Constructech Top Products 2010: Guiding You Back to Business
Without question the IT (information technology) departments for many homebuilders felt the residual effects of a slowdown in new business. Whether or not that new scheduling system would save time and effort or that new PDA (personal digital assistant) would be very handy for your superintendents, if it wasn’t an absolute necessity, for the most part, it wasn’t adopted.
As we head into a new year, many in the industry expect funds to become more available for technology—for the right purpose. Implementing new technology will need to correlate with the necessities of today’s building environment; and in many cases this new environment does require some new tools of the trade. A quick assessment of the new business and technology landscape shows a few areas where technology can definitely make a difference.
Homebuilding has always been an industry driven by communication and collaboration. Given the Web 2.0 technology craze that has introduced such things as text messages, tweets, and social networking updates to the communication equation, it’s advantageous for builders to leverage this communication evolution.
That being said, the need for accurate communication using standard methods should not regress on the list of priorities for the residential construction industry. Technology advancements in cellular networks and the new types of multifaceted devices for the field have changed the way business is being done remotely. This, of course, will require customized process management workflows that are not prevalent in backoffice financial and operational applications, too.
Builders will also face a new set of challenges associated with the regulatory environment. Changes driven by legislative action are apparent and financial institutions expect realtime information reporting, meaning the need for accurate and timely information is no longer a luxury, but rather a necessity. Expect to see regulatory challenges associated with the move towards green building as well. Government authorities will offer “green” credits and new mandates associated with such initiatives will alter the way information is reported—again, forcing builders to take a new look at technology.
Building information modeling is certainly on the collective minds of the construction industry. Moving into this new age of digital information can be beneficial, but at the same time costly—most notably what to do with legacy data not in the new format.
These are just a few examples of how the building technology landscape is changing. Winners of this year’s Constructech Top Products for residential definitely have these things in mind and are bringing to market efficient tools with powerful capabilities.
– Constructech staff
WORKFLOW
www.buildermt.com
Lakewood, Colo.
|
Business Process Management
Helping builders make more of current technology investments, BuilderMT’s BPM (Business Process Management) technology helps create and manage automated processes in the enterprise without the need for costly and complicated programming. The company continues to build on the functionality of BPM and has introduced BuilderMT Phone Apps, which takes workflow applications that run in the office and pushes them out to browser-based mobile devices. Built/coded with a BPM workflow mapping tool, these Apps are fully integrated into any software system or database, and include wireless scheduling, variance purchase order creation, authorize to pay, work order creation, punchlist walkthrough, purchase order approval, and many more. The company is building on a core product while leveraging one of the hottest trends in technology today—phone apps—to improve workflow in the field.
|
| |
|
SCHEDULING
www.buildertrend.com
Omaha, Neb.
|
BuilderTREND
Designed with the small-to-medium sized homebuilder and remodeling professional in mind, BuilderTREND continues to be one of the most successful Web-based collaboration and scheduling products on the market today. BuilderTREND addresses the core functions builders need in order to run a successful project: scheduling, change order and selection approval, document management, and warranty management, among others, all online. There is no software to install, meaning the cost to maintain and manage is lowered and the ability to collaborate is increased. Achieving the Top Product Award now two years in a row, BuilderTREND stays committed to improving and updating its software platform as technology changes and builders become more in-tune with the benefits of a Web-based platform.
|
| |
|
ENTERPRISE
www.constellationhb.com
Markham, Ont.
|
BuildSoft Pro
Constellation has released the updated BuildSoft Pro 32-bit release to homebuilders and remodelers who build less than 50 homes per year to help manage their construction processes. Specifically, homebuilders can use BuildSoft Pro’s residential construction and scheduling software as one integrated package for accounting, project management, estimating, and job costing. All four integrated components help builders improve efficiency. For remodelers, BuildSoft Pro’s residential remodeling offers the same benefits, to help complete projects on time and on budget. The new BuildSoft Pro system has a more modern look and feel based on a solid footing with Microsoft Outlook functionality and opportunity for future enhancements. The end result is a new product that encompasses all the best features trusted by thousands of BuildSoft users, plus many recent enhancements. BuildSoft Pro provides the next step up from standard spreadsheets, allowing homebuilders to manage everything from accounting to project management.
|
| |
|
SALES
www.constellationhb.com
Markham, Ont.
|
Constellation Sales
With sales being at the top of most residential construction companies’ agenda these days, Constellation Sales allows construction companies to take advantage of sales presentation tools, built-in online marketing, prospect follow-up, upgrade sales, and selections management. The software has built-in calculators and financial tools so sales agents can help prospective homebuyers make the right purchase decision. Homebuilders can also use the system to send out professional marketing messages. Each message is also stored in the Constellation Sales system for reporting purposes. Builders can also use the technology to track and manage leads with a pre-defined follow-up plan. Now, builders can also track the source of the leads, length of time to close, and performance of each sales person. |
| |
|
ENTERPRISE
(SMALL BUILDER)
www.jobsimplicity.com
Calgary, Alta.
|
Job Simplicity
Smaller builders that want one seamless flow of information from production to accounting should consider Job Simplicity. This solution offers estimating, job costing, project management, scheduling, and change management, among other applications, in one package and integrates with Intuit QuickBooks, Simply Accounting from Sage, and Peachtree by Sage Quantum. This product tackles the challenge of lost change orders, out of date information, or duplicate data entry, ensuring these factors do not eat away at profit margins for builders. With one entry, builders can be assured that information flows throughout the entire organization. Forecasting and reporting functions contained within the system provide smaller builders with tools that make their larger counterparts in the market so successful. |
| |
|
ENTERPRISE
www.kovasolutions.com
Woburn, Mass
|
Kova
Launched in 2006, Kova leverages the latest in Web technologies to provide homebuilders with a complete production management system, with applications for sales, design, bidding, purchasing, estimating, scheduling, customer service, warranty, and accounting, among others. The product’s application framework and code generation engine allows for rapid application development, while its use of Microsoft Dynamics as the financial management engine presents users with full-featured reporting and a familiar user interface as well as the flexibility for things like multi-company and intercompany processing. Realizing the value of collaboration, the solution also provides Web portals for all stakeholders involved in the project. While still relatively new to the marketplace, Kova could provide stiff competition to some of the bellwethers on the block. |
| |
|
TABLET PC
www.motioncomputing.com
Austin, Texas
|
Motion F5
For many contractors, rugged mobile devices in the field are a high priority. The Motion F5 is a lightweight, rugged tablet PC that allows workers to view project information to help improve documentation, materials management, and collaboration. The tablet PC has a range of features including a digital camera, RFID (radio frequency identification) reader, barcode scanner, and mobile broadband. The company continues to add new features to the product to help it be more durable in the field, such as a durable display technology called Gorilla Glass. While durable, the glass display does not interfere with the capabilities of the tablet’s pen. Motion continues to partner with software providers specific to construction, further enhancing this piece of hardware for the field. |
| |
|
BIM
www.simpad.com
Woburn, Mass.
|
Blackpoint
Simpad’s Blackpoint transforms traditional 2D plans into 3D models and manages the plans, estimates, and additional work via a communication portal. As an outsourcer, Blackpoint Builder Services provides builders with a solution to solve one of the most challenging aspects of projects today: the options process. It manages options in CAD (computer-aided design) drawings and estimates, and it integrates with Autodesk’s ACA (AutoCAD Architectural) Desktop, allowing builders to issue the latest plans with all structural options. All stakeholders can use the Blackpoint communications portal to generate and access lot-specific plans and estimates, which is updated in realtime throughout the entire sales process. This product continues to evolve, helping to lower the cost of migrating to a BIM (building information modeling) environment. |
Below, please find the full list of winners.
Trusted Products: VisionREZ, Ameri-CAD Inc. - An ITW Co.; Business Process Management, BuilderMT; BuilderTREND, BuilderTREND Solutions Inc.; BuildSoft Pro, Constellation HomeBuilder Systems; Constellation Sales, Constellation HomeBuilder Systems; MasterBuilder, Sage; Sales Simplicity, Sales Simplicity; TeleNav Track, TeleNav Inc.; ConstructionSuite 2010, UDA Technologies
New Products: Job Simplicity, HomeFront Software; Kova, Kova Solutions; Motion F5, Motion Computing Inc.; Blackpoint, Simpad