Truebeck partnered with StruxHub to pilot an innovative technology that is enhancing construction operations and showing how new technology is disrupting the once traditional construction industry.
Traditional Jobsite Management
For years, the construction industry relied on traditional methods of organizing a jobsite. These included paper documents, whiteboards, emails, and word-of-mouth communication. This method is traditional, familiar, and comfortable but only semi-efficient.
It is easy to identify where errors could arise. Documents with critical information could get shredded, whiteboards can be erased, and verbal agreements are notorious for being forgotten or misunderstood. To complicate matters further, jobsites are constantly changing, and information changes the moment a schedule is done printing.
And on multimillion-dollar projects, one error could result in owners spending additional thousands.
But this traditional mindset is changing, and construction is pushing towards higher efficiency and mitigating jobsite disarray through digital methods.
The Future is Digital
The world we live in is becoming more digital than ever before. Virtually everyone owns a smartphone and keeps it within reaching distance. Electronics are equipped with voice-controlled AI that can organize our schedules and answer questions the moment we need it.
This dependence on technology is in large part because of its efficiency. Industries that implement new technologies grow, while those that don’t fall into obscurity. The war between progressive technologies and traditional methods has consistently had one clear victor.
Pioneering New Technologies
This is why Truebeck seeks new technology and embraces it, but Truebeck does more than implement new technologies; it actively seeks to be on the front lines leading the charge for improved tech and processes.
That is why when Jeff Chen, StruxHub’s Chief Executive Officer, and Chris Schmidt, StruxHub’s Chief Product Officer, approached Truebeck to discuss plans for new software to improve jobsite efficiency, Justin Porter, Truebeck’s Construction, Technology and Innovation (CTI) Director immediately took them to the field.
“One of the amazing things about working with Truebeck is Jeff and I came in with ideas of how we could improve the logistics of a jobsite and Justin dragged us down to the Uber jobsite immediately. He introduced us to the superintendent and the guys in the field,” shared Schmidt.
After interacting with the superintendents, project managers, and foreman, Porter, Chen, and Schmidt began to see where problems arose and what construction management’s pain points were.
Chief among them were slow processes, disparate schedules, and miscommunication.
With this understanding, Porter, Chen, and Schmidt began developing a new technology to address these underlying workplace issues.
StruxHub was born.
One Platform to Rule Them All
The StruxHub platform is a new construction technology that revolutionizes the ways construction management and trade partners interact with one another. The features of the platform include the ability to schedule deliveries and shared resources like cranes, as well as track daily activities.
Furthermore, the platform is shared among all parties involved on a project. This allows trade partners the ability to coordinate with each other and get real-time updates on jobsite events they were not privy to before.
Delivery and Resource Scheduling
The StruxHub platform allows real-time requests and approvals of all deliveries. Trade partners simply need to select the project zone and a timeslot for their delivery. Since implementing StruxHub, Truebeck has seen over 4,000 deliveries on 10,000 trucks.
In addition to deliveries, each jobsite has resources that are shared among trade partners. This includes equipment like cranes, SuperDecks, and personnel hoists. Trade partners can reserve the equipment they need to prevent any confusion on the jobsite.
“Now trade partners can see every scheduled delivery and even pending approvals,” Porter said. “StruxHub is doing most of the coordination for us now, all we have to do is approve the deliveries.”
FLEXIBILITY
No two jobsites are the same and Truebeck is prepared for this with StruxHub. The project team can lay out their jobsite into zones and list what gates of entry are accessible. From there, Truebeck can coordinate with trade partners via StruxHub to create fields of entry for zones and gates. This flexibility allows for any jobsite to utilize StruxHub regardless of site constraints.
MOBILE FRIENDLY
StruxHub is the first phone-operable scheduling platform for the construction industry. While other platforms rely on a laptop, it’s clear that construction professionals often need access to scheduling in the field. With StruxHub, Truebeck’s team can access the tools they need outside the office.
The StruxHub Advantage
StruxHub technology redefines what is possible for Truebeck. Prior to using StruxHub, Truebeck had a semi-digital process for managing jobsite operations. “We had this workflow before that I’m going to say worked, but it was slow and time-intensive for our team,” Porter shared.
Now, Truebeck’s old processes are replaced with a platform that addresses the concerns of its construction team. With real-time updates, the hours that went into coordination meetings are now spent on more vital tasks. In addition to real-time updates, trade partners coordinate with each other, which removes the chaos of unexpected deliveries. Since using StruxHub, Truebeck’s unexpected deliveries dropped from thirty percent to one.
BETTER COMMUNICATION
Communication has improved. Trade partners know exactly when and where their deliveries will appear, and they can avoid conflicting deliveries with other trade partners. This maintains a harmonious workspace and confidence that materials will be available when they are needed.
Speaking of a Truebeck project in San Carlos, Porter said, “That jobsite is split up into 30 different zones and each subcontractor can pick where they will deliver to. If we didn’t have a digital way to do that, there’s no way we could plan to that level.”
TRADE PARTNER ACCOUNTABILITY
Now, more than ever before, Truebeck has the ability to manage the jobsite on a granular level and hold its trade partners accountable. “The ability of Truebeck to use StruxHub has been monumental in helping us stay on track with our deliveries,” said Nicole Tusa, a Project Manager for United Mechanical, one of Truebeck’s trade partners. “StruxHub enables us to be accountable.”
For Tusa, the use of StruxHub is a new experience. “This is my first experience with anything comparable to StruxHub and I’ve been in the industry for 18 years,” she added. “It’s been great. We’ve been able to schedule everything out through the beginning of the year.”
BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER
Because of the advanced site logistics StruxHub provides, Truebeck is uniquely positioned to manage projects better than other general contractors. With the flexibility to adapt jobsites to StruxHub’s interface, the burdens of unavoidable complications, such as logistically constrained locations or exceptionally large spaces, are alleviated.
In the case of Truebeck’s Uber Mission Bay project, the jobsite is in the center of a highly trafficked area in San Francisco and is constrained by limited open space because of a dozen other construction sites and popular locations like the New Golden State Warriors Chase Center. In this setting, logistical issues would arise if multiple trade partners scheduled deliveries at the same time. “It’s helpful, especially with these tighter spaces. It makes the trade partners plan better,” said Mark Smith, one of Truebeck’s Senior Superintendents.
Truebeck worked on another project that encompassed 175 acres. The project was so large, the project team couldn’t see all the gates which made knowing who and what came through each gate difficult. With StruxHub, Truebeck could know. “It’s important on the bigger jobs, when you can’t see all the gates,” added Mark Lewis, a Senior Superintendent with Truebeck.
With this revolutionary technology coming to construction, and with a general contractor piloting it, owners can expect Truebeck to deliver increased value to a project. This is done by forcing trade partners to plan their schedules and deliveries in a manner that promotes transparency while reducing jobsite congestion.
It Only Gets Better
Truebeck rolled out StruxHub to six of its jobsites and it is consistently gathering data on daily activities. With the data gathered, Truebeck’s CTI team provides valuable insight to the entire company. From better scheduling data and cost estimation for preconstruction to getting the data necessary to foster a quicker close-out, StruxHub allows Truebeck to raise the bar on our jobsites, and for the industry as a whole.
