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Field2Base
A new electronic tablet boosts job
site efficiency
By Elaine S. Silver
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Field2Base technology allows field
personnel to handle day-to-day communication tasks more
efficiently and expedites information for site-to-office
problem solving.
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There is no way to predict the unexpected on a job site.
But discrepancies between design documents and field conditions
are common, and they can cost contractors many dollars in
lost time and productivity until they are resolved. When faced
with a problem, many crews still use the call-and-wait system,
but electronic transmission of complex information is becoming
more prevalent.
That's exactly what a new product called Field2Base does
and also why one of its users, Clancy and Theys Construction
Co., Raleigh, N.C., recently won first place in AGC's competitive
America's Best Information Technology Solutions Contest at
the association's convention in Las Vegas.
Field2Base uses a PC tablet and packs it with a CAD viewer
and job site requirements-plans, accident reports and time
sheets. The field manager can record information on site and
send it back to his office through wireless communications,
without walking a step.
"If a foreman encounters a problem, traditionally, he
has to go back to the trailer," says Robert McKenzie,
CFO, Clancy and Theys. "Then he has to call, fax and
email for answers. Sometimes it's minutes, sometimes hours
or days for the information to get into the right hands and
for him to get a decision on how to deal with the problem."
Field2Base can cut that time down to just a few minutes.
In Clancy and Theys' case study, field superintendent Don
Street was given a PC tablet loaded with Field2Base technology.
He learned to use it in a couple of hours and immediately
saw its benefits.
In one instance, Street's crew was working on a covered walkway
at a university building. The crew discovered that the position
of the steel supports conflicted with the installation of
finish materials. Street photographed the steel support, found
the condition on the CAD drawing, copied and annotated it,
then used the Field2Base tablet to send the entire packet
to the structural engineer, architect and project manager.
Several minutes later, Street got the answer he needed: Remove
several pieces of the steel and replace them with steel angles.
"Time is money," says McKenzie, "There are
calculable costs, like $1,000 a day, for managing the job
site."
Ed Holloway, Field2Base CEO, says his company visited 200
firms, from one and two-man shops to large commercial contractors,
while developing the product. "We shield a lot of its
complexities," he says, "It's icon and task driven.
The user sees one task or item that needs to be done. If they
want to take a photograph, they see an icon of a camera. It's
made for someone out in the field who may not have used a
computer, and it can be learned with two hours of training."
And field personnel don't have to worry about their data
getting lost in the airwaves. Dropped calls are backed up
and automatically started again as soon as the user is back
in signal range.
Field2Base is a subscription-based service with no upfront
costs. The hardware, software and cellular service are included.
Costs run $350 to $600 per month per tablet. n
www.field2base.com
Call: 919-462-8500
www.clancytheys.com
Call: 919-834-3601
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