for inspections, no time allotment to be scheduled for paperwork and no need for additional security to be made available. All that was needed was for the company to approve our presence on site and the rest was completed within a few hours. No additional costly insurance to submit or high-cost equipment rentals to be made.
5) COST, TIME SAVINGS & RISK MITIGATION
Using our UAV/Drones, we were able to save Glenn’s company thousands of dollars every month and increase their data collection to a weekly basis instead of monthly, therefore, giving him all the tools he needed to make better decisions on a more consistent basis.
Contractors carry significant risk on every project. From being overbilled to being underpaid to mistakes, rework, missed deadlines, and legal challenges, few industries provide as many opportunities to lose money as this industry does.
Data from drones can help mitigate many of these risks by identifying problems before they arise, providing accurate data regarding disputes, and documenting the process against legal challenges. The data we provided Glenn helped him better organize his project, document its progression and manage its development most efficiently and with better cost efficiency.
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