Time On Your Side
April 27, 2006
There is no questioning the value of a good estimating or accounting system. Yet for many construction companies the truth worth of technology is proven out in the field.
More homebuilders and residential contractors are turning to innovative technology that helps streamline the process of tracking time and attendance of its workers on the jobsite. The ability to capture field information as it happens, increase the accuracy of time reporting, and minimize payroll processes makes these applications very appealing.
One unique solution comes from Exaktime, www.exaktime.com, Woodland Hills, Calif. The company offers job clocks embedded with intelligent technology that can be placed anywhere on the jobsite. Used in conjunction with key tabs issued to workers—green to clock-in and red to clock-out—it tracks time and attendance.
An infrared port on a Palm Pilot running Exaktime’s software allows foremen to collect attendance records from the job clock in a point and click fashion. Synched back at the office, attendance records are uploaded to the computer where customized reports display information by jobsite, employee, or activity.
According to Scott Prewett, CTO (chief technology officer) with Exaktime, the ability to track various labor codes and generate jobsite reports that summarize labor costs for jobs via the technology are most appealing to homebuilders.
“We see many contractors not only want to track which workers were on the job and the hours they worked, but also what type of work they did in order to tie this information back to budgets and estimates,” says Mike Soniat, president of Accu-Tech Systems, www.accutechsys.com, Beaumont, Texas.
Accu-Tech’s mJobTime uses Sybase iAnywhere's SQL Anywhere Studio for its database and wireless synchronization capabilities. Its office application allows users to calculate overtime, generate reports, or link with accounting packages, among other tasks.
As wireless technology continues to mature and more contractors are equipped with laptops, tablet PCs, and PDAs (personal digital assistants) in the field, the use of these applications looks to increase.
A growing list of companies, including FieldRanger, www.fieldranger.com, Portland, Ore., and HindSite Software, www.hindsitesoftware.com, St. Paul, Minn., are continually coming to market with applications targeting time tracking and field force management for contractors.