While unforeseen weather events, poor building design (i.e. rework), and sizable labor costs answers the question of why construction projects often run over-time or over-budget, hidden fees derived from inaccurate material-based reporting are significant. Whether due to faulty resource allocation, drawing and estimation errors, or unexpected shortages, improper tracking can result in misplaced inventory, wasted materials, or even incomplete deliveries. Understandably, this contributes significantly to the bottom line, as delays prolong other necessary tasks from taking place, and further stretch out project timelines.
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But knowing and understanding these figures is helpful, regardless of job function. Although material management often takes place in the back-office, optimizing inventory to reduce waste and ensure its most efficient use is everyone’s responsibility. Traditionally, sourcing, placing, and scheduling is an analog process – involving direct interactions with a preferred vendor and contractors to determine the best price. Subsequently, your team must then manually transport, log, and oversee the material’s use on-site.
However, recent advancements in drone technology allow for automated record-keeping, stockpile estimation, and surveying of material inventory. Regular drone flights provide additional detail to 2D maps and delivery routes, and can be used to plan better methods of transportation or delivery. As Propeller reports, construction material costs rose by roughly 10% in 2019. Despite the initial investment, drones can clearly be a cost-saving tool for your organization.
Nine out of ten projects experience cost overrun. The company that can nail the estimate process and keep a project running on budget will therefore have an enormous advantage over the competition.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
A Proven Roadmap of Success for Implementing Drones in Construction.
A List of Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring Drone Service Providers.
How to Persuade Your Leadership Team to Leverage Drones on Every Jobsite.
Planning Effective Delivery Routes
Before workers ever step on-site, The Drone Life recommends flying multiple surveys over the project to grasp an accurate picture of the terrain. This data can be used to establish a realistic scope of work, project timelines, and eventually, team scheduling. But one of the first and most important tasks one can “check off” with this action is planning delivery routes. An aerial viewpoint gives project managers access to varied ground information unseen by the naked eye and allows for faster, more intelligent route selection.
Related Article – Why Technology Adoption is Slow in Construction (And How to Overcome It)
The best drop-off points are easy to reach and out of the way. For optimal results and less interference with numerous teams and large equipment, pinpointing these areas early on and establishing their boundaries will keep workers informed and efficient. Incomplete deliveries and missing material can be prevented entirely by detailed, expansive site planning.
Tracking Material and Verifying Deliveries
McKinsey & Company reports that up to 25% of material deliveries are either late or incomplete. To ensure workers have the materials that they need when they need it, drones can be used to verify deliveries and track additional material. By scheduling regular, repeated drone flights, project managers are able to monitor and record drop-offs daily, plus learn delivery patterns. From here, one can see when and where these stockpiles or packages are moved throughout the rest of the site. This reduces waste and prevents reorders of excess, wasted material.
Additionally, drone technology streamlines the time it takes to manually count and authenticate these deliveries. Rather than pulling teams away from critical work to perform these tasks, one individual can take responsibility for drone operations (or, it can be outsourced to a third-party drone service provider). In sum, time-stamped drone imagery and footage makes it simple to garner accurate reports, and escalate issues should it be necessary.
Identifying Missing Inventory
Although nobody expects theft or otherwise illegal activity on the job site, drone technology gives owners and project managers the assurance they need to quickly discover and resolve the all-too-common problem of missing inventory. By comparing pre- and post-drop-off imagery and footage, even against completed work, team members can determine roughly when and where the theft took place. With superior record-keeping in place, aided by drones, this identification can be made quickly, allowing the appropriate authorities to be notified ASAP.
Getting Started with Drones for Material Reporting
Drone-based material reporting streamlines extensive record-keeping and manual logging. By utilizing a drone service provider for each phase of the construction lifecycle, project managers are granted access to a host of time-stamped data points and critical decision-making information. Planning effective delivery routes before beginning work, tracking material as it’s received, and verifying deliveries both on- and off-site are just some of the many ways in which drones can be used for your construction project.
Interested in learning more about drone technology for material reporting? Schedule a free consultation with one of our drone experts. At The Drone Life, we offer personal consulting and tailored aerial service solutions in the architecture, engineering, and construction space.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
A Proven Roadmap of Success for Implementing Drones in Construction.
A List of Red Flags to Avoid When Hiring Drone Service Providers.
How to Persuade Your Leadership Team to Leverage Drones on Every Jobsite.
