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Industry Trends

What Does the Job Site of the Future Look Like?

Blog Posts - Jan 23

What Does the Job Site of the Future Look Like?

Rob Messina
Senior VP of Product Development and Product Management
____
JLG Industries

There’s a lot of talk in the industry right now about “the job site of the future” — a place and time where electrification, autonomous technology and intelligent processes combine to drive efficiencies, maximize safety and increase overall productivity.
Job Site of the Future at a Glance
These ideals may seem like a far-off concept that’s years to come. But as the industry continues to take steps towards connection and optimization, it’s actually getting closer than many may think.

That’s because advancing technology is exponentially transforming ways of working in the construction industry and our wider society. Setting up the future to happen today, tomorrow and beyond. 


Let's look at how it’s all coming together… 

Pre-planning
At the beginning of projects, building information modeling, or BIM, is often used in the planning and design process. These digital models help teams accurately envision the site from start to finish, providing the insights needed to select the right machinery. With augmented reality, or AR, contractors can visualize and scale equipment in 3-D from a mobile app. Maximizing confidence throughout every job, digital tools like BIM and AR can make the entire job site smarter and more efficient

On-site
As the industry prepares for the future, it is going through an era of rapid change and technological advancement. And, those changes have affected the evolution and design of off-highway equipment. Intelligent technology has also played an important role. This means that today’s MEWPs (mobile elevating work platforms) and telehandlers operate very differently from previous generations of machines. 

For example, autonomous vehicles are showing up on job sites, utilizing terrain sensing systems to navigate effectively. And, platform load sensing systems provide operators with stability indicators that help ensure maximum compliance, accuracy and versatility. 

Once machines have been chosen and delivered to the construction site, access control technology makes sure that they have the right training to operate the equipment as construction commences. 

On-the-job
Advances in technology also carry huge potential for safety and productivity improvements, from using smart robotic arms to complete repetitive tasks to operating machines fitted with detection sensors, it's all about keeping people, places and things protected and productive throughout every project. 

And, let’s not forget that safety innovations apply to the environment too. For instance, using electric products with efficient charging systems reduces impact, cuts noise pollution and lowers emissions throughout the job site. 

Off-site
The use of telematics to manage fleet operations has become the new normal. By providing information on machine systems from every angle, including immediate diagnostics, telematics has significantly reduced costly and lengthy repair calls and improved real-time communication between the OEMs and equipment owners, service technicians and end users. 

As this technology continues to evolve, it might be time for the conversation to change from talking about telematics and talking about IoT (Internet of Things) in construction instead. IoT will further improve visibility and performance into the health of a machine by accessing so much more than the data regarding location, usage and fuel, for simple, flexible and informed proactive fleet management. 

The future is happening now…
Although we have described the job site of the future, in reality, that future has already arrived. And, at JLG, we are at the forefront of it. As a leader in the access industry, we believe it's up to us to continue to push the boundaries of possibility, and we take that responsibility seriously. Our development efforts are focused on harnessing the power of new technology to pave the way for the job site of the future. To learn more about our pioneering spirit and how it drives us to redefine what is possible, click here.

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