When managing multiple jobs at once, there's a strong chance that if we do not have a clear understanding of the cost and budget of our jobs, we can quickly lose control. Of the 60,000+ HCSS users, many share the sentiment that time is the biggest waste factor in the way of their success. Ultimately, trying to take back control of the jobs we've lost control of can steal time from our personal lives; notifications popping off during family dinners, arriving too late for dance recitals and martial arts competitions, and missing the first few innings of a kid's home game.
The loss of control is an evil that can sneak up on us, and is often harder to overcome the longer it is left unchecked. With the onslaught of new and continuous problems alike attacking the construction industry, no one is going to be generating anymore time – but without the right solutions, we’re definitely going to be losing more.
5 Biggest Problems Facing the Construction Industry
For the unsung heroes of the industry who toil away daily in the hectic world of construction, the string of problems faced can be near endless. Some continuous setbacks for the construction industry include:
- Outrageous gas prices
- Rapid inflation / rising costs
- Trouble hiring and retaining skilled laborers
- Cash flow and lingering economic effects of COVID
- Supply chain issues
When most of us commonly feel anxiety in our work lives, all those negative feelings consuming us can sometimes come down to a lack of control over these problems. We feel powerless, plain and simple, like watching a movie with a depressing ending.
Reality is, you don’t have to lose your shirt. By implementing the right software, you can take control. We’ll help build a refined process that works, enabling you with user-friendly tools that cater to the uniqueness of your business.
First, let’s address these glaring problems in more detail along with how you can regain a stranglehold on each one.
#1 Take Control of Fluctuating Gas Prices
Even when gas prices are low, fuel is still a massive expense for even the smallest horizontal construction companies. How much of the time is your equipment - along with laborers - sitting idle while this bleeds away dollars?
Telematics provides GPS tracking that pinpoints locations for every piece of heavy equipment in real-time. The automation element of this will also efficiently track fuel consumption. On that same note, FuelerPlus offers aid in better understanding your fuel costs so you can lower them with stronger efficiencies.
RELATED: Interested in what you could be saving now? Try our red dye diesel calculator to see what your fuel savings will look like.
#2 Take Control of Rising Material Prices (Inflation-Related)
Much like gas problems, skyrocketing material prices have become a recent riddle to solve – and are definitely a byproduct of rapid inflation. The rising prices of on-the-job materials isn’t the only problem contractors are facing due to inflation, but it definitely remains at the top of the list.
Accessing a feature in HCSS Plans, Material Calculators enable users to complete field takeoffs with the most accurate material ordering. This unique software solution allows annotations on certain areas on the plan sheet to intuitively determine exact quantities needed. Additionally, HCSS Plans helps manage material prices, take quotes from suppliers up to the last minute to get the lowest bid possible, and check your material placed vs budget in HeavyJob to help forecast how to handle the next two weeks.
#3 Take Control of the Skilled Labor Shortage
In 2022, trouble hiring skilled laborers is a major issue a variety of industries are facing. Among those getting hit the hardest are construction managers who can’t find enough qualified skilled workers to get jobs done. HCSS has acknowledged clients are having an increasingly difficult time not just finding skilled laborers but also keeping them on staff. Of course, when the market is short, wages go up, adding to your list of struggles.
While HCSS can’t make skilled laborers appear, we can absolutely help you reduce the amount of manpower you need on the jobsite. With all the criticism of automation eliminating jobs, those same critics fail to mention it can also erase the need for jobs that aren’t being filled and allow your current workforce to do more with less. HeavyJob automates tedious tasks that project managers and foremen face daily, in many cases doubling productivity.
“What used to take three days now takes 45 minutes to an hour.”
– Taylor Lawson, Business Development Manager, Grayson Carter and Son Contracting
#4 Take Control of Your Cash Flow in a Gloomy Economy
The pandemic gave the industry a mammoth whooping in 2020 where cash flow problems became commonplace. With everyone tightening their belts amid recession fears, clients are quick to be lured by the lowest bids that come in. Your profit margins might be more razor-thin than you would like these days, but with an estimating program like HeavyBid, you’ll stay competitive on every bid while knowing the outcome will be profitable.
Being able to track order changes and pay estimates as jobs are completed will help you complete billing quicker and more thoroughly, improving cash flow. HeavyBid also allows complex estimates to be converted to accounting systems so that double entry is eliminated, and HeavyJob can track the budget as it's being worked on, allowing employees to get paid correctly the first time, on time.
#5 Take Control of Supply Chain Issues
Wasting money often starts with the most dreaded construction red flag of all – delays. It’s hard to complete jobs and keep workers busy when the required materials are unavailable.
“The most valuable feature I think that E360 allows is the constant communication between the field and the office.”
– Corey From, Safety Manager, Achen-Gardner Construction
Unfortunately, we don’t have much (or anything) to do with clearing up those clogged vessel ports on the West Coast, but we are able to ramp up your performance by allowing you to use our construction software for superior work orders. With Equipment 360 low inventory alerts, the level of detail you’ll achieve in digital ordering and receiving will cut back on wait times by making sure your needs are always queued pronto.
Ready to free up more time for the things that matter most in life?
Maybe you already use HeavyBid or HeavyJob, or maybe you’re glued to the oldest practice of all – paper. Either way, there’s nothing we live for at HCSS like identifying problems and creating solutions, which is why our list of offerings just keeps on growing. We aren’t just a software company, we’re a service company that just so happens to serve you with the best heavy civil construction software out there.
“To know that [my superintendents and foremen are] not at home for two hours at night, trying to figure out how to get all the time cards in and wasting valuable time with their family [has] been the greatest part about the field versions of the HCSS products.”
- Austin Varney, Asphalt General Superintendent, Plote Construction, Inc.
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