Innovative Piling Techniques: Should Piling Specialists Embrace Smart Technology?

Technology is always changing and, for many industries in 2023 there’s an almost constant challenge in deciding when to embrace new technologies and when to stick to the old, reliable methods. The same is true for specialist piling services.

While you might not think that piling technology has changed a lot in recent years, there are a lot of ways – big and small – in which specialist piling services could adopt new technologies to alter their workflow and potentially improve productivity. But are these new technologies worthwhile? And what are the potential downsides?

The Benefits Of Smart Software

Most people probably wouldn’t think of specialist piling services as a particularly software-driven industry, however, when it comes to site organisation and management, there are many ways in which companies have been using smart technology to improve their standard procedures.

A common example would be item tracking software. Item tracking software works by giving each item of equipment a digital tracking code – like a bar code – and then using a database to keep track of where each item is. There are a wide variety of approaches and techniques depending on what kind of item you’re keeping track of. After all, a large hydraulic bore is going to require a bit more security than, say, a hammer. That being said, the principle is much the same across the board.

There are several major benefits to this system as well as some significant costs. The benefits are that it’s far easier to keep track of equipment on-site meaning that employees are never stuck looking for a missing tool and that security is far simpler. If your truck has a GPS tracker connected to your system then you don’t have to spend as much time and attention on making sure it doesn’t get stolen.

The real downside to this kind of technology is that, particularly amongst smaller crews, it can be more effort than it’s worth to scan and track every single item. Furthermore, depending on which system you use, it could be a real inconvenience to employees, both slowing them down because they have to digitally sign out equipment and creating an untrusting atmosphere.

What Does This Mean For Specialist Piling Services

Overall, specialist piling services tend to be smaller teams dedicated to one specific role within the building project. Therefore, there’s a strong argument that such technology could only slow them down and wouldn’t be particularly beneficial.

That being said, specialist piling services often work as contractors, brought into building sites to do a particular job. As such, there could be a real value in preventing any equipment mixups between companies.

All in all, it’s down to individual companies to work out which ways these technologies could benefit them. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution and it can often take a level of experimentation and research to discover which technologies work best for which teams.