Uruguay’s largest construction firm is scouting for highway, rail and energy projects in Argentina even as South America’s second-largest economy slips into a recession and a corruption scandal stalls investment.

Engineering and construction leaders need to think about how they will change processes, systems and operations in preparation for the industry’s inevitable digital transformation. Done right, it can be a game-changer. But companies must ensure that their change management plan addresses both technology and culture, or they will be doomed to fail.

“For us, digital transformation is really that intersection of technology innovation and business innovation,” stated Mark Peacock, principal and global IT transformation practice leader with The Hackett Group, in a 2017 CIO article. “It’s how you’re taking digital technologies and, as a company, fundamentally changing the way you’re delivering products and services. It’s about applying technology innovation to come up with new business models, which really drive new revenue above the line and new ways to deliver products and services.”

Reprinted courtesy of Jay Snyder, Alyssa Menard & Sabine Hoover, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.

Looking to bolster development of new technologies for construction and give industry players a place to test new products, Oracle has created a Construction and Engineering Innovation Lab. Located on the campus of the former Textura headquarters in Deerfield, Ill., the 15,000-sq-ft initial phase of the facility is designed to resemble an “in-progress” construction site, ready to be rigged with the latest in sensor and automation technology for testing and demonstration.

More than 20 prominent companies and associations have signed President Trump’s “Pledge to America’s Workers,” signaling their commitment to creating new opportunities through apprenticeships, work-based learning, continuing education, on-the-job training and reskilling. To date, companies such as Microsoft, Walmart, General Motors, Lockheed Martin and Home Depot have pledged to train more than 3.8 million people for new positions.

Associated Builders and Contractors has committed to educating and developing at least 500,000 construction workers during the next five years. Already, ABC members invest $1.1 billion on workforce development to educate more than 475,000 industry employees annually, and ABC chapters have set up more than 800 apprenticeship, craft training and safety programs across the United States. Yet, there are 500,000 open positions in the construction industry alone. The National Association of Homebuilders, Associated General Contractors and North America’s Building Trades Unions have made pledges as well.

Reprinted courtesy of Joanna Masterson, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.

Summer camp is a tradition for many young people across the country. For some lucky students, this summer was filled with blueprints, tools and construction skills instead of sports, crafts and swimming.

Several chapters of Associated Builders and Contractors have partnered with schools and community organizations to provide summer learning to young people interested in gaining a competitive advantage in their future career with quality construction skills. With more than 500,000 jobs available in the construction industry right now, creating opportunities for young people to connect with construction professionals and learn career-ready skills is essential.

Reprinted courtesy of Mike Glavin, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released data showing that spending in the private construction market has reached $954 billion, surpassing the previous peak spending of $906 billion in 2006.

While spending is on the rise, so is the number of unfilled positions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 243,000 construction job openings in May 2018—a nearly 33 percent increase from the 183,000 jobs open just a year before.

Reprinted courtesy of Yves Frinault, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.

About 17 months after D.C. United broke ground on its approximately $500-million soccer-specific stadium in Southwest Washington, D.C., crews completed substantial construction on Audi Field in time for the team to host its first Major League Soccer match in its new digs on July 14.

The Buffalo News has an article that shows that unionization is not the rainbows and unicorns that organizers promise. The story involves the Ironworkers organizing of a company call Wendt Corp. Over a year ago, Wendt’s employees voted in favor representation by the Ironworkers. But, Wendt and the union still have yet to agree on a contract. As we often tell employees thinking about organizing, voting in favor of the union and receiving the benefit of what the organizers promises are different things. An affirmative vote means only that the employer must bargain in good faith with the union. It does not mean the employer is forced to sign a collective bargaining agreement containing all of the goodies the union promises employees.

The construction market has entered its tenth year of growth, and it seems the near-term outlook continues to be positive. What is surprising is that industry firms continue to see bright prospects throughout the next year, despite perceived headwinds caused by rising materials prices and staff shortages.

Retrofitting new technical systems into an existing building can be tricky. CTRL Reality, a Finnish AR/VR application development company, is completing an experimentation project demonstrating how HVAC design and installation are easier and cost-efficient with the help of virtual reality.

Teijo Lehtonen CTRL Reality“We did research on the business use of virtual and augmented reality for five years at the University of Turku before starting up our company a year ago,” said CEO Teijo Lehtonen. “We’re focused on industrial and cultural travel applications.”

Artificial intelligence is a much-hyped technology, but there are only a handful of real-life implementations in construction. Sweco is one of the first in the world to showcase the use of machine learning in structural design.