Give your company’s tech pioneers space and direction if you want to flourish says former Skyjack president

First published at CONEXPO-CON/AGG - March 12, 2020

Don’t use technology for its own sake Conexpo delegates were told

Technology should not be introduced for its own sake and a company’s “tech pioneers” should be given the necessary time to bring projects to fruition, said Brad Boehler, formerly of Skyjack. Speaking on “Gaining competitive advantage through construction technology,” Boehler told delegates at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 that new technology “is most successful when it’s aimed at solving a problem, not just because it’s new and is used for the sake of innovation”.

Boehler, former president of access machine specialists Skyjack who now describes himself as a mobile equipment industry veteran, said that innovation was essential, as the same old thinking produced the same old results. However, it was important that certain criteria were observed for new technology to be effectively introduced.

Staff had to be empowered and able to communicate easily with each other when new technology or processes were introduced, for example, he said. And efficiency had to be driven into every aspect of the business, every day. In the construction sector, this could include connected equipment, which was increasingly appearing on the market with built-in intelligence and sensing abilities. Telematics, for instance, was not about telling a company where a machine was, but how effectively or efficiently it was working.

One of the most important things a company could do to ensure new technology is effectively introduced is to ensure that the personnel entrusted with the task are given adequate time to do so, Boehler added.

“You’re pretty much setting yourself up for failure if you don’t give the ‘pioneer’ some time off from their day job. Identify people in your company who have a good understanding at understanding and implementing things that are a little different.”