How PCL Construction is using cloud technology to improve their worksites. 

For over 100 years, PCL Construction has been helping build and transform communities across the globe. By combining tech and innovation into their job sites, PCL has managed to mobilize the right resources to tackle any project with ease. From coast to coast, PCL has used technology to build stunning and sustainable structures using their in-house developed Job Site Insights™ platform that can help them track their environment. 

As an industry leader, PCL leverages and builds tech tools to bring value to projects for clients. The company uses IoT (Internet of Things) devices to keep track of their job site metrics in real-time. JSITMis built on Microsoft Azure and is used to report job site data and analytics to users in the field through a cloud-hosted web service.  This enables them to use predictive analytics to compare sensor data with decades of historical project data to provide insights and predictions. Not only does the platform send out key metrics and help improve job site efficiencies, but it can also collect live data on job sites such as humidity levels, heat levels, and much more. 

Given that a lot of the work that takes place on PCL’s job sites requires very specific metric requirements for environmental controls, being able to control these metrics remotely is very useful for the company. Job Site Insights™ allows PCL to set thresholds for important environmental controls like humidity, vibration, temperature. Currently, there are no locally made sensors integrated into the platform but the company would like to change that. “One of the reasons why we first approached North Forge was so that we could try to produce these sensors locally using the IoT lab,” says Cody Nowell, Construction Services Manager at PCL, “but once we toured the lab and got to know the team, we realized that this partnership held the potential to do so much more than just improve our workflow processes. We could take part in building out a community of innovation in Manitoba”. 

100% employee-owned, and proud

What drives PCL’s commitment to innovation and improvement? They are 100% employee-owned, which has created a dynamic work culture that thrives on collaboration and job site improvements. “It really allows us to operate as a team. But most importantly, we take that culture with us in everything we do. That’s why we were so excited to partner and collaborate with the North Forge Fabrication Lab. Being able to support and access a network of people that can help drive business forward in Manitoba is such a wonderful opportunity for us. Our team is really looking forward to becoming part of this community and joining this makerspace” 

With North Forge as a powerhouse community to fuel Manitoba’s innovation economy, and PCL Construction’s relentless focus on innovation, the partnership makes a lot of sense. “The PCL Construction IoT Innovation Lab at the Fabrication Lab is a perfect match.” Says Marney Stapley, Vice President at North Forge Technology Exchange. “The IoT Innovation Lab allows users to create real-world Internet of Things use cases and technology solutions that will be a game-changer to entrepreneurs.”

To learn more about PCL Construction click here

To learn more about the Fabrication Lab, click here