Everyone in the construction industry knows that the main risks to healthy profit margins are jobs that overrun and go over budget. A project that seems on track can quickly spin off the rails and turn into a logistical nightmare, so how do you prevent this from happening?
The first step is to consider the overall construction site efficiency. Buying used plant machinery for sale can help with this, but there is little point, for instance, in having diggers and dumpers stood idle or un-coordinated in their work. Every working part of the site, from vehicles to manpower, needs to run like a well-oiled machine to get the job done on time and within spend – and the following tips will help to achieve this:
Purchasing versatile plant equipment
It is good business practice to consider whether you have the minimum amount of equipment required that will get the job done just as efficiently as having a host of machines. Consider Skidsteer, Tracked Loader, Avant Loaders and their associated fleet of attachments to cut down on other superfluous and probably unnecessary plant equipment.
Cutting down on manual labour
Having your machinery do the hard stuff instead of relying on manpower is a no-brainer. Plant equipment is heavy equipment designed for the specific purpose, and workhorses such as excavators and dumper trucks do the work of many men in a fraction of the usual time. Additionally, they don’t need to take tea breaks or get tired!
Imagine many men shovelling and loading loose materials, such as construction aggregate, gravel, sand, asphalt, klinkers, snow and wood chips and building debris, and having to then drive that load to a different location and start shovelling it off again! It could literally take all day when a dumper or tipper truck could complete these tasks at a much faster rate.
Planning each job effectively
They always say it begins with the planning and it is undoubtedly true that many errors are made at this stage. It is imperative that construction managers do their homework and work out how many supplies they need for a project to avoid unnecessary delays, inconvenience and cost increases caused by their own miscalculations and mistakes. And it doesn’t just involve supplies – effective planning considers the bigger picture of each construction project including labour, the information chain, plant equipment, processes and how these will all work together on a schedule to maximise efficiency.
Consider using good management software
Traditionally we may think of a construction site manager’s desk being covered with plans, along with his hard hat and cup of tea, but a good construction management tool can keep an office clutter-free and allow managers to focus on actually improving the efficiency of their operation.
Construction management software can help to handle all stages of a project and increase efficiency, from bid management through to invoicing, billing, organizing contractors, documents, leads, job scheduling, time sheets and health and safety etc. There are a number of free scheduling software which you can consider for this task.
Staff training
Well-trained staff equals efficient staff, and efficient staff get the job done better and quicker too! Helping staff master critical skills and improve their skillset enables you to set them to work on tasks you may have ordinarily carried out yourself; leaving you to take charge of other more important stuff.
Listening to your staff
A breakdown in communication is one of the most significant ways site efficiency can be lost, and the effects can always prove truly disastrous. A daily meeting to set the expectations of the day means everyone knows their place in the working wheel and improves the efficiency of any construction site.
