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Recent reports show that concrete is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, by some accounts, it’s the world’s most-used resource, second only to water.
Approximately 10 billion tons of concrete are made every year, more than 500 million of which are produced and used in the United States.
Analysts predict this figure will surge significantly over the next three decades. Because of that, today’s concrete producers need to stay on top of certain factors and use those aspects to their benefit as well as that of their clients. This article shows 3 key areas a modern-day concrete producer needs to master.
1) Logistics
For concrete companies, ready mix logistics is an essential element. This, alone, encompasses a range of factors that can impact a business.
Some of these are managing and storing supplies, keeping track of fleet vehicles, getting materials to job sites as needed, and planning ahead for peaks and drops in the demand for services.
All these aspects can have a profound effect on a concrete company’s reputation, costs, and overall success. They’re also influenced by certain other areas concrete producers should master.
2) Quality Control
Quality control touches upon numerous areas of the concrete industry. It’s certainly focused on the products companies use to complete clients’ jobs, but it also spans beyond that point.
Quality likewise applies to the services provided to clients because materials and how they’re used go hand in hand. Quality control applies to the types of equipment being used and their conditions as well.
Those are only a few aspects in which effective quality control can make a significant difference for companies and their clients.
3) Enterprise Resource Planning Software
Enterprise resource planning, or ERP, can be critical to today’s businesses. These solutions bring together various divisions of a business in new and innovative ways. They allow for integration between accounting, logistics, dispatchers, and other departments. Each department operates independently of the others, but all are able to share information with each other more readily and accurately than they would be without ERP software.
4) Smart Technology
Quite a few people now use smart technology without even thinking about it. It can be particularly helpful for businesses. Numerous devices that are part of the ever-growing internet of things are now available for companies in a range of industries.
Everything from truck tracking devices to sensors for concrete mixing and storage tanks can help with inventory management, waste reduction, project planning, and an array of other tasks.
5) Cloud-Based Business Solutions
Without cloud-based business solutions, many of the previously mentioned concepts wouldn’t be possible. At the very least, they wouldn’t be as effective and seamless as they are today.
Thanks to the cloud, concrete producers now have far more remote capabilities than they once did. Cloud technology also aids in reducing costs for businesses in several ways.
Making the Most of Modern Advancements
Those are some of the key areas a modern-day concrete producer needs to master to be able to stay on top of clients’ growing and changing demands.
These elements will also help companies save a great deal of time and money, allowing them to focus more on the products and services they offer.
Technology is constantly advancing, and the options now available to businesses offer far-reaching opportunities for those that are willing to integrate them into their daily operations. While the transition may take a bit of time for employees to become accustomed to, it’s well worth the effort in the long run.
