For several years now, digital technology has been making a name for itself in the building sector. The health crisis has greatly accelerated the process: with construction sites at a standstill, it was necessary to redouble our efforts to continue the activities in progress.
From now on, digital is more than ever essential to ensure the development of companies and respond to the various problems of the sector. Florent Liagre, Founder and CEO ofobatsimple and intuitive invoicing software intended for craftsmen and VSEs in the building industry, looks back on the challenges of the digital transformation of the construction industry.
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A necessary digitization
If the construction industry has taken the turn of digitalization, it is still lagging behind compared to other sectors. After a collective awareness, the need to innovate is felt at different levels, starting with the worksites. ” Digital has many cards to play, whether in terms of the design of construction projects, risk prevention on construction sites or even hardship at work. “, explains Florent Liagre.
Improving working conditions in the field is one of the major challenges of this digital transformation. Health insurance reveals that 8 million working days are lost each year in the sector. In question, regular work accidents and occupational diseases that develop over the years. The objective is therefore to find solutions that improve their daily lives both operationally and in terms of well-being.
On construction sites, administrative tasks are essential to ensure the smooth running of the work. However, they remain time-consuming and sometimes slow down team productivity, such as time sheets for collecting hours. This is a process that is still often the norm in construction companies. This can be explained by unchanged habits or resistance to change.
For the CEO of Obat, there is no doubt: the digitization of these procedures is a lever of profitability for companies. ” The dematerialization and centralization of documents allow entrepreneurs to greatly simplify the management of their company and secure their data in the cloud. And the less time they spend on administration, the more time they have to devote to their customers. “, he says. The objective is therefore to find solutions to meet the challenges of productivity, safety and process management.
Revolutionizing construction sites with digital tools
To address the gaps in the sector, start-ups are developing new digital tools, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM). ” This is probably one of the innovations that has had the greatest impact on a large scale,” says Florent Liagre. “It is a technology based on the design of 3D digital models and which has really revolutionized the working methods of project owners. “, explains the CEO of Obat.
This technology aims to develop the collaborative pan within construction companies by centralizing all the data of a project. The intelligent 3D digital model is the central element of the exchanges between the various stakeholders: architect, client and engineer can easily access all the elements as the construction stages progress. The analysis of virtual prototypes allows them to precisely study the sustainability of a construction project before it starts. BIM is therefore useful as much for anticipating the viability of a building, having more rigorous monitoring of a construction site, reducing design errors as improving productivity and communication during works.
For these reasons, this technology is considered one of the key solutions for the digital transformation of the sector. ” There is also virtual/augmented reality, which is increasingly used during the drawing phase (often in addition to BIM, moreover), the drone for aerial shots of land or even certain objects devices aimed at improving the safety and comfort of workers “, explains Florent Liagre. Among these innovations, there are in particular connected shoes. A sensor is integrated directly into the insole and engages when the employee puts on the shoe. If a fall or loss of balance is detected, the device automatically sends an alert to the company’s safety manager, along with the employee’s position. These various technologies make it possible to improve the working conditions and the productivity of the teams.
Simplify building business management
At the same time, software solutions are transforming administrative tasks. The aim is to allow players in the sector to spend less time in the office to focus on their core business and develop their business. ” SaaS software has brought a lot of flexibility to the daily lives of independent craftsmen and construction professionals. They can now access their documents wherever they are, respond very quickly to requests for quotes and monitor their sites in real time. », indicates the Founder of Obat.
The objective is to increase productivity by automating certain daunting processes. Obat precisely aims to support companies in this digitization of their administrative and commercial management. ” The idea is that by automating a large part of the time-consuming tasks that waste their time, the software allows them to focus on their real added value. “, explains Florent Liagre. The company also helps building professionals improve their client presentation and position themselves more competitively on the market.
Ultimately, Obat wants to offer the most complete solution possible. ” We want it to cover all the needs of companies in the sector: from invoicing to site monitoring, including customer relations, communication and accounting expertise. “, says the CEO.