Any major construction project requires three things to succeed – funds, equipment, and managers.
If one of the pieces is missing from the equation, unexpected breakdowns will happen in the middle of the project, bringing the activities to a halt. So what will happen if a hydraulic excavator breaks down? The construction equipment manager is the first person of concern who is responsible for managing the construction site and its equipment. So, they must understand construction asset management well to be able to take immediate action. Efficient management of equipment is the foremost responsibility of a construction equipment manager, so costly interruptions are prevented.
In this blog, we will focus on the role of a construction equipment manager, and how they can improve their efficiency using a construction asset management system.
What is construction equipment management?Â
Construction equipment management refers to the process of monitoring, tracking and management construction equipment for enhanced productivity. It involves meeting the construction needs regularly by allocating assets well, and keeping them in the most optimal condition.
A construction equipment manager is entrusted with the task of efficient construction equipment management to meet the deadlines on time, and meet organizational needs. With a system in place, a construction manager can improve asset management workflows, and achieve a higher asset control for enhanced productivity.
Role of a construction equipment managerÂ
A construction equipment manager is responsible for running a construction project smoothly. Their role extends beyond handling the construction equipment. Let’s take a closer look at their major duties:
Monitor construction schedule
The manager ensures that the right equipment is available at the construction site to avoid any delays. They work closely with the team handling heavy-duty machinery to follow the construction timeline. So, it is important for them to monitor the schedule to prevent costly downtime.
Handle procurement procedure
It is important to maintain a proper vendor relationship while sourcing the equipment. So, the equipment manager handles the procurement procedure to assess the needs of the project, strike bargains, and ensure timely delivery of the required machines.
Ensure quality assurance
The success of the construction project does not solely depend on the machines – quality is equally important. A construction manager is responsible for ensuring the heavy-duty equipment is performing efficiently and kept well-maintained. To achieve this, they need to keep check on the machinery for maintenance to guarantee compliance with safety regulations.
Need for a construction equipment manager
There are several tasks to be taken care of by a construction equipment manager to make a construction project successful. Here’s why the work of the manager is important:
Daily log
Equipment productivity in construction needs to be logged daily. The day-to-day activities at the site operations are recorded in the daily log such as tasks, updates, issues, or other details. Some of the daily logs are about communication, delivery, and requests for information (RFIs).
Field reports
Similarly, a construction equipment manager maintains field reports to avoid construction challenges. These are site reports that help track progress and provide details of inspections. Maintaining field reports helps the manager to update the information, and inform about tasks and changes on the site.
Technical Affinity
With the changing technological landscape, construction managers need to adapt to the new trends. A manager aware of the latest innovations can help with better efficiency and success rates.
Budget management
One of the equipment manager’s best practices is to follow a proper budget plan. It is important to manage the finances of the project – even the smallest change can result in going over budget. Therefore, a construction manager maintains a daily log and field report to track the tasks and expenditures to manage finances.
Client communication
A construction project has several stakeholders: clients, outsource suppliers, and so on. Therefore, a manager keeps them on the same page by collaborating with them through the logs and reports.
Disadvantages of poor equipment management
Poor equipment management can lead to inefficiencies and inaccuracies in asset management. Here are some ways poor management can lead to losses:
Inability to meet deadlines
Commercial construction projects are time-sensitive. To manage them properly there must be an equipment manager who manages the operational processes and resolves issues promptly. Inability to meet deadlines can lead to loss of potential, and existing customers.
Frequent equipment breakdowns
Is your machinery breaking down more often? If so, it indicates a lack of proper equipment management leading to inconsistent maintenance and machinery failure. It will ultimately cause delays in the construction project and increase the repair costs.
Lack of workplace safety
An unmonitored construction site is more prone to accidents, which is why a lack of proper equipment management can easily lead to serious injuries. For instance, poor maintenance of equipment can result in the equipment stopping while performing causing injuries.
Unexpected costs
A brand new truck or crane is likely to improve the productivity to achieve organizational goals. However, using old machinery will mean businesses need to put in more labor force to deal with the consequences in case the machinery breaks down. If the procurement process is not handled properly, it can cause unforeseen costs such as exceeding labor wages. A construction manager helps prevent these occurrences and manages the costs well.
Decline in productivity
What if a construction manager does not keep regular checks on the machinery? Lack of proper management of all equipment can result in unexpected delays. If worn-out machinery is used, the maintenance cost would be high and more people will be needed to operate it, resulting in decreased productivity.
Best practices to be a productive construction equipment managerÂ
Looking for smarter ways to be a productive construction equipment manager? To achieve this goal you need to follow these practices:
1. Use construction equipment management software
One of the smartest ways to boost the management of equipment is to use construction equipment management software. You will be able to assign location barcodes to the items which will help you identify and categorize heavy equipment and also track them.
This way, you will know what fixed assets like trucks, excavators etc, are involved in the construction project, and when they are due for service.
2. Track your equipment utilization
Equipment managers should keep a close eye on the workflows to enhance construction equipment efficiency. A common metric used for this is equipment utilization. It tells you if the machinery is being used to its full capacity, is underused, or requires maintenance.Â
In case you notice a bulldozer being under-utilized, for instance, you can easily compare the associated costs (like wear and tear).
3. Set time for inspections
How often does your equipment require servicing? Without keeping proper track of the fixed assets being used, your equipment may suffer from breakdowns in the middle of the task. Any mechanical piece of equipment needs to be scheduled for maintenance.
You can easily do it using a construction equipment software, such as EZOfficeInventory, to minimize any disruptions. The maintenance scheduling feature lets you plan and set inspection time beforehand so that nothing is missed from the regular equipment checkups.
4. Understand your equipment’s limit
Every machinery being used has a useful life (number of years it can work). With the help of performance-based KPIs such as asset utilization and uptime, you can easily monitor the functioning of machinery. This will help you remain informed if the asset is underutilized or overutilized. It will tremendously reduce the risk of failure mid-work and additional repairs.
5. Implement anti-theft measures
Theft can occur easily if there are no asset tracking measures for construction in place. Strong security measures are required to have access to the equipment stored or even access the digital reports. Therefore, incorporating password-protected logins and restricted access helps prevent theft. Unauthorized access protection adds an extra layer of security.
6. Handle equipment requests and returns
The best way to manage the equipment is to properly handle the requests to use them. An access control system allows authorized team members to check-in and checkout items. Not only you can keep proper track of the equipment utilization but also streamline effective communication for maintenance scheduling. Also, you can keep a proper check on the user activity and limit the misuse of equipment.
7. Train the equipment management workforce
Managing the workforce is as important for construction equipment managers as managing the equipment. To make the most out of both the machinery and the workforce you have to share proper guidelines to handle the equipment and visualize the resource management flow such as individual and team tasks.
Improve equipment efficiency in construction using asset tracking softwareÂ
Where keeping an inventory of your construction equipment is extremely important to enhance productivity, a construction asset management system makes the process extremely efficient. Here are just a few ways a centralized asset management system can help simplify operations and help you gain powerful control over your construction equipment:
- Fully automate maintenance: Set up recurring services, send equipment into triage, and even mark items as unavailable while they are being serviced.
- Generate work orders: To keep track of projects across your teams, assign tasks, and stay updated on progress via notifications.
- Reserve equipment: Check the availability calendar for conflict-free scheduling.
- Check logs: Maintain check-in/ out history and perform multiple actions in the field with a mobile app.
- Label your equipment: Get real-time updates on who has ownership of which item at any given time – send custody verification requests to custodians.
- Access to equipment use: Enable workers to transfer custody of items, and ask for approvals before equipment is moved around.
- Generate reports: To check equipment utilization and maintenance costs, assess reports and get useful business insights for procurement planning and asset lifecycle management.
In contrast to manually logged spreadsheets, asset management software keeps real-time track of your construction equipment and enhances transparency in the use of assets.
Manage your construction machinery efficiently
Being a construction equipment manager, you need to have certain managerial skills to handle the pressure of the job well. Management of assets is a vital responsibility of a construction manager and managing them well can be made easier using an asset tracking system. Improve the efficiency of your construction equipment by managing them from a centralized platform.
Such a system provides construction businesses and managers insights into the asset landscape and makes the asset management process smoother.
