Construction Industry Going Hi-Tech

August 21, 1996

In the old days -- before the construction industry was computerized -- information was logged in manually and it took hours to insure that all of the key players were informed of project developments.

Fortunately for clients, things have changed, at least at W&M Construction. Today, information is much more detailed and readily available, and it's more accessible. Whether a manager is in the field, in the office, or at home after hours, any document can be downloaded with the touch of a button.

For example, all of W&M's staff -- from project managers and administrative assistants to our top executives -- have immediate access to current information and archives, including meeting minutes, correspondence, submittals logs, cost worksheets, purchase orders, contract information, spreadsheets, client invoices, change-order logs and project requisition reports for every one of our projects at their fingertips.

In general, work is processed by W&M Construction Corp. much faster today than it was just a few years ago, thanks to a number of advanced information systems. E-mail, voice-mail, cellular telephones and laptop computers facilitate faster communications and access to data. Our project managers have access from anywhere at anytime, day or night, to correspondence, e-mail, project files, Lotus spreadsheets and advanced construction software programs, including Expedition by Primavera and Budgetrac -- all making project management more efficient than ever.

We all know how rapidly information technology is transforming the world. This is true no less in construction than it is in the rest of the economy. Advanced information systems save tremendous amounts of time and allow for total job control, which ultimately means better service and savings for clients.