Masonry Magazine June 1997 Page. 12
Business Planning
Corporate
Planning
and Evaluations
Trends for the
Construction
Industry
Edited by: Jerry Jackson, CMC
Getting Work
Those who simply manage the construction process are seen by owners as providing less value than those who:
* Provide true turnkey services design... build-operate-maintain
* Have the skilled labor to perform construction, repair, and maintenance
Can information technology (IT) be used as a marketing tool? You bet. And not just in the form of desk-top publishing software and laptop-driven "glitzy" visual aids, either. Companies are discovering that, just like Wal-Mart, information is power. Making the right information available to customers and team-members on a real-time basis is just one way that contractors are harnessing information technology. Whether on a groupware-based collaborative communications platform or on the somewhat more intuitive World Wide Web, owners, CMs, and design professionals are making Informed decisions and tracking Job progress. Successful construction projects are highly dependent upon timely communications, appropriate response to changing conditions, and accountability. How long will owners put up with historical project pace, mired in the molasses of conventional mail service, telephone tag, and interminable meetings, when technology has answers now? In the short run, early advocates will sell such service as a value-add. Within a few years, only minor projects will be run without a dedicated, technology-based, communication platform.
Market potential research is embraced more widely in the construction industry. In addition to the large materials producers, now many smaller companies in construction management, general construction, trade contractors, and regional aggregates, asphalt and concrete producers are seeking more market information. The information is being used as decision support for merger or acquisition, geographic expansion, new product or service introductions, or to steer strategic planning.
Contractors have accepted the notion of sales and marketing in the
12 MASONRY-MAY/JUNE, 1997