Hello, everyone.

This is Enta.

What are your thoughts on ICT and digital transformation (DX)?

 

Back when I was still an active supervisor, the Construction CALS program was launched.

Actually, I was the first person at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Chubu Regional Construction Bureau in the Tokai region to submit digital photos electronically lol.

That said, it was subcontracted work for a general contractor commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, but,

Since it was the first pilot project, I—who was quite knowledgeable about digital technology at the time—ended up going, and

While teaching employees at the general contractor, I was creating digital photos and drawings myself, feeling my way through the process.

I remember creating all the electronic submissions for that project.

 

There were about three types of software available at the time, and we had the option to choose which one to use, but to be honest, any of them would have worked, so we left the decision up to the prime contractor.

I figured out how to use it for the time being and managed to get it delivered.

Since nobody knew back then, we just went ahead and built it while reading the guidelines, wondering, “Is this okay for now?”

I did a decent job and it turned out reasonably well, but back then, inspections were conducted using the final paper version.

Nowadays, that system is standard, and pretty much every company uses it as a matter of course, doesn't it?

 

And since they had just started appearing back then, there were agencies that handled it for people.

We are an electronic filing service provider.

A service that delivers photos electronically once you provide the photo data.

I think it was around 100,000 to 300,000 per site.

I’m pretty good with paperwork, and since I love working with digital files, I’ve created a ton of documents for other companies (prime contractors). (For free, of course.)

Oh, at least he took me out for some yakiniku lol

Thanks to that, I had pretty decent skills back then.

 

However, as software has continued to evolve over time, we’ve now reached an era where anyone can do it.

The software company has grown rapidly.

As far as I know, the companies that have been selling construction software since back then have grown to an unimaginable size.

Although the IT bubble is also a contributing factor.

What about us in the construction industry?

It’s become more convenient, but things are really on the decline, aren’t they?

And now, due to a labor shortage, we can't keep up with the workload.

However, you must pay the annual software license fee every year.

And now, the ICT wave is coming our way, lol.

It all started with aerial photography.

Aerial surveying technology has really become commonplace all of a sudden, hasn't it?

Next, we scan the construction site to create point cloud data and convert it into a 3D model.

With the iPhone Pro, you can easily create 3D models using the LiDAR feature.

Please use 3D data for as-built management as well.

Load the data onto the heavy equipment.

Scan the initial state before construction, then scan the state after construction. Calculate the difference between the two...

In addition, use that data to conduct inspections

 

Here's a rough idea of how it works

Surveying

Topographic Surveying Using Drones (UAVs) and 3D Laser Scanners

Design

3D Design Using 3D CAD and BIM/CIM

Construction

Automated Construction Using ICT-Enabled Construction Machinery (Backhoes, Bulldozers, etc.)

Management

Progress Tracking on Tablets and Information Sharing via the Cloud

Inspection

Automatically verify as-built conditions by comparing 3D models with construction data

 

I outsourced that whole process, lol

It’s still okay if the prime contractor can handle it in-house, right?

How many companies are actually able to handle this in-house??

What exactly are the benefits of being a construction company, anyway??

It just means the systems companies that support construction firms are getting bigger.

I think the main focus should be on the construction company.

Am I the only one who feels like the focus in the ICT sector is heavily skewed toward equipment manufacturers and systems companies??

It's great that things are getting more convenient.

I don't mean to deny that at all, but I can't help feeling like this might end up being a repeat of the Construction CALS situation...

 

Back in the days of Construction CALS, there was a lot of information sharing among various contractors regarding things they didn't understand or found useful, and these topics were frequently discussed online as well.

When it comes to ICT these days, I get the feeling that things like how coordinates are determined, how scanning is done, and what kind of data is easiest to use have become quite of a black box.

The system has become quite complex at this point, so it’s probably completely baffling to those who don’t understand it, but since the software compensates for some of that, it should eventually become a skill that anyone can master as time goes on.

But right now, it's all hush-hush, lol

I keep thinking that if they just made all that information public without hiding anything, it would make things so much more convenient for everyone—but I feel like there’s still some lag in that area, lol.

Well, I totally understand why you wouldn't want to reveal your source of income, though.

I feel like making all of that information public would actually be more beneficial in the long run, though...

 

I’m the kind of person who basically wants to talk about and teach everything I know, so I feel that way especially lol

It varies from person to person, but personally, the more I teach, the more other information comes in, and the better things get.

And the people around me are really helpful.

I hope more people will speak out like that for the sake of the industry ^^

 

And I’d like to see this ICT developed in a way that brings more benefits to general contractors and construction companies.

The benefit I'm talking about is, of course, money!

So that it benefits small local construction companies.

 

Some people say, “That company should just go out of business!” but in the long run, that means your own company could be in the same situation tomorrow.

Unless we do much more to revitalize the construction industry and make it a more attractive field, we won’t be able to resolve the labor shortage.

ICT is a tool—one of the means—that helps construction companies complete projects more easily and quickly.

It’s not the case that we can’t perform the work without that tool. (At least for now.)

However, circumstances leave us with no choice but to use that tool.

That’s exactly why I hope they’ll make good use of those tools so that construction companies can turn a profit.

 

There are various ways of thinking about this—what do you all think?

By the way, I absolutely love ICT and stuff like that lol

If I were the general contractor, I think I would have gone all out. (Since we’re a subcontractor, we don’t go all out.)

I think we were really going all out with the ICT work on the slope.

And I think I've posted all of that on my blog (here).

 

See you later.