Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/662812
April 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 78 final word | by Tom Jackson T he majority of contractors still aren't using either telematics or GPS/GNSS; a fact that people in technology com- panies often lament. The cause is usually ascribed to a so-called "digital divide." The young kids get it; they were raised on laptops and smart phones. The old guys don't get it; they're just too slow on the uptake, or so the theory goes. And since the old guys write the checks and run the companies, that means technology is a hard sell. But I would wager that the digital divide is not a matter of age…but of culture. For example: • In technology, terms and definitions are often vague and unclear. When a website asks for your user name, what it sometimes means is your email address. How do you turn "off" a Windows computer? You click the "start" button. • In construction, a 3/8ths-inch, hex-head, Grade 5, stainless steel bolt with 20 tpi, means just that…and nothing else. Construction is based on rigorously adhered to specs and standards. There can be no deviation or misunderstanding without serious consequences. • In technology, when a computer or digital system fails, the IT people usually have all sorts of workarounds and solutions. You may lose an hour or two, but, this loss of productivity is ac- cepted as the cost of doing business. • In construction, if the forms you built for a concrete pour fail, you best move to a different city. Hari-kari is also an acceptable solution. Fail- ure is not an option. • In technology, we hit peak computing ef- ficiency around the time of Windows XP. Since then, developers and web designers have larded so many junk features, unasked for changes, cookies, tracking software and garbage code into their systems, that productivity is suffering. • In construction, tools and equipment keep getting better, not worse. Load-sensing hydrau- lics, automatic transmissions in heavy trucks and hydrostatic transmissions in dozers have made equipment a joy to use. In the power tool cat- egory, cordless designs, keyless chucks, brush- less motors, and impact drivers have all boosted the ease and efficiency with which tradesmen do their work. When I ask contractors what prevents them from using more technology, they often say it's the lack of training. And when they describe the training they do get, it's always some guy who spends a couple hours on site swishing around with a notebook computer and talking too fast, before he disappears never to be heard from again (except sporadically via email). That's the culture of technology, not construction. Construction technology is generally better than most consumer-grade electronic interfaces. But, last month I listened to several contractors complain that every time they buy a new ma- chine, they have to learn a new interface on the in-cab monitor – even when it's the same OEM and machine, but a new series. In the technology culture, learning a new interface is just an inter- esting challenge. In construction, it's just burning daylight – an expensive waste of time. The winners in this multibillion-dollar construc- tion technology race are going to be the compa- nies who adhere to the culture of construction. They will make their user interface intuitive and standardized – and provide the kind of training and support that contractors expect from yel- low iron vendors. As the late business guru Peter Drucker allegedly said, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." The digital divide TJackson@randallreilly.com It's culture – not age – that makes contractors hesitate