Why Project Managers Should be Concerned with Concrete Quality and Safety
When it comes to defects and failures in constructed facilities, project managers and construction companies can be facing a big increase in costs. Projects can face long delays due to the development of cracks in concrete or moving on to the next phase of a project without proper strength gain, facilities can become impaired, workers can be put at risk of injury or fatality, and complete reconstruction may be required. With the costs of repairs also comes the indirect costs of insurance, inspection, and regulation. For these reasons and more, quality and safety of infrastructure development projects should be a big concern to project managers and contractors.
What is SmartRock® Plus
SmartRock® Plus is new smart technology system to improve the way ready-mix producers do business. It allows them to increase profitability, improve customer loyalty, and expand market share. Ready-mix producers who partner with Giatec as SmartRock® Plus producers perform mix calibrations prior to sales. SmartRock® Plus allows them and their clients to have access to real-time concrete strength monitoring data for projects using their pre-calibrated Smart™ mixes. With this field data easily accessible to them, producers have the knowledge and resources necessary to optimize mix performance for future projects and improve mix quality, thus giving them an opportunity to help improve safety and quality control in the construction industry.
Improving Quality in Concrete Construction
Although there are already many computer based methods of improving quality in construction such as finite element models and computer-aided-design technology, many of these methods are primarily present during the design and conception stages of a project. Smart technologies such as SmartRock® Plus wireless temperature sensors are utilized on the jobsite during production. This allows contractors and project managers to monitor project quality at every stage and make any necessary adjustments to ensure the highest quality possible at project completion. It also allows ready-mix producers to have access to field data allowing them to optimize their mixes, and improve performance and durability of their product.
Improving Infrastructure Safety and Protecting Jobsite Data
Producing sound products that are less prone to failure means workers and managers can reduce risks that could require costly repairs and damage control. It also means increased safety in infrastructure and fewer problems down the road as buildings and structures age. The use of fully-embedded sensors eliminates the risk of accidentally cutting protruding wires and cables necessary for data collection which would render your sensors useless and cut off access to data necessary for quality control. Without proper quality control, you run the risk of overseeing potential problems which could require costly repairs or become safety hazards in the long run.
Creating Smart Cities
“Many big companies are now investing into smart cities. This is the trend of the future and it’s going to change the world,” says Dr. Ali Alizadeh, CEO of Giatec Scientific Inc.
A smart city is a vision in urban development that securely integrates information and communication technology (ICT) as well as Internet of things (IoT) technology to manage a city’s assets. These assets can include information systems for everything from schools and libraries to power plants and construction projects. The information and knowledge gathered by ICT is used to improve the efficiency of services just like SmartRock® Plus is used to improve the efficiency of concrete production and placement and improve quality management in the construction industry.
