Construction Industry Innovation: Hickory Company Report Analysis

This report analyzes the challenges faced by Hickory, a construction company, focusing on workplace safety concerns related to manual handling of heavy materials. The report identifies the need for an innovative solution to reduce accidents and improve productivity. It proposes the implementation of an AI-powered automated system for lifting and moving heavy loads, minimizing human intervention. The report details the potential benefits of this innovation, including improved worker safety, reduced operational costs, and enhanced project timelines. It also discusses the importance of stakeholder consultation and the potential for backup systems in case of AI system malfunctions. The report concludes that implementing AI-based technologies can significantly improve the construction company's operations by increasing productivity, and ensuring employee safety.

Running head: INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
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Executive Summary
The report is aimed towards identifying the major concerns that are being encountered by Hickory,
the construction company in Australia, and devising an innovation for the increased productivity of
the same. The report identified that the concerned organization faced a concern relating to the
absence of effective safety and security measures for the employees while they lift or move heavy
construction materials. The employees suffered several injuries that interrupted the productivity of the
organization and the task flow. Therefore, the report identified an innovation that would support the
organization in minimizing the challenges through the utilization of AI based processes. The report
developed an idea on the benefits that the organization would gather from the innovation and the steps
that might be considered by the same for improving the effect of the innovation in the organizational
productivity. Therefore, the overall purpose of the report was to devise the current concerns that are
being faced by the construction organization and thereby refer an innovation with the purpose of
empowering its productivity in the markets.
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INTRODUCTION
The different innovations that are undertaken by the organizations are reliant on the
identification of the concerns and the need for mitigating the same towards continuous
improvement. The report will be developing an idea on one of the major concerns that were
encountered by the construction based organization, Hickory, and the manner in which the
innovations allowed the business in improving the productivity. The overall report would
analyze the concern, the innovation and the outcome of the innovation that was planned by
the organization for building on their sustenance related goals.
Hickory, Building innovation
Hickory, the construction company, was founded in the year 1991 and since then the
organization developed a wider range of innovations with the purpose of improving the
sustainable edge of the same while operating as per the common goals (Hickory.com.au
2020). The continuous innovation of the organization in the construction industry permitted in
improving their market position and brand value. The organization has been always equipped
with the idea of providing the clients with the best possible assistance and services which
allowed the business in gaining a competitive edge over the existing market players. It has
been observed that the concerned organization employs around 1000 employees till date
which enabled the business in maintaining the continuity of operations while adhering to the
changing client needs (Hickory.com.au 2020).
THE PROBLEM
The concerned organization, Hickory, face a significant concern that has been affecting
the capability of the business in improving the productivity of the business while adhering to
the growing demand of the clients. It has been observed that the organization has been
encountering significant concerns in minimizing the workplace accidents which have greatly
threatened the productivity of the business. According to a report published by the
organization, more than 7% of the workforce are affected through the accidents and mishaps
that often occurs in the site which affects the productivity of other 93% of the workforce
(Hickory.com.au 2020). It has been also noted that most of the injuries and accidents are
encountered while transporting the raw building materials in the building sites. The absence
of any safety device has forced the laborers and the other workforce to handle the heavy raw
materials manually which often results to head and neck injuries among the people. The
workplace safety related incidents have affected the morale and motivation of the employees
affecting the overall productivity of the organization within the scheduled deadline.
According to Tinoco, Sato and Hasan (2016) the workplace accidents or injuries in a
construction project specifically results to override in schedule which might affect the
interests of the company while retaining the goodwill of the clients. The organization has
already taken the initiative of utilizing the automated cranes and hydraulic lifters for raising
and transporting the heavy raw materials. However, the threat of workplace accidents still
showed up in quick intervals. The absence of complete automation in the high risk jobs has
thereby incapacitated the organization in minimizing the risk content. According to the chief
contractor in the organization and the engineers, the concerned organization have tactically
developed a partial automated system of lifting the heavy loads (Hickory.com.au 2020).
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However, the partial automation often requires human intervention and in most of the times
the human interventions over powers the machinery which have retained the existence of the
workplace risks (Hickory.com.au 2020).
An employee in the organization complained that there are situations when the hydraulic
crane fails to operate and with the purpose of not losing the deadline, the employees are
forced to work on the heavy projects manually, thereby increasing the chances of getting
injured (Hickory.com.au 2020). Therefore, the injuries that are suffered by the workforce
while operating as per the common goals of the business specifically demotivated the
employees towards work. The absence of motivation among the employees affected the
capability of the organization in improving their performance as per the deadlines that are
provided by the clients for the projects. Poirie, Forgues and Staub-French (2016) observed
that the productivity of the organizations are specifically reliant on the proactive engagement
of the workforce in the different processes. In this connection, the absence of active
engagement of the employees in the different processes has affected the capability of the
organization in improving their productivity. The lower productivity of the organization
affected the capability of the same in retaining the trust and loyalty of the clients while
improving the overall market position of the same. Therefore, the increased workplace
accidents and absence of effective measures on health and safety of the workforce have
affected the capability of the business in forging continuous improvements in the productivity
of the same.
THE INNOVATION
The concerned organization might take the initiative of devising a complete automated
picker or crane with the purpose of minimizing the human intervention in the different
activities. The lower amount of human intervention in the processes would allow the
organization in minimizing the threats of accidents. The organization might take the initiative
of consulting with the different stakeholders before implementing the automated apparatus
with the purpose of gaining their consent on the idea. The chief idea of the project would be
to develop an AI system which would automatically raise the loaded objects in the site. The
enumeration of the AI systems in the construction projects would allow the organization in
minimizing the risks of life threats to the workforce. According to Levin (2016), the
development of automated technologies through the implementation of AI systems supports
an organization in increasing their productivity while operating as per the common goals of
the venture. The overall idea of the innovation is to install an AI powered machine that would
minimize the human intervention while maneuvering the heavy loads with the purpose of
minimizing the risk incidents. Kivilä, Martinsuo and Vuorinen (2017) opined that the AI
fitted machines work independently, without the intervention of the humans, which would
specifically enable in improving the capability of the business in developing the overall
activities. Therefore, the development of the AI integrated machineries and units would allow
the organization in improving the overall productivity of the same and minimizing the
intervention of the humans in the overall process designs.
OUTCOME – LIST SPECIFIC BENEFITS INCLUDING ANY DATA ON SAFETY,
QUALITY, COST, OR SCHEDULE
The outcome of the overall innovation related activity of the organization would support
the business in increasing the effectiveness of the operations while minimizing injuries to the
workforce. It has been observed that the employees or the laborers in the organization faced
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significant concerns due to the injuries they received while manually lifting or operating on
the heavy activities. Therefore, the implementation of the AI system in the lifters or movers
might support the organization in minimizing the instances and consequences of the life
threatening risks in the workforce. The safety and security of the workforce while operating
on their respective job roles would allow the organization in keeping the employees motivated
and focused. Motivated employees, without the fear of getting injured would fetch the
organization with a better opportunity of improving the productivity. Eriksson, Larsson and
Pesämaa (2017) observed that the motivated employees specifically empowers the
organizational operations while adhering to the common goals of sustenance. In this
connection, the absence of risks related to safety and security of the workforce would
significantly empower the operations of the employees while adhering to the productivity
related needs of the venture.
On the other hand, the quality of the operations and the time required for moving and
transporting the heavy loads by hand held techniques might be manipulated through the
application of the AI technology infused systems. The lower human intervention would help
the organization in saving time while reducing the instances of injuries that might induce
interruptions in the work process. Moreover, the lower human intervention in the overall
process would also reduce the risk of errors that might affect the overall flow of the process
while improving the quality of the operations. Tezel, Koskela and Aziz (2018) stated that the
induction of complete automation related technologies allows an organization in reducing the
chances of human related errors and save on the time which thereby supports in improving the
quality of the output. Lastly, the automation of the process would allow the organization in
improving the effectiveness of the business operations while minimizing the cost of
operations. According to Ishkov, Mishlanova and Grabovyi (2016), the minimization of
costs of an organization is specifically based on the implementation of automated processes
with lower human intervention based needs. The lower human intervention based needs
would allow the concerned organization in reducing the expenses from the remuneration of
the existing whole lot of laborers.
The minimized amount of operational expenses would allow the organization in
improving the rate of profitability by the end of the fiscal years. The operational efficacy in
the organization allows a business in gaining a competitive edge while empowering their
discrete propositions to the target audience. In this connection, the improvement of the
operations and minimization of the operational costs, through the innovation, would allow the
concerned business in improving the overall position of the same in the markets. The lower
rate of risks involvement threatening the security and safety of the employees and the laborers
through the implementation of the AI based machines would allow the organization in
facilitating uninterrupted activities. According to Chen et al. (2016) , the uninterrupted flow
of activities in a construction based organization ensures in upholding the tough deadlines
while operating as per the common goals of the venture. Therefore, the application of the AI
based innovative machinery would allow the concerned organization in maximizing their
productivity while improving the client relations with the business.
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT ON THIS INNOVATION
The entire innovation based machinery that is being devised is based on the AI
mechanisms resulting to complete automation. The complete automation of the machines
would allow the organization in minimizing the dependence of the same on the human
workforce. However, the malfunctioning of the AI based automated machinery might affect
the overall operations of the business. According to Williams (2016), the mal- functioning of
the complete automated units might affect the objective of uninterrupted flow of operations of
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the organization. It has been observed that the breakdown of the automation process or the
malfunctioning of the AI systems require huge amount of time to recover which might affect
the capability of the organization in adhering to the needs of the clients while meeting tight
deadlines. In this connection, the concerned organization might take the initiative of
developing partial automation based devices as backup which would require human
interventions only when the completely automated processes are malfunctioning. The
development of the backup processes would allow the organization in maintaining the
continuity of the operations while adhering to the growing needs of the client and delivering
the projects within the tight schedules. According to Lyytinen, Yoo and Boland Jr (2016),
backup planning or contingency planning are the important activities that are undertaken by
the organizations with the purpose of improving the overall operations of the venture.
Therefore, the different changes in the organizational operations, in association with the
complete automation process, would be the contingency planning activities.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, from the above assessment it might be stated that the safety and security of
the laborers might be considered as a primary concern that is being encountered by the
concerned organization Hickory while operating s per the common goals of the business. In
this connection, the report identified that moist of the employees and laborers encounter
injury while lifting or moving heavy construction materials. In this relation, the innovation
that has been reflected in the report is based on AI and its integration with different
machineries like lifters and hydraulic pumps. The induction of AI apparatus in the common
machines would allow the organization in minimizing the costs and reducing the threats to the
lives of the people while maximizing productivity. The report also identified the
developmental function that might be considered by the concerned organization as a
contingency plan for the innovation with the purpose of maintaining the uninterrupted flow of
operations of the organization.
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REFERENCES
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design–build projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(2),
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Eriksson, P.E., Larsson, J. and Pesämaa, O., 2017. Managing complex projects in the
infrastructure sector—A structural equation model for flexibility-focused project
management. International journal of project management, 35(8), pp.1512-1523.
Hickory.com.au, 2020. Hickory Building Systems > Hickory Group. [online] Hickory.com.au.
Available at: <https://www.hickory.com.au/what-we-do/our-systems/hickory-building-
systems/> [Accessed 13 April 2020].
Ishkov, A.D., Mishlanova, M.Y. and Grabovyi, K.P., 2016. The Organization of Innovative
Activities of A Construction Company. International Journal of Applied Engineering
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Kivilä, J., Martinsuo, M. and Vuorinen, L., 2017. Sustainable project management through
project control in infrastructure projects. International Journal of Project Management, 35(6),
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Levin, P. ed., 2016, October. Construction contract claims, changes, and dispute resolution.
American Society of Civil Engineers.
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classes of innovation networks. Information Systems Journal, 26(1), pp.47-75.
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