Fort Hills Energy has chosen Aecon Group Inc. for a $123 million mining site development contract at the Fort Hills oil sands project in Alberta. Aecon is working with Suncor Energy Operating Inc. on the project, which will be completed in the…
Dufferin Concrete, a division of Holcim Canada Inc., has launched a new mobile truck-tracking application. The app provides real-time information for customers by allowing them to review and track their concrete deliveries on their smartphone or tablet. “The app uses…
Contractors have been slow to jump on the digital marketing bandwagon, to the extent that the typical construction website looks like…well, a construction site. However, a new breed of construction companies, led by technology-savvy entrepreneurs, is changing the game, says…
We often take for granted the impact information technology and the Internet has had on our ability to accurately collect and analyze data. Through technology the world has managed to capture 2.8 zettabytes (ZB) of data. And what’s even more…
Contractors aren’t reputed to be early adopters of IT. This might explain, at least partially, IT’s diminutive presence at Construct Canada in Toronto last December—amongst hundreds of booths, only a scattering featured IT products. Regulators, suppliers, and large clients, however,…
A look at online buying trends in the construction industry
If your enterprise software isn’t quite right for the job, maybe it’s time to consider customization
After years of discussion and preparation, government procurement is poised to become paperless; ending an era of sealed envelopes, couriered submissions, lock boxes, and yes, last-minute drives through rush-hour traffic to submit tender documents on time. “The Government of Canada…
As the use and implementation of building information modelling (BIM) continues to grow across Canada, buildingSMART Canada, a council of the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC), has launched a new website to provide accessible and pertinent information on the…
Despite all the buzz over social media, email newsletters still remain extremely cost-effective tools for commercial contractors–tools that can create strong, emotional bonds with customers that are not easily severed. “It’s a key element of how we communicate not only…
Life used to be simple. When a supervisor logged into the corporate network from a jobsite, it was on a company-owned mobile device, protected by the company’s IT security mechanisms. Today, thanks to the rapid rise of the bring-your-own device…
Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones are revolutionizing construction by simplifying communications and making time spent on the job site more productive. There have been exponential improvements in tablet technology since the first ones were introduced more than 20…
As the phrase “moving to the cloud” suggests, cloud computing usually involves a migration of sorts where organizations incrementally shed elements of their IT infrastructure in favour of offerings from online providers. However, when Dennis Donovan and Steve Moore started…
OTTAWA, November 26, 2012 – In an effort to collaborate on the development of building information modeling (BIM) standards, the National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance and buildingSMART Canada, a Council of the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC),…
EllisDon has launched Uprising, a crowdsourcing platform that has the potential to revolutionize construction problem solving. Uprising was created by EllisDon to “push problem-solving beyond the boundaries of any one company and into the collective intelligence of the world’s brightest…
It is ironic that construction companies that meticulously track their job expenditures often manage their own IT projects with little idea of the costs they are incurring. As a result, they frequently decide on acquisitions where the costs significantly outweigh…
Machine control adds precision and versatility to compact equipment
The PCL family of companies recently launched its new website, designed to offer a more user-friendly site with links to social media platforms; an easy-to-use careers section; a broad portfolio with more than 500 detailed project profiles and more. PCL…
No construction company would invest in a piece of heavy equipment without taking a careful look at its intended workload. When it comes to buying software to run the business, however, many forge ahead with little more than a rough…
Cecilia Padilla has been named the new president of On Center Software. Padilla has been with the company since 2008, when she was hired for the role of vice-president. She played a vital role in introducing Digital Production Control patented…
