Case Study: Construction Firm Automates Project Management With Tablet PCs

By Brian Albright, Field Technologies magazine

When a company invests in a brand new building, a renovation project, or an addition to an existing facility, they get more than just four walls and a roof. They also take on the responsibility of maintaining a complex network of heating/cooling, electrical, plumbing, and other systems. Construction contractors can help building owners understand how these new systems should be maintained, but this process is typically based around the hand-off of paper documents and manuals.

National construction firm Barton Malow has deployed a mobile solution that uses data collection software and tablet PCs to track the progress of construction projects, as well as electronically gather data on each building system and automatically pass it on to their customers' facilities management software. By doing so, the company has improved customer service by providing access to a richer set of building information data, and helping customers create better maintenance plans.