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If you'd told my dad ten or twenty years ago that running a successful construction
project from groundbreaking, to HVAC installation, to project close-out would
be largely dependent not upon the talent of project managers or technicians,
but computer "tracking" software, he might have told you to "take another sip."
But the fact remains, we are living "in the age of virtual construction."
Much of the estimating, buying, installation, project management, balancing and
component controlling is handled in real-time via computers and sophisticated computer
tracking software. While computers have been promising to make HVAC engineering
and contracting methods more efficient for more than two decades now, it's only
been recently that soft and hardware has evolved into the highly trusted tool
of the trade.
And virtual efficiency should, in theory anyway, mean significant cost
savings for HVAC contractors who have come to rely on the transfer of real-time
field data to their shops which might be a dozen miles away or even a couple of
thousands of miles away.
But like anything else in this business, going "virtual" requires constant education
and it requires never ending patience. It also requires a sort of blind trust
in a technology that, despite our computer dominated times, might still seem foreign
to old timers like my dad.
As an mechanical engineer or contractor, have you made the introduction of
real-time or virtual construction software a priority for your business? Or,
despite the trend, do you still favor the more traditional "man power" approach
to everything from work acquisition to tracking equipment and components? Do
you favor a more balanced approach between man and computer? Or, do you foresee
a future in which one or two people can orchestrate a major HVAC project taking
place half way around the world simply by relying on continually evolving sophisticated
computer tracking software?
The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from HVAC, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to HVAC today.
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